Beyond the Night: Beyond Justice
Late at Night

Title: Late at Night
Genre: Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Family
Characters: Robin and Raven, plus the other Titans briefly, an OC, Batman
Summary: Their fearless leader isn't always so fearless. Raven is up late at night when Robin comes over after patrol in Gotham.
Notes: Mentions of the darker side of Gotham which pretty much means rape.

~B~

"By now you guys know you shouldn't get on our fearless leader's bad side?" Rave stood in the entranceway to the room, her arms crossed as she took in the mess that the other three had created.

One of Beast Boy's eyebrow's shot up, his mouth twisting into a fanged smirk. "Come on. Robin is cool."

"No. Robin isn't just cool. He's beyond cool." Cyborg piped up, a huge grin on his face.

Starfire blinked before suddenly becoming starry eyed. "Yes. Robin is beyond cool. He is handsome, dashing, charming…"

"Okay. We're talking about the kid who, during our last mission, laughed gleefully as he creamed into the face of a bad guy as he sneaked attacked from the shadows while we all watched."

"So?" Beast Boy folded his arms in defiance.

"So?" Raven folded her arms.

"See, the way I see it, that means he actually likes to have fun, so…"

"Yes. But is our fearless leader going to like having to clean up after the mess you guys made?" Raven watched the three other team members look at each other before the started to clean up the mess, knowing Robin could show up at any minute.

Starfire, of course, enjoyed herself, but then she enjoyed practically everything. The older female looked up. "You know, Robin's not like that."

"What do you mean?" One of Raven's eyebrow's shot up as she sat on the couch, her feet up as she watched her companions clean up the mess they made.

"He's a very kind person."

A smirk spread across Raven's face. "Yeah, but that wouldn't stop him from yelling at Beast Boy and Cyborg.

Finally, they finished, and Beast Boy glared at the all to clean room before glancing up at the clock. "Seriously? It's bedtime, and he's not even here. What was the point?"

The green furred youngest member slunk off, sulking as he did so. Cyborg shook his head, the smirk on his face indicating Raven shouldn't mind Beast Boy before heading off to his room. Starfire watched as Raven stretched. "We're not waiting up for Robin?"

"Why?"

"You made a big deal about having the place cleaned up for when he gets back."

"Well, because there's never any telling when he'll get in. I mean, he's certainly not going to come on school days during school hours, but he patrols Gotham at night with the Batman."

"But the point is?"

"Beast Boy and Cyborg wouldn't have cleaned up before going to bed, and would have just made an even bigger mess tomorrow." Raven glanced away. "Robin gets stressed out enough as it is."

"Oh, but Robin never stresses. I'll see you in the morning." Starfire flew off, looking at Raven warily.

"Yeah, he never stresses," Raven muttered, remembering the nights Robin slept over with the team, and how his dark dreams woke her from her own sleep. She never knew when these nightmares of his would flare up, nor did he ever talk about them. They did seem worse on the days Beast Boy and Cyborg decided to be "boys will be boys" in the way they acted, a particular concept which seemed to at times evade their leader.

Letting out a sigh, she went to bed, thinking she'd for once have a good night's sleep, as Robin wouldn't even be coming to the tower. However, a knock came at her door, jolting her from her sleep, the book she'd been reading just before dropping to the ground. "Who is it?"

She knew though, who it was without them speaking up. However, the person spoke in a rather soft, and for some reason unsure voice. "Raven, it's Robin. I know it's late, but could I come in?"

Raven's mouth opened but then sighed, her eyes closing. She got up from her bed, and walked to the door, cracking it open to glare at the intruder. Robin glanced away, fidgeting slightly. Instead of wearing his Robin outfit, he was wearing instead pajamas. To be specific, he was wearing Superman pajamas, but carrying a stuffed toy under his arm. It was an elephant, dressed in a suit similar to the Batman. She glanced up and down, a tad confused at what she saw.

"Sorry. If I woke you, I didn't mean to. I just thought you might still be awake."

"Why? Because I'm Goth?" Raven let the door open a bit more. "We vampires don't sleep."

A smirk spread across his face, even though the worry didn't leave. "Very funny. I know you like to stay up late reading because it's quieter. If Beast Boy and Cyborg haven't gone to sleep, they're usually binge gaming or movie watching at this time of night."

