So, here we go. I hope this has been worth the wait!

Enjoy!

"I hope you realize that this is not the most strategically sound plan," Tim said quietly.

"I know," Dick replied, "but it's the only one with any hope of winning."

"Really?" Even with the mask, Tim's incredulous expression was clear. "'Cause it looks to me like this is the one way we're guaranteed to be weakest, not strongest. Why are you pitting us against someone who can beat us instead of dividing up the team better and compensating for people's liabilities?"

Dick looked straight ahead stalwartly. "Because something I've learned with the Titans is never to underestimate what people can do when there's a personal stake in it. Should we have switched with the others and let them handle this? Maybe. But they can't save our father the way we can. They might be more powerful, but in the end, we'll want it more."

"You're letting your emotions decide for you," Tim accused. "You're blinded by wanting to be the hero and making a call based on pride instead of being rational like we've both been taught."

Dick shook his head. "I'm not blind because of my emotions – I'm stronger."

"You're risking Batman's life here."

"That's where you're wrong." Dick finally looked at his counterpart. "I'm risking everyone's lives here."

Together, they dropped from their perch a few buildings away to swing onto the roof where Slade was waiting.

-==OOO==-

"Okay, somebody tell me again why the Robins are all the way up there with Slade and we're down here on the ground floor!" Beast Boy waved his arms with aggravation.

"Because Slade won't be expecting it," Cyborg told him. "He figures we'll all show up there guns a-blazing."

"Which we probably SHOULD because duh!" Beast Boy replied. "What about Hotbutt and that flying girl and all the Slade-bots? They're probably up there, too!"

"I too think we should be with the Robins," Starfire said. "The danger to them is much greater."

"This is something our Robin has to face on his own," Raven said suddenly. "Slade is his burden to bear, and he has to overcome him in his own way."

"Like you and Ebon?" Starfire asked.

Raven's eyes were cold and hard in the shadow of her cloak. "Exactly."

"Don't worry, Raven," Cyborg told her, holding up his cannon. "I'll keep him off you." Then he looked ahead. "Come on. That tracker in Batman's uniform puts him somewhere in the middle of the building. Robin – both Robins – are counting on us to get him out safe."

As Cyborg followed the signal and Starfire cleared the path of the debris of the ruined buildings, only Beast Boy was hanging back enough to catch Raven's low, almost whispered words.

"No, Cyborg. You won't keep him off me and you're not supposed to. Just like with Trigon, you can't stop him." She sighed. "And maybe I can't, either."

-==OOO==-

"Ah, Robin. And – Robin. How nice of you to be prompt," Slade pushed away from the turbine to face the pair. "I'm surprised that you've come without your super-powered friends, though."

"We don't need super powers to beat you, Slade," the elder Robin's voice dripped with fury.

"Tell us where Batman is," the younger Robin demanded tightly.

"All in good time, boys," Slade stretched languidly. "I am, of course, fully aware that the rest of the Titans are tracking his signal now and walking straight into my trap." He stopped and cocked his head to one side. "And you know that, don't you, Robin?"

The Robin he had been addressing, the Titans' Robin, nodded sharply. "This is the confrontation you wanted all along. Me and you."

"Us and you," the younger Robin corrected.

"So I figured I'd give you what you want," the first Robin finished. "Save us all a lot of time."

"That's very considerate of you, Robin. A quality I thoroughly appreciate and look forward to when you return to your place at my side." Slade moved with a slithering smoothness across the rooftop towards them. "That is the price of your former mentor's life, after all."

"Yeah, about that," the elder Robin tensed and readied himself.

"It's a little too steep for us," the younger Robin said.

"A word from me and Batman will die at the hands of the Metabreed, who, I assure you, would be very eager for the prestige that would come with such a feat," Slade said, almost within striking range. "And you cannot risk your precious team against the Metabreed, not without facing the possibility of losing them."

"Maybe," the first Robin said. "But I risk losing them all the time. I risk losing Batman, too. And you know what?" He smirked. "Somehow, it always works out."

There was a blast from below and the building shook on its foundations.

