A/N: Ignore the chapter titles...not even close to being related to the chapters lol.
So, who likes Elizabeth? Anyone? Well...she has a surprise coming to her...
I realized I have a problem with the time...its only been a couple or few days...hope nobody minds how slow the days are going.
I'll think of something to solve that issue later. Sorry for any grammer mistakes...I'm not perfect...
Well...you get the idea that I do not own Teen Titans...
Enjoy!
Chapter 10- Never Easy
Robin sat on the shower floor, legs drawn up to his chest and arms wrapped around them. He stared at the wall. He was done crying, to his relief. It wasn't something he felt comfortable with, but he knew it needed to be done. He sighed and wondered how much more he could take.
"I'm just going to sit here until I absolutely have to get out…" he thought miserably. He just wanted to be alone, just not have anyone breathing down his neck all the time. He closed his eyes and let the water sooth him.
Unfortunately, that didn't last long, for there was a loud rapping knock on the door. Robin's eyes snapped open.
"Can't I get any freaking privacy around here?" he thought, instantly annoyed.
"What do you want?" Robin yelled as he climbed to his feet.
"We are waiting for you to get done, pup. We have something for your boo-boo" To his dismay, the screechy voice belonged to Elizabeth.
"Whatever…I'll be out in a few" he replied coolly. He slammed his fist into the wall.
"Damn her…" Robin thought angrily. He was going to have a talk to Slade about her. He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower.
He tried to ignore the blood on the floor and leapt over it. But he landed on a slick spot and almost lost his balance.
"C'mon, can I get a break around here?" he complained loudly to himself as he regained his balance. He quickly grabbed the towel and dried off and put on his boxers. Then, he slipped halfway into his suit, leaving the top half dangling down. He slipped into his socks, shoes, and lastly, slipped his mask on.
"Geez…half the time I spend around here is dressing…some job this is" he thought. He grinned at himself and did his hair. He was going to act like everything was fine. He knew Elizabeth expected him to be a broken and obeying puppet. He wasn't going to be that way. He leapt over the blood again and walked to the living room of the apartment. The three adults stopped talking and eyed Robin.
"What…am I that sexy that you have to stare like that?" Robin joked.
Slade snorted. "Turn around, smart ass. I rather see your back then your face"
Robin winced playfully. "Ouch Slade…that really hurt my feelings…at least I am sexier than you and your mom put together"
Slade rolled his eye. "Is that the best you can do Robin? Surely Beast Boy would have given you some tips to actually being funny…" he said smugly.
Robin frowned and turned. "Kiss my ass while you look back there" he replied.
Rob came to Robin and gently traced the "S" on Robin's back.
"How bad is it Doc?" Robin asked, trying not to flinch.
"If you're lucky, it will fade completely. But since the cuts are deep, there is a possibility it could scar" Rob said.
"Noooo…" Robin moaned and shook his head.
"What about the shot we gave him? It should have completely healed" Slade spoke, his voice laced with annoyance.
"Well, since he managed to spill a large amount of it all over, what we did give him depends on how his body reacts to it…" Rob explained as he put some antibiotic lotion over it.
"This is so boring. I am going take a walk" the snotty Elizabeth said and left the apartment.
"Woohoo!" Robin shouted happily and threw his fist in the air. He glanced behind him, over at Rob and Slade, who clearly thought he had lost his mind.
"Errr…what? I honestly do not like her. I even loathe her... Can you blame me?" he said, losing his happiness.
"I don't" Rob agreed and quickly glanced at Slade.
Slade shook his head. "I don't care if you like her or not. She is part of my plan and I will give her what she wants…except you, Robin"
"Good! I'm your apprentice! Only yours!" Robin exclaimed.
Slade chuckled and ambled over to him. Then he leaned over and whispered into Robin's ear, "Do you realize what you just said? Because that is mainly the reason I did that to you…to mark you as mine…"
It was evening.