"Better question then…" The gothic teen opened up the door wider, a tad irked that he'd thought she was cracking a joke rather than voicing what he really thought. "Why me?" She could see his eyes widen though she couldn't see anything but the mask, his mouth opening. The elephant toy suddenly went from under one arm to hugged tightly to his chest as his eyes darted to the ground, muttering something she couldn't make out. "Robin, I couldn't hear what you said. This isn't because I'm the only one awake?"

Taking a deep breath, looking her in the eye, a rather determined look on his face. "Partially. Mostly though, it's because I think you're the only one who'd get it. I mean, it doesn't have to do with the fact you're Goth, but you're the only one who…" Robin took another deep breath, looking at the ground. "Plus, I figure that if I decided to confide in you, you wouldn't push and ask questions regarding things I can't tell you."

Raven found herself attempting to figure out what he meant, but remained a bit baffled. "So… you're still not explaining things."

"I need someone to talk to. It was a really bad night, and I don't want Batman to know. I don't want him to know I'm not doing well, let alone that I've figured that out."

"Figured…" Raven let out a sigh. Her eyes closed. "No."

"Sorry. I'll go back to…"

"I didn't mean that." The Gothic female opened her door wide. "I mean, no, I shouldn't be asking and just let you come in and talk. After all, you trust me enough to confide in me. Me, of all people. I mean, you could just as easily have gone to Cyborg."

"I guess. He's kind of, on Beast Boy's level on this though. And I've never seen him not be positive about, well, everything." Robin walked in, and she closed the door behind him. She had to invite him to sit on the bed, to which she joined him cross legged.

He couldn't though speak. Raven finally took a deep breath. "Okay. Since this is so difficult for you to start talking, how about I ask a few questions to try and break the… well, whatever it is one breaks when starting a conversation. For starters, I'm not actually very good at this conversation thing."

"Yeah, but you're also not one to blab."

"True…" Raven nodded her head. "Unless… no, I know what you mean by that. First…" The female Titan pointed at the pajamas. "What's up with that?"

"Oh. El…" Robin's mouth pressed together as if he'd almost revealed something he shouldn't. "I've simply had her forever. Even before I became Robin. I'll call her Batphant for now."

"Actually, that was going to be my second question." Raven's mouth twisted into a smile, only for her to try and to hide that emotion. "I mean the pajamas. I never imagined you wearing superhero pajamas, but if you did, I'd expect Batman."

A grin suddenly spread across Robin's face. "Oh, it drives him nuts. It's actually a running gag between Sups and me, to see how many Superman related stuff I can drive Batman insane with."

"Wait. You know Superman."

"Yeah." Robin paused, obviously thinking about something. "Uncle Sups. He's funny."

"Not exactly something I'd expect to hear about the man of steel."

"No."

"So, what happened?"

Robin let out a sigh, pulling his knees up so that Batphant was now tucked nicely between his legs and chest. "You know how Batman takes me on patrol, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"Well…" Suddenly, her fellow team member buried his head into his arms, Batphant close by. Something was definitely wrong. She almost thought she would need to pry some more, but his head darted up. "There are rules. There are rules he has to keep me safe but to make sure I don't see certain things. There's the rule where I don't take guys like Joker on my own, but places I'm not allowed to go. Except, I know those things, what goes on, so I didn't quite understand what he was keeping from me. I get that there are people who do things like that, that such – really, really bad things exist."

"What happened. If he keeps you away from such places, how…"

"Apparently that kind of thing doesn't happen in just those places. Worse, I froze, like a stupid idiot, and that lady saw me up there in the fire escape, completely frozen. She was waiting for someone to save her, and there I was, a complete idiot. I don't know how long it took to move, to knock the guy out, but she was crying. Her clothes were ripped pretty bad." Robin choked, his face turning a vivid red, something Raven thought she'd never expected. "And then I threw up. Not in front of her, but it was obvious I was going to hurl. And I did, as soon as I got to the roof. Then I called an ambulance."

"I see." Raven hadn't expected this turn of events. Realization hit her why she'd been the one, and why Robin trusted her enough to come. "Does Batman know."

"No." Robin buried his face into his arms and that stuffed toy of his. "He'll freak out. Always does. But I'm, never, ever going to touch a girl like that. Ever. It's just wrong."

A sigh escaped Raven's lips. "Robin, do you know how babies are made?"

"Of course I do!" The other teen muttered into his arms, his voice slightly muffled.

"No, I don't think you do." She watched as Robin looked up at her, glaring. "That's how babies are made."