"See?" the younger Robin taunted with a grin. "I think the Breed are pretty busy right now."

"If this is your choice, so be it!" Slade began to charge. "Defeat is just another kind of surrender!"

"Yeah, it is," the elder Robin dropped into a defensive stance beside his counterpart. "But we'll see who gets defeated this time!"

Like twin shadows, the Robins attacked.

-==OOO==-

The original Gotham train station was a building more than a dozen stories tall, dwarfing the smaller offices around it just past the edge of the city's major business and financial district. It had once been an impressive, imposing edifice and the pride of the city, but, like much of Gotham, had been worn down by time and the unsavory element until it was barely recognizable. Nonetheless, it still had some remarkable architectural facets, from gargoyle rain-spouts to high Art Deco moldings to the now-green copper roof.

And inside, on the main concourse level that overlooked the abandoned tracks that had once carried the heartbeat of the city, a massive four-story mural crafted of interlocking metal pieces and tiles depicted the city of Gotham as it had been at the time. Discolored with age and tarnished from lack of care, the raised relief stretched several dozen yards wide over an open atrium. Parts of it, especially at the bottom, had been torn off by looters long before, but the top almost three stories up remained largely untouched.

Except where Hotstreak had melted the metal to form molten manacles that held Batman fast against the wall, his hands and forearms encased and his feet barely perched upon a tiny ledge to spare his shoulders the strain.

Cyborg spotted him at once. "Titans go! You know the plan!"

The other three fanned out, Starfire launching herself into the air after Hotstreak while Cyborg began cutting down the small army of Slade-bots and Beast Boy winged after Talon in the dome above.

Raven appeared beside Batman.

"Ebon is here," he said shortly. "You must…"

"I know," Raven told him. She gathered a solid black sphere into the air and settled it around Batman, beginning to gently pull at the restraints. "That's the point. He and I have something to finish together."

"You reconsidered my offer," came the deep voice. "I knew you would."

"Not a chance," Raven told him.

The dark coils shot from the wall only inches from where Raven's protection around Batman stopped. She dodged them and blasted back, luring him after her down one of the broad concourses. When they were farther away, the sphere around Batman winked out of existence.

"Do not fear, Friend of Robin," Starfire appeared beside Batman and expertly yanked the metal cuffs from the wall, steadying him when his balance faltered as soon as he was free. "There is a plan."

"Where are Robin and Robin?" Batman demanded.

"Facing Slade," Starfire told him. "And I carry their words to you."

Batman paused in the act of launching a grappling hook long enough to look at her, his expression pinched and narrow. "And what did they say?"

Starfire held his eyes with the firmness of her will that she rarely troubled to show. "They wished you to know that this is their fight and they do not want you to join them. There is something they can only learn together against Slade. If you must fight, help us here until Robin signals us."

Batman glowered at her. "I don't take orders from you or Robin."

"It is not an order," Starfire replied. "It is a request, and one you should respect. The Robins trust you to understand them. Please do not prove them wrong."

Batman eyed the situation in the room, the chaos as the Slade-bots fell and Talon and Hotstreak teamed up against Cyborg with Beast Boy working to assist him, and looked back at Starfire. "I'll do what I think is best, and so must you. Now go help your friends."

And he jumped from the wall to swing into the shadows and disappeared.

Starfire was about to take off after him when a shout from Cyborg pulled her attention away and she dove to intercept a blast from Hotstreak while he fended off Talon.

"He is gone," Starfire told Cyborg.

"I know," he replied, settling in back-to-back with her as they blasted their opponents. "Can't say I'm totally surprised."

"But Robin asked…"

"Star, even we don't always do what Robin asks," Cyborg pointed out wryly. "What makes you think the Dark Knight himself would be any different?"

Suddenly Beast Boy dropped down beside them, flipping out of the form of a hawk. "Where'd Raven go?" he asked.

"I dunno!" Cyborg swept his arm to the side and fried a few more Slade-bots, though Hotstreak dodged him. "I lost track of her."

"WHAT?" Beast Boy's eyes went huge. "You left her to deal with Ebon ALONE? What's WRONG with you?"

