A/N: I really appreciate all of the positive responses to this story. Please keep reviewing. It encourages me to keep updating.
Here's the funny thing about dual identities—or in my case now, triple identities—who can you turn to when one of them is in trouble? If I told Bruce that Slade knew who Robin really was there was nothing he could do that wouldn't confirm Slade's suspicions. I couldn't tell the Titans because then I'd have to explain everything to them, and as much as I believed they could handle the truth, Bruce's paranoia couldn't handle so many people knowing his secrets. Obviously there was Starfire, but apart from my name she didn't really know much about my life as Robin before the Titans. I'm not even sure she knew what the Bat Cave was. I needed help. For the first time I was willing to admit I was in way over my head and I needed another superhero to come bail me out. But not Batman—God, anyone but Batman. I'd never hear the end of it from him.
"Hey Clark?" I was back in my room again, alone. Starfire promised to do whatever she could to help, but when I told her that I needed to figure this out on my own she nodded and let me go. For some reason it surprised me that she didn't put up a fight. I'd half-expected her to insist that I needed to trust her or the team, but instead she just smiled at me and gave me a nod, as if she knew I would handle it and everything would be fine. Wow. I'm not sure anyone's had so much faith in me since…well, my parents. By the time I reached the door I was already feeling more in control again. Was this what having a girlfriend was going to be like?
Clark looked terrible. His tie hung loosely around his throat, and his collar was disheveled. There were bags under his eyes, and his broad shoulders sagged as if he carried the weight of the world. Only one thing affected the Man of Steel that way.
"Is Lois all right?" I asked immediately.
I've known Superman since I first started patrolling Gotham. When he found out that Bruce was dragging a kid into danger with him, Clark had shot out of the sky and hauled Batman up by his throat demanding to know what he was thinking. To this day I still don't think he understood why Bruce insisted on taking me with him. He wouldn't. Clark still has his parents. He didn't know what it felt like to know that their deaths were for no other reason than someone else's greed. Bruce's father had tried to reason with his gunman, offered him all the valuables he had on him, and it hadn't been enough. My parents died so that a mafia boss could prove a point to the owner of Haley's circus when he wouldn't accept a bribe. Clark sighed and stared off into the space beyond his laptop.
"She'll be fine. It's just a broken wrist but it could have been so much worse." I waited. With Clark there was always more. He wasn't like Bruce, who pretended he didn't have emotions. Clark Kent wore his heart on his sleeve, and he could always be counted on to blame himself when people around him got hurt—especially Lois.
"She was going undercover trying to expose a group of poachers that were targeting animals on the endangered species list and selling their pelts to the highest bidder. It was a multi-million dollar scheme. She found out that they had captured a panda cub and were planning to sell it to a zoo. She…well she's Lois. She confronted the men, and if I hadn't been close by…" He sighed and pressed the heel of his palms against his eyes as if he was trying to grind the memory out of his mind. I ran a hand over the back of my neck.
"You know, she may be a human but she's not as fragile as you think she is. Look at all the crazy trouble I've gotten myself into and I've survived. It's not in us to just sit by and do nothing, even when we do have your number on speed dial."
"I know," he said with another heavy sigh, as if to say, I know, but I don't have to like it. "Speaking of trouble, how's your situation with Starfire?" He wanted to change the subject. Nothing I or anyone else said was going to change his mind when it came to Lois and her safety. He'd have wrapped her in a bulletproof bubble if she'd let him, which of course we all knew she wouldn't.
"Well, things have gotten complicated…" I told him everything that had happened since the last time we'd talked. When I got to the part where I put on the Red-X costume he put his hand over his mouth again to hide his smile.
"You were having enough trouble with only two identities. What on earth made you think a third would make things any easier."
"I don't know Kal, what does Clark think about being Superman in his downtime?" I shot back. At that, his face split into a wide grin. I rolled my shoulders, preening. Score one for Robin.
"Anyway, it was a total failure. Starfire knew it was me the whole time. And if that's not bad enough, Slade even figured out that it was me. Which is the reason I called. If Slade knows the truth, he could destroy everything. He'll go after Bruce, Babs, Alfred—anyone that's associated with Dick Grayson or Robin. I really screwed up this time, and…I need help." The words stuck in my throat a little bit.
For a second I thought I saw him flinch, and then to my surprise he just chuckled. I stared at him. Did he not hear what I just said? Slade knew Robin's secret identity. Slade! On what planet was that funny?
"What did Starfire say when she finally told you?" he asked—completely missing the point of the story. Annoyed that he couldn't focus on what was important, I gave him the words that would hit home the most.