Robin, Slade, and Elizabeth were having a spaghetti dinner. Robin was not thrilled to have her there, but she had insisted on cooking them a meal.
"I am surprised she knows how to cook…" Robin thought, but his stomach growled at him to shut up and eat. Elizabeth was giving Robin a "Go-ahead-and-insult-me" look.
"It's very tasty and good" Robin complimented, actually meaning it.
"Glad you like it, puppy…" she replied with a smirk.
Slade chuckled. "He eats like a bird though..." he commented, with a hidden smirk.
Robin ignored the comments and watched Slade eat. It was fascinating to see the long and thin noodles slide and disappear through the slits of the mask.
"I still find it fascinating…but he's the one who looks like a bird, doing that" Robin thought amusingly as he ate.
Robin felt something rub against his leg. He knew it was Elizabeth's foot that was rubbing against his leg.
"Damn you…you are trying to get me in trouble…" Robin thought angrily and gave her a glare and scowl. She smiled sweetly and gave him a wink.
Slade, oblivious to what was going on, continued to eat. Robin tried to make eye contact with him, but Slade was somehow fascinated by his food and refused to look at him.
Robin felt her foot rise higher, still rubbing against him. He lost all interest in the food now, just focusing now on her advance. He knocked his knees together, hoping that would stop her.
"Please…please...stop" he begged silently. He was not used to this. His heart was pounding like crazy and he was breathing became a little labored as she pushed her foot past his knees. He was debating to either cause a scene or just let her continue.
Suddenly her foot shot up and gently rubbed and pressed down on his crotch. He whimpered, but slammed his fist on her foot, causing her to move her foot. He scrambled out of his seat and fled the room.
Slade and Elizabeth bursted out laughing.
"Did you see the look on his face? Darling, you must train him!" she exclaimed.
Slade stopped and glared at her. "Don't tell me how to train my apprentice…and if you want to play…I am right here. A trained and experienced man…" he growled and tackled her, sending the table, food, plates, and glasses flying into the air.
Robin ran as fast as he could back to the large room where the nightmare had started. He pushed the door close and locked and bolted it.
"Finally…alone…no insane and evil Slade, no stuck up bitch trying to arouse me, like she ever could…just me …" he thought, getting depressed.
He walked around the room, enjoying the space and silence. As he walked closer to Slade's chair, he spotted the laptop.
He stopped and stared at it.
It was the answer to his questions or the answer to his nightmares. His curiosity got to the best of him and he grabbed it and sat in Slade's chair.
He was glad he was wearing black gloves, so his fingerprints wouldn't be as easily traced. He took a deep breath and opened the laptop.
The login screen immediately popped up and Robin furiously thought of possible password combinations.
"If I were Slade, which I am so glad I am not, what would my password be?" he thought and typed in a password.
"Access denied" the screen blinked and Robin scowled. He tried multiple password ideas, but got no results.
"Ok…perhaps I am thinking too much like Slade" Robin thought. He tried some random combinations and still got no results.
He finally typed in "Halloween31" and it gave him access. Robin grinned, pleased to have accomplish something worthwhile.
"I guess Halloween is his favorite holiday…must keep that in mind" Robin thought.
The desktop was pretty much empty, nothing exciting on it. He quickly searched through folders until he found a folder labeled "Future Plans".
He clicked on it and was amazed to see a very long list of documents. He quickly scrolled down the list until a document called "Destruction Project" caught his eye. He opened the document and scanned the page. It was a weather control machine. There were sketches and details on the completion. Robin shook his head. He had hoped that Slade had a better plan then this.
"Still…it is dangerous and illegal…it's a start" he thought. Then, he grinned and typed "Elizabeth" into the search box. He was going to find anything he could about her. He was practically jumping with joy as he saw the folder and clicked on the document.