Starfire blasted a starbolt at one of the smaller decorative pillars, bringing it down and knocking Talon to the ground beneath it. When she turned to Beast Boy, her eyes were calm and solemn. "That is not a fight we can help her with."

Beast Boy glared at her, drawing his shoulders up and holding himself at his full height. "That's what you think." And he stalked off into the crowd, following an instinct he could not deny.

Cyborg glanced at Starfire. "Do you think we should go after her with him, too?"

Starfire shook her head. "No. If Raven cannot defeat the Ebon alone, then only Beast Boy will be able to help her." She smiled very slightly. "We do not have his power to make her stronger."

Cyborg smiled too. "You're probably right about that." He turned back to the rest of the room. "So let's make sure we do our part to give everybody the time they need to win."

"Agreed." And Starfire threw herself into the battle with determined abandon.

-==OOO==-

Beast Boy followed Raven outside to what looked like had once been a decorative fountain and now seemed as dead and rotting as most of the rest of the building. Raven was hovering in the air, her dark power around her, beating back a pulsing shadow that seemed to be trying to consume her.

"Raven!" he cried before shifting to a pterodactyl to fall screaming on Ebon.

"Beast Boy! Don't!" Raven shouted. "Get back!"

That moment of distraction was all it took – Ebon swelled hugely and engulfed Raven, reminding Beast Boy of nothing so much as a shark seizing its prey. The choked-off cry of Raven's fright echoed weirdly in the now-empty courtyard.

Beast Boy dropped in human form. "Raven! No!"

And then, before he could think about it or talk himself out if it, he threw himself into the void that was Ebon to follow wherever Raven had gone.

-==OOO==-

Slade lashed out with a vicious kick, driving the smaller of the Robins away as he regained his footing. But the Robin he coveted did not give him even a moment to recover, striking on his blind side with a sharp punch. Slade was forced to retreat a few paces.

"It is an interesting experience, fighting the two of you," he told them. "The influence of Batman is unmistakable, and yet you are so different as well."

"Well, we're the same in that neither of us wants to be your apprentice," the younger Robin proclaimed.

"Don't flatter yourself, child," Slade said cuttingly. "You aren't worth the trouble yet."

"Yeah?" the elder Robin put in. "Well, neither am I. And you know how much trouble I can be, Slade. When are you going to learn that you're never going to get me to work for you again?"

"Oh, I will," Slade promised. "I only need the correct…incentive."

Slade drew out a detonator and held it. "Your precious Batman is wired with explosives, enough to bring down the building. Surrender to me now or I will destroy him and the rest of your beloved team in an instant."

The younger Robin faltered, but the first Robin faced Slade evenly. "Go ahead."

"You don't care for your former mentor anymore? How nice," Slade said.

The first Robin actually smiled. "No, it isn't that. But I know my team won't let you blow him up."

"Your team could be destroyed by now," Slade pointed out. "Certainly Ebon will prove a dangerous adversary for our dear little Raven."

"Maybe," Robin said, and he fought not to follow the tiny tendrils of his connection to Raven, not when he needed to keep focused in the here and now, "but I trust them. I trust them to save themselves and I trust them to save Batman and I trust them to save the city or the world or the universe if it comes to it. They've never let me down and they're not going to start now!"

Slade shrugged. "As you wish, then."

He triggered the detonator.

-==OOO==-

Raven was losing her battle on two different fronts.

"Come on, girl. Let go. Let me in. You know you want to. You know you wanna give me everything," whispered the sibilant, persuasive voice in her mind. Raven was keeping herself separate from Ebon but only just. And with every instant she remained within his power, his influence over her was growing. It was getting harder and harder to hold onto herself.

Which was made infinitely worse because the demonic part of Raven's nature was also breaking through. Had she been corporeal, she would have been looking at the world through four red eyes. Sliding right alongside Ebon's desire was a piece of Raven's own mind, urging her to give in, to accept, to embrace Ebon and his evil and release her full potential. The malice and hate and cruelty in Ebon met the same in Raven's soul and fed it, strengthened it, fanned its flames enough to consume what remained of Raven in a wash of venomous malevolence.