"She asked me how I thought that wearing a pair of glasses and changing my hairstyle would be enough to keep her from recognizing me." I shot him a pointed look, and he threw back his head and laughed again. It was a little odd to be swapping stories and advice with him like this. Before, when I spoke with him it was as Robin, side-kick to Batman, and now he was treating me like Robin, Leader of the Teen Titans and Superman's equal.
"So…about Slade?" I prompted when he continued to smile off into la-la land. His blue eyes snapped back to my face. An unfathomable expression was lingering in his gaze that unnerved me a little bit. I stared back, trying to read it. Sympathy? Apology? Resignation?
"Are you certain Slade knows the truth? Could it be a coincidence that he was there? Perhaps he came to question Dick Grayson about the man who stole the Red-X costume."
"I don't know for sure, but Starfire received an invitation to meet with Dick Grayson at the penthouse. I didn't send it."
"You think Slade did? Why?"
"I don't know, Clark. If I knew what he was up to I wouldn't have to ask for your help!" I exploded in frustration. He merely lifted a brow, waiting for me to calm down. It was subtle, but it was a warning nonetheless.
"It seems to me that the best way to solve your problem is to convince him that Dick Grayson and Robin really are two different people."
"Thanks Clark, you really cleared that up for me," I said drily.
"If you don't like my advice why don't you see what Batman has to say?" Two eyebrows went up that time. Strike two. I probably should have gone easy on him. After all, I knew he'd had a rough day with Lois, but anxiety got the better of me and I decided to push my luck.
"Sure, and while I'm at it why don't I staple my head to this desk." Alright, I admit it: I get a little testy when I'm under pressure. I blame that on Bruce too. He isn't exactly the role model for anger management.
Superman looked over his monitor again with a wry smile on his mouth
"What do you think, Bruce? Maybe you can shed some light on this situation."
My stomach landed somewhere near my toes and I choked back a groan as a second face appeared just over Clark's shoulder. A familiar scowl greeted me.
"I'd say that Dick better get his ass back to Gotham." He bit out the words, his eyes cold with fury. To my surprise I wasn't intimidated. It was probably because it was no more than I expected. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose and shooting an accusing glance at Clark for letting me expose all my secrets without even a hint that he wasn't alone. What the heck was Bruce even doing in Metropolis?
"What time are you sending the Batplane?" I sighed. His eyes narrowed.
"Who said anything about sending a plane? Your new girlfriend can fly, can't she? You've already let her find out everything else, you might as well let her meet the family." In other words, I had screwed up so badly that I was going to have to claw my way back into his good graces through weeks of humiliation and groveling. As if! I didn't know how to feel about taking Starfire to the Manor. She would like Alfred. She might even enjoy the grounds. But in his present mood, Bruce was not going to let her enjoy her stay one bit.
"It's not Star's fault," I said stiffly. His expression remained bland.
"Why should I fault her for being observant? You're the one who couldn't follow simple directions. How many times did I tell you? Don't get involved with a teammate, don't bring Dick Grayson into your life in Jump, don't tell anyone who you are? In less than twenty-four hours you've managed to do all three, and you're not the one who's going to have to deal with this mess, are you?"
"I am," I insisted petulantly, but it was a half-hearted protest. If Slade really did know about me then he was never going to be able to resist the chance to go after the Batman, publically or privately. Why go after the side-kick when you could take down the big guy himself?
"Bruce," Clark cut in gently. Somehow he'd managed to make his incredibly large frame seem unobtrusive, so that I'd almost forgotten he was there. "Did you really think this would never happen? It's the risk we all take having private lives and secret identities." Oh yea sure, pipe up now.
"This would never have happened if—"
"—If what? If he never trusted anyone else but you? He's not an island. He needs Starfire; he needs his team. It's only because he respects you as much as he does that he hasn't already told them all before now. At least he's man enough to say he made a mistake. That's more than I can say for you." It was only because he was the Man of Steel that Bruce didn't kick his chair out from underneath him. He'll refuse it until the day he dies, but I know Clark's the one man he's afraid to push too far. Bane, Joker…he'll face them down any day, but ask him to go toe to toe with the Man of Steel and he'll find himself a convenient excuse to avoid the confrontation unless he can retreat to a safer distance. Nevermind that Superman's the only one who won't kill him.
"Robin, I want to see you and Starfire in Gotham, tonight. No excuses, and no one else. Understand?"
"Understood," I mumbled. And even though it was Clark's computer and there was still plenty I wanted to say to him, Bruce reached over and cut the connection feed. I stared at my blank screen for a long time, anger and guilt and apprehension swimming inside me.
I was still sitting there five minutes later when a fax beeped on my machine. I snatched it off the printer and scowled. I was in deep trouble if Bruce was sending me a script.