His excitement turned to disappointment, when he saw that there wasn't much to read. But from what he read, she seemed like a perfect woman. She was rich, charming, attractive, and successful. According to the media. He was shocked that she was a mother of two children.
"So, why is she so evil? It doesn't make sense…" Robin muttered, his eyes narrowing. Lost in thought, he continued to scan Slade's files.
"Ka-boom!" was the sound ringing in Robin's ears as he heard the doors getting blown off their hinges. He knew he had to act quickly. He slammed the laptop down and set it where he found it, and leapt off and hid behind Slade's chair. His heart was thumping wildly as he heard heavy footsteps. He carefully peeked out from the edge of the chair and saw Slade walking out of the smoke. He looked fearsome, but that was just Robin's opinion. Elizabeth followed and stood next to him.
"Where is that rotten mutt?" she asked, crossing her arms and tapping her foot.
Slade gave her an icy glare and replied "He is no mutt. So, shut up. My little troublemaker is in here…"
"Slade knows…he knows" Robin thought, panicking. He pressed his back against the chair, hoping Slade wouldn't find him. Why was he getting scared? He was breaking again, the fear beating his stubbornness. He didn't know why this was happening, but only knew that he did not want to be punished again.
"Come out now Robin…I'm not here to punish you" Slade said softly as if he had read Robin's mind.
Robin couldn't help but to shiver. It was creepy to hear Slade talk…so softly…so humanely. He gulped and stood up, trembling.
Slade spotted Robin slowly rising from behind his chair. He noticed there was something wrong with his apprentice. Robin had an unusual expression on his face and was trembling. He was very curious to know why.
"What is the matter with you?" Slade asked, returning to his regular tone. He had succeeded in luring Robin out with a feign tone of kindness. It had succeeded and that pleased Slade.
Robin walked up and stood in front of Slade.
"Nothing is wrong…I just want her to stay away from me. Lock me up if you have to…Master" Robin answered weakly.
"He's lying. He's done something" Elizabeth immediately said. She had been quiet up until now. Slade nodded and Robin scowled and looked at the ground.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself, my dear apprentice?" Slade said, lifting Robin's chin, so they could look at each other. When Robin didn't respond, Slade continued.
"Elizabeth is skilled at sensing those who tell the truth and those who lie…so I suggest you tell me what you were doing" Slade said, his eye narrowing.
Robin tried to pull back, but Slade gained a firm grip on his chin, forcing him to stay still.
"I hacked into your laptop and scanned and read a few of your documents… to find a bit more about her" Robin whispered, staring into Slade's eye.
"I do believe his deserves punishment, Slade. Liars and disrespectful twerps like him need it" Elizabeth said nastily.
"I do believe I told you not to tell me how to train my apprentice" Slade growled and with his free hand, punched her in the face. She tumbled to the ground, looking up at Slade as she wiped blood from her mouth.
"You...you hit me!" she exclaimed in shock.
"Damn straight I did. Now shut up" Slade snarled, releasing Robin, and cracked his knuckles.
Robin, who was taken aback by Slade's sudden attack on her, was unsure what was really going on.
"Wow…didn't think Slade would punch his "special woman"…and he kind of stuck up for me…or was he protecting himself? And he actually kept his word…ugh; this drama is driving me crazy!" Robin thought.
"This is your fault…" she snarled at Robin and drew out her whip. Robin tensed up and leapt out of the way as the whip came at him.
Slade took a step back and gave Robin a nod. Robin nodded back and grinned.
"Hey bitch…want to see why Slade chose me to be his apprentice? You are going to find out!" Robin said and drew out a bo-staff. He ran towards her, dodging the whip as it came towards him. He pushed off the ground and flipped into the air. He felt the whip wrapped around his ankle.
"Huh?" he said, caught off guard. Elizabeth grinned and pulled down on the whip.
Robin slammed into the ground and rolled away as the whip came crashing down.
He rolled onto one knee and studied his opponent.