It ate at her like acid, and she could feel herself coming apart, her mind literally shattering and melting into the darkness around her.

"Azarath…Metri…Aza…" she tried to focus on the words. Words that were supposed to mean something. Weren't they?

Did it matter what they meant?

Was there a point?

No, probably not.

"…surrender to the dark within you…"

Raven's mind rose in one last, fitful attempt at defiance. "I don't…want…"

"Yes you do."

"…Do I?"

"Yesssssssssss…"

And Raven's mind would have been lost in that instant if not for a sudden cry, panicked and high and frightened.

"RAVEN!"

She regathered herself a little. "Who…who's there?"

"No one. Nothing. Nothing matters. Let go. Embrace the darkness," whispered that lulling presence

"Raven! I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm here! Don't give up! You don't want to be like Ebon!"

"…I know that voice…"

"Please, Raven! You're way stronger than Ebon. I know you are! You can't let him do this to you!"

"…Beast Boy…?" Something stirred in her foggy awareness.

"He is nothing. He means nothing. And he can give you nothing."

"Hey, I heard that! You're just an overdeveloped tar pit, or maybe a snot pit!"

Raven felt the touch of something like light reach her.

"You are NOTHING!"

"Maybe that's true, but that doesn't mean I can't give Raven something better than you. All you have is evil and oblivion. But me…I…"

Raven stirred slightly.

"There's nothing you can say that can save her now. She's almost mine."

"No, she's not!" Beast Boy's voice was clear and loud and steady. "She's not yours or her father's. Raven belongs to herself!" And then, almost angrily with the echo of a beast that lived in the shadows of his own soul, "Raven belongs to the Titans way more than she'd ever belong to you no matter what you to do her! She loves us and we love her!"

"Do you? Can you really expect me to believe you love a monster like her?"

"Yes. She's not a monster. She's a hero and she's my friend. Way more than my friend." Beast Boy's voice seemed very far away and also so close he could have been wrapped around her. "You hear that, Raven? The Titans love you and I love you. Please don't give up."

And from somewhere buried deep in the suffocating shadow, something powerful began to glow.

"My friends…love me. And I love them."

"Raven! Is that you? Can you hear me? I'm right here, Raven!"

"Beast Boy loves me. He…loves me. And I…"

There was a tremendous surge of power that ran through her, as it had only once before.

"No! You're a demon! Your soul is dark and mean. Remember?"

"I remember, Ebon," Raven's mind was steady. "I remember being powerless, and finding a new power inside myself. I remember where that power came from. And it wasn't from evil. It wasn't from cruelty. It wasn't my father's."

"Raven!"

"It's all right, Beast Boy," she sent. "Ebon can't hurt me now."

"But I can hurt HIM. And I will. Back off and give me what I want or you'll never see your little boy-toy again!"

There was a strangled sort of shriek of sudden pain. Beast Boy's pain.

"That's your only warning, Raven. Give up or he will be sorry!"

"Raven…don't do it…not for me," Beast Boy pleaded.

"Don't be afraid, Beast Boy. This might be Ebon's dimension, but that doesn't mean I'm going to let him win. Trust me."

She could feel his words before he spoke them. "Of course I trust you, Raven. More than anybody. And…I also…"

"I know, Beast Boy." And she did.

That leaping, potent feeling fueled Raven with the power of a thousand galaxies and she embraced it. Just as when she had defeated Trigon with the force of her friends' conviction and courage and loyalty burning through her, once again she rose up with all the strength of a heart filled with unsurpassable emotion. Raven's powers had always been fed by her feelings, which was why she kept them so carefully in check. But now, when that emotion aligned with her will so perfectly, it made her transcendent.

A white bird flared in a reality that had no sight.

Ebon screamed.

And Beast Boy plopped onto the hard ground, blinking up into the air. "Raven?"

She hung in the Gotham sky, arms stretched wide, glowing with light. Before her, the roiling, shadowy presence of Ebon fought to escape.

"I'm not what you thought I was," Raven told him. "I'm not what I thought I was."