"She's fast, but the whip is doing all the work for her…she doesn't look like a fighter, so I should be able to take her down quite easily" he thought quickly as he flipped onto his hands and back onto his feet.
He slowly withdrew an electric disk with his free hand, behind his back, tightly holding the bo-staff in the other as they circled each other.
"What's the matter puppy? Did your Mistress hurt you? she taunted.
Robin chuckled. "You are so conceited…Mistress. Without that whip, you are nothing but a pathetic bitch. At least I can do tricks…and take you down easily" he said with a smirk and threw the electric disk at her.
A small explosion of light and smoke erupted as the disk exploded. Robin ran towards it, extending the bo-staff and raised it, holding it like a baseball bat. He then swung it as she stumbled out of the smoke.
"Ugh!" she moaned as it connected with her stomach. She flew back, landing hard and rolling onto her feet.
Slade was watching the two quietly, wondering what the outcome of the spar would be.
He had his bet on Robin, of course. He was clearly the better fighter of the two. He watched as Robin cleverly hid the disk behind his back.
"That's my boy…surprise her…get her" Slade thought eagerly. He watched as Robin kicked and flipped her over his shoulder.
"I wonder what Robin will do now…" Slade thought, continuing to watch. Robin now stood over her, one foot planted on her stomach and one end of the bo-staff against her throat.
"Leave me alone. I am not your fucking pet. You are not my Mistress. I don't know what your problem is…but you have no right to treat me like shit" Robin said and withdrew the staff, turned, and started to walk back to Slade.
"Well, that was very noble of you Robin. You could have finished her off…" Slade called out to him.
"I know Master. But-"he was cut off by a loud "crrr-aack" sound of the whip.
Slade watched unaffected, as Robin fall to his hands and knees as the whip started to hit his back repeatedly. He tried to get up multiple times, but each blow of the whip knocked him down onto his stomach. Then, with a devilish grin on her face, she slammed her high heeled foot onto his back.
Robin was in pure agony. As the whip hit his back hard and repeatedly, he could feel the old marks rupture open along with the new fresh ones. He felt his suit tear and blood pouring down his back. But he refuse to scream, no matter how badly it hurt. He would not give her the satisfaction that she was hurting him.
That was until he felt her heel slammed and dig deep into one of the cuts.
He screamed and shook in agony, as he looked at Slade, who sat there, watching.
"Look who owns you now…you worthless mutt" Elizabeth said evilly. She dug deeper and continued to whip him; laughing as Robin exploded into new agonized screams.
"Why won't Slade help me? Why is he just sitting there?" Robin thought as he screamed.
"Unless…he wants me to beg… I'll do it…just make her stop" he thought and was about to try to beg, when the pressure on his back lifted.
"Nobody owns Robin...but me!" Slade thought in pure anger and rose from his seat.
He stormed up to Elizabeth, grabbed her by the arm and hissed "Get your fucking foot off him now"
She snickered and removed her foot, slowly pulling the heel out. "What's the matter Slade? Are you jealous that I beat your little precious mutt?"
Slade punched her across the jaw, so hard enough to send her flying back. She landed and rolled onto her back again. He stomped his foot hard on her stomach and looked down at her. She was gasping for air.
"I suggest you clean up your act or you might find yourself in a situation that you will never come back from…" he threatened, taking his foot off and started walking away.
"Threatening me now? I could report you and your plan to the government…" she threatened him, between gasps.
Slade paused and turned to face her. "You are really pissing me off. Quit while you still can breathe" He turned and continued walking again.
"I thought we were a fucking team…"
"Oh sorry, I don't play well with others…especially with whores like you" he remarked smugly and stood next to Robin.
"That is it! We are so through! I'm making sure you never-" she was cut off when Slade's hand gripped her throat. She never saw him coming.
"What…are…you…going…to…do…to...me?" she choked out, fear in her voice.
"Making sure you never talk again" Slade replied and crushed her throat. He tossed her body onto the ground. Two Slade robotic minions appeared and picked her up.
"Make sure she won't be found, understood?" he told the robots as they started to drag her dead body away.
Robin was fading in and out of consciousness, unaware of what had just happened. His back was still screaming in agony. He felt caressing fingers running down his back. For some reason, it was soothing.
"Is Slade doing that? It's nice…creepy…but nice…" Robin thought and then whimpered as the sharp pain intensely increased.
"I'll be back, my tough little apprentice…shame that this happened, I was going to send you on your first mission…" Slade sighed and left the room.
Robin laughed softly. He didn't know why, but he found it humorous that his life had twisted so suddenly, on the week of his parent's anniversary.
Slade and Rob entered the room.
"Oh, bloody hell!" Rob exclaimed, seeing Robin laying his own blood.
"You're telling me…" Slade muttered as they walked and bent down on each side of Robin.
"Look at what this monster did! Ah, these are definitely not going to heal quickly…" Rob murmured.
Slade glared at him. "Find a way to heal them quicker…" he said, menacingly.
Rob gulped as he applied some antibiotic lotion onto Robin's back.
"But Sir…the healing liquid takes weeks to –"
"I don't give a shit. Find a way…"
"Yes, Sir. We need to bandage him…"
Slade gently grabbed Robin by the arms and stood up. He was glad that Robin was easy to hold.
Rob quickly wrapped the bandages around Robin's torso.
"Ok, we are done" Rob said uneasily.
"Thank you, Williams. You are Robin's personal doctor from now on. Think of it as a perk" Slade said as he gently swung Robin over his shoulder.
"It was a pleasure to assist you Sir. I will mop this up" he replied, referring to the blood.
Once inside his apartment, Slade laid Robin on his stomach on top his bed and sighed.
"Why am I letting him sleep on my bed? I blame my lack of sleep…making me all nice…well...the kid deserves a break…" Slade thought as he laid down on the couch.
Sometimes being evil and having a long day could even wear out a tough villain like Slade.
Robin felt so comfortable; he did not want to open his eyes. He buried his face into the pillow. But the events of yesterday flooded and flashed through his mind. He lifted his head and opened his eyes.
"Please let today be better…"he thought as he struggled to get up. He saw that his torso was completely bandaged. He slowly pushed himself onto his hands and knees, and slowly crawled to the edge of the bed.
"Ew…I just slept in Slade's bed. Gross…" Robin thought, feeling a bit disturbed by it. He walked into the living room. Slade was on the couch, sleeping.
Robin grinned and quietly went over to him. "So, he does sleep after all…" he thought, amused, resisting the urge to poke him.
He made his way to the small kitchen and opened up the fridge.
"Eggs! Bacon!" Robin thought excitedly. He grabbed them and found a small frying pan. Within minutes, the smell of the two filled the apartment. It reminded him of home, how Cyborg and Beast Boy would argue over tofu eggs and waffles, Star eating her food with mustard, and Raven drinking herbal tea.
"I really do miss that…" Robin thought sadly.
"I'm pleased to see that you are up and about…" Slade spoke, making Robin jump.
"Grrr…do you have to sneak up on me like that?" Robin asked, with a scowl.
Slade sat the table and snatched Robin's plate. "Actually…no I don't. But I enjoy it…"
Robin turned from the stove and saw Slade munching on his bacon and eggs.
"Dammit Slade! That was mine! "Robin whined, pouting a little.
"Oops…I just happened to see my food on the table and thought you made a "thank you gift" for me. Now stop pouting and make more" Slade replied amusingly.
Robin muttered under his breath and quickly fried up some more eggs and bacon, then sat across from Slade.
"So…um…what happened? After the bitch gave me more pretty marks?…" Robin asked, as he ate.
"I killed her" Slade said simply, eyeing Robin.
"Haha…very funny, Slade…" Robin said sarcastically. But he noticed that Slade was serious.