She looked down and watched as Beast Boy got to his feet, their eyes locked.

"I know what you are," Beast Boy said quietly. "I can't explain it, but I know it." And he put a hand on his chest. Then, with a grimace, "I'm still probably going to be stupid about it sometimes."

"I know that. But you'll mean well."

"Yeah. And I'll never really forget it, either. When you can't see it in yourself, I'll try to find it for you again." He suddenly grinned. "I'm a really good tracker, you know!" And Beast Boy promptly changed just his nose to the long snout of a bloodhound.

Raven smiled a tiny smile. "We're having a moment. You're ruining it again."

"Yeah, it's what I do," Beast Boy replied as his face returned to normal. Then, a little more seriously, "That's okay? Right? That I'm…kinda goofy?"

"I think the world could use a little more goofy sometimes," Raven told him. "Sometimes," she emphasized.

"Oh. Uh, that's good then, right?"

"You're goofy and I'm creepy. But inside…" Raven trailed off.

"Where it really matters…" Beast Boy added.

Together, "We're the same."

Raven turned her attention back to Ebon. "And trust me Ebon, you're never gonna beat him in a fight if you can't beat me. So I'll just spare you making a fool of yourself."

She drew her power in with a great rush. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"

There was a bright flash. When Beast Boy uncovered his eyes, Ebon was gone.

"Whoa! Where'd he go?" he asked, looking around.

Raven dropped lightly to the ground, facing him. "I sent him to another dimension, one he shouldn't have an easy time getting out of."

Beast Boy shivered. "Are you sure that's such a good idea?"

"He might get out someday," she admitted, "but if he ever comes back here, we'll be able to handle him."

"Yeah!" Then Beast Boy swallowed a little nervously. "We?"

"As long as you help me remember," Raven met his eyes intently. "As long as you…" Sudden uncertainty crept into her face and she started to back away.

Beast Boy darted forward and caught her hands. "Please don't," he told her. "Don't be scared of me, Raven. I told you before. I won't hurt you."

"Do you promise?" Her voice was soft, almost childlike, and Beast Boy could see the vulnerability in her eyes.

"I promise, Raven," he drew her a little closer. "I promise I won't hurt you. And I won't leave you."

Raven pushed forward and put her arms around Beast Boy. This time, he didn't shake her off – instead, he held her tightly.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm sorry I said I didn't care about you as much as I do. I was afraid."

"I know," he said. "I can't blame you for being scared. But…don't be scared of me anymore, okay? It's going to be all right."

"I believe you," Raven said. And then, because she was holding him and being held and it was easier when he wasn't looking, she tucked her forehead against his shoulder and breathed, "I love you, too, Beast Boy."

-==OOO==-

"Very good, Robin," Slade approved coolly.

"Did you really just try to bluff us about bombs on Batman?" the younger Robin frowned. "What was the point of that?"

"To see if this Robin had become ruthless enough to callously risk the lives of everyone he holds dear," Slade explained archly. "Really, my boy, you are progressing nicely."

The original Robin actually slammed his palm into his face in exasperation. "Did you even listen to me? Oh, no, of course not. You're too busy being evil to understand the difference between trust and apathy."

"Or perhaps there is no difference," Slade offered.

"Wow," the younger Robin turned to his counterpart. "He really doesn't get it, does he?"

"Nope," Robin confirmed. "But, in his defense, he's kind of insane. Let's explain it to him."

This time when they attacked, they flowed together in a formation Batman had designed and drilled into both of them, a strategic pattern of attack that took advantage of the fact that two fighters who trusted one another were also formidable in their own right. The elder Robin took the lead position that was usually Batman's, the younger Robin falling into his role easily. They did not take turns attacking so much as they attacked as a single unit – when one struck, the other was prepared for Slade's block or counterattack to make use of even the smallest opening.

Slade defended admirably for several seconds, almost causing the Robins to punch one another in the process, when suddenly he mistimed a dodge and his balance wobbled ever so slightly.

And in that instant, the younger Robin landed a forceful kick that knocked him backwards to the waiting first Robin.