"What the hell, Slade? Was that really necessary? You could have gave her pretty marks on her back..." Robin replied, frowning.
Slade sighed. "I wouldn't expect you to understand, after all, you were a hero…"
"What are you talking about? I still am…and you are changing the subject here" Robin interrupted, glaring at Slade.
Slade chuckled.
"I was forced into this, remember? Don't even think for an instant that I enjoy this" Robin growled.
"Of course, I didn't expect you to…" Slade replied smoothly.
Awhile later, there was a knock on the door. Slade had gone to shower, leaving Robin alone.
"Hey Rob. What are you doing here?" Robin asked as he let the man in.
"Hello Robin. Uh…Slade wanted me to come. Need to give you some of this" Rob replied nervously, shaking a small bottle and lotion.
"Well…Slade is busy. So, I guess we could just start without him" Robin said.
"You don't make the rules around here, Robin." Slade said coldly, stepping into the living room, arms folded.
"Sorry Master…" Robin mumbled. "Damn, he's fast and damn, back to his usual self…" Robin thought and sighed.
"Damn…this looks horrible" Rob commented after the bandages came off and as he applied the lotion to Robin's back.
"I've seen worse…" Slade remarked and shrugged his shoulders.
"I definitely miss his softer side" Robin thought and shivered as the cold lotion was rubbed into his back. Robin made his way to a full length mirror and turned, so his back faced the mirror. He wanted to see the damage himself. So he twisted his neck and glanced back. He couldn't see much, but he did see that his cuts were deep and his whole back was colored a combination of blue, black, and purple.
He groaned, disliking the colors. But he had to admit, the lotion was already helping to ease the soreness.
"So, what's the plan for today? Robin asked, leaning a shoulder against the wall, facing Slade and Rob.
He was ignored, the two men were busy discussing in low voices.
After they were done talking, Robin had to down the bottle of the clear liquid.
"Ugh…you need to flavor this stuff" Robin complained as he set the bottle down.
"You need to shut up and deal with it" Slade replied.
"Go look at your back now…" Rob said, in a pleased voice.
"Ok…but it will still look the same…" Robin replied, hesitantly.
But when he glanced back, he noticed that the cuts were closing and healing as he watched. The colors still lingered, but Robin didn't mind anymore.
"Whoa…now that's cool" he admitted, looking at Rob and Slade.
Rob grinned and nodded. "I'm just glad it works" he said.
Slade nodded as well. "I am as well. Well done. You will live to see another day…you may leave." Slade dismissed the man.
"So are you going to answer my question?" Robin asked as he finished slipping the rest of his new suit on. He stretched, feeling better now that his back was almost healed.
"What question was that?" Slade asked, now sitting at his desk.
Robin sighed. "What's the plan for today, Master?" he repeated his question.
"That's better. Today, I am going to make you suffer of boredom, so tonight you will be eager to steal for me. What are you going to steal? I'll give you more details later…now leave me alone. " Slade answered as he pulled out some papers.
Robin sighed heavily in disappointment. "Now what should I do?" he thought.
He plopped in a chair and turned on the TV. He flipped through the channels. He grinned wickedly as he played with the volume and mute button. He wondered how long that would take to annoy Slade.
It didn't take very long. Fifteen minutes later, Slade stood above Robin, and snatched the remote away.
"I suggest you knock it off before I make that back of yours bleed again…" Slade threatened.
"I suggest you give me something to do then! I am not going to sit here all day!" Robin yelled.
"Go away then!" Slade snapped, clenching his fists.
"Fine! I will!" Robin replied and stomped off, slamming the door behind him.
Robin had a huge grin on his face as he walked out and slammed the door. He had succeeded to get Slade annoyed enough to send him out. Now free to do as he wished, he knew exactly what he was going to do…
A/N: So what did you think? Good? Bad? Not enough? I want to know! Free cookies to those who review! :D