"Game over, Slade," Robin told him. Then he delivered an upper-cut blow that brought Slade to the ground – and he did not rise.

The pair of Robins didn't waste time congratulating themselves; rather, they pulled out their best sets of unpickable handcuffs and secured Slade with what might be considered excessive care. But, then again, Slade had overpowered Batman. That warranted some special treatment.

"What are you going to do with him?" the younger Robin asked when they had restrained Slade to within an inch of his life. "Take him back to Jump City?"

"No," the older Robin shook his head. "Jump City isn't really built to hold guys like him. I kind of think he needs to get locked up in Arkham if they'll take him." He looked up. "What do you think?"

Batman strode out of the shadows. "I'll see to it."

The younger Robin glanced up at his mentor. "I was starting to wonder when you were going to pop out."

Batman might have smiled except he never did. "How long did you know I was there?"

"Since Slade showed us that fake detonator."

Batman turned to his first ward. "And you?"

"A lot sooner," the elder Robin admitted, triple-checking Slade's restraints. "But I've got more practice looking for friends in shadows."

"Speaking of which," Batman said, "I am surprised you sent Raven into a situation in which she might very well have been defeated, even destroyed."

"That's what I said," the other Robin shook his head. "We should have gone after you and let all the super-powered Titans handle Slade and Ebon – except Raven, obviously."

"Tell me, Robin, why did you make that choice?" Batman asked. "And why hold me back as well?"

The Titans' leader straightened up and faced Batman proudly.

"I know my team. I knew you would be safe with them, safer than anywhere else. I knew I could trust you with the people I trust with my own life. And as for Raven and Ebon," he smiled slightly. "Let's just say that Raven is a lot stronger than she realizes, and sometimes she needs to be reminded of that."

Batman took a few steps forward and put a hand on the Titans' Robin's shoulder. "And you're a lot stronger than either of us realizes sometimes," he said softly. "Thank you for reminding me as well."

"Is that why you didn't step in against Slade?"

Batman shook his head. "No. I didn't step in not so you could prove your strength to me, but so you could prove it to him. So that Slade would know better than to test you another time, because he doesn't have what it takes to defeat you anymore."

"How touching," came Slade's dry voice, only slightly groggy from his return to consciousness. The younger Robin was poised to kick him, but Batman waved him off.

"I will handle him from here."

"Such a ringing endorsement of your apprentices," Slade drawled. "You allow them to risk your life, but you fail to trust them to do something as simple as arrest me."

"Go meet up with the Titans," Batman ordered his Robins icily, and after a brief, nervous glance, they obeyed, leaping from the rooftop in unison. There was an undercurrent in that order that both knew all too well, that it was not their place to interfere, that what came next was for Batman alone – and they respected it. Only when they were clear did the Dark Knight turn to Slade.

"Are you going to attempt to intimidate me?" Slade asked, shifting around and rolling his neck as he tested his restraints. "I assure you, I'm quaking with fear."

"No threats," Batman said. Then he loomed over the man, leaning close. "Just a promise."

Slade made a tiny, near-invisible move to pick-pocket Batman's belt, and Batman promptly broke his fingers. Slade sucked in a pained breath in surprise.

"I'm taking you to Arkham and locking you in the deepest, darkest cell they have," Batman grated, his voice low and menacing. "And I make you this vow. If you ever, ever see the light of day again, I will end you before you even know I'm there."

Slade chuckled, though it sounded a little weak. "That's a lot of trouble for a Robin you don't even want…"

He never got farther than that. Batman moved faster than even Slade could follow, pinning the villain to the rooftop and crushing his throat under his foot.

"I'm only going to say this once. Gotham is mine. My current Robin is mine. And my former Robin is mine. Anything you even imagine for him I will take out of your skin tenfold. If you ever threaten him or his team again, I will make you wish you had stayed dead and then I will put you in the ground myself."

He ground his heel, smirking almost genially at the strangled cough from Slade. "Now, are you going to Arkham quietly or do I need to prove that I'm serious?"

Slade shifted his weight and gurgled something low.

Batman nodded just once. "Have it your way."