"No…"

"Robin."

"Babies aren't made by some guy hurting women!"

"Okay. Look, what that guy did wasn't consensual."

"Guys. There was more than one of them. Three. It was disgusting. They were disgusting. I don't ever want to be like that."

"Yeah. Still wasn't consensual." Raven sighed. "Okay. I really don't know much on this topic, but I know you don't want to talk to Batman about it. Just, what I do know is that normally, the making of a baby is a very intimate thing."

"Yeah. That's what my parents say… said. It's something married couples do."

"Robin, you don't have to be married to have a baby."

"Oh, I know that. Br…" The other preteen took a deep breath. "People think Batman's my real dad."

"He isn't?"

"He…" Robin took a deep breath. "No. This may be saying a bit much, so please don't think too much into this, but some people think I'm his illegitimate child."

"Yeah, well. Okay. What you saw tonight, it's supposed to be intimate. It's why you found it so disgusting. At least, I guess. This is what my mentor told me. That…" Raven took a deep breath. "I trust my mentor. And, speaking of which, you should be able to go and tell Batman this, right? He wouldn't be mad at you."

"It's not him being mad I'm worried about. More of, overprotective."

"Well, you do probably need to eventually tell him. But…" Raven paused. "Why not go see the woman?"

"I can't. Nobody knows…"

"Not as your civilian self. As Robin. It might do both of you good, might not."

Robin paused, thinking over what Raven said carefully. He then took a deep breath. "Okay. So, maybe. Thanks."

Raven shook her head. "No. Thank you for trusting me enough to talk to me about this."

As he left, that usual smile on his face glowed, meaning things might end up being okay.

~B~

Nobody came to save her. That's what she kept thinking as she lay looking up at the ceiling of the hospital room. Except, looking up reminded her of looking up at Robin, watching him look down and him doing nothing. It had seemed like minutes, even though it was more likely only seconds passed. He'd saved her, knocking out the three guys. Her mind was a blur after that, as she simply didn't want to remember.

A knock came at the window, and she turned her head, seeing the last person she wanted to see. Robin, the Boy Wonder who had saved her, and yet didn't. She turned her head, hoping he'd go away, and yet the window slid open. She heard soft footsteps coming towards the bed. She didn't look him in the face. "Go away. Do you want me to call security?"

"I…"

"Do you think I should be grateful? That I should thank you for saving me? I don't feel saved." She turned her head, only to see the boy looking at the ground, his head hung in shame. It was then that she noticed how small Robin was.

"I thought so." The boy muttered, and then he muttered something else. "Why do people do those kinds of things?"

It was the question she'd been asking, though she'd also been wondering why her, why those men had picked her that night. She never expected Batman's sidekick to be asking the question he had, but then thinking back, perhaps the reason he didn't move was because he didn't understand. He couldn't have been that old, but someone that young shouldn't see those things. "I don't know."

"You're probably wondering…" The boy muttered some more. "I'm sorry! What happened tonight. It must be the most awful thing that's ever…" He paused, swallowing, not wanting to finish that sentence, and he almost looked her in the eye, making her wonder what color eyes he had. She imagined different things. "I'm sorry I didn't move quicker."

"You were scared."

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"Well, at least you have the common sense to know something was wrong, but you also had the courage to do something."

"I threw up. I mean, up on the roof."

A memory flickered, remembering how green he'd looked before he looked, even in that dark alley. Or perhaps she was imagining it, yet she'd known he'd almost been sick, throwing up on one of those three slime balls. "You know, I thought I'd wanted to be mad at you, for not moving fast enough, but honestly. I'm not. You're just a kid."

"I'm Batman's partner. I should…" The boy looked up, his chest puffing out, only to deflate a few seconds later. "I should have…" He then asked another question. "Are you okay?"

That wasn't something she'd want anyone to ask her because she wasn't okay. "No." There came another deflated look, making her realize what he'd actually meant. "The doctors tell me, they tell me it's not going to go away any time soon. I'm on suicide watch right now."

The sudden sound of footsteps made Robin dash to the window, disappearing as someone came in to check on her. The person came in. "Just your routine check… in." The person paused. "Where did that come from?"

The woman's eyes blinked, glancing at the nightstand to see the flowers. They were wildflowers, the kind of thing a kid would pick for their mother. "I…" She took a deep breath. "I had a visitor. My rescuer came to see how I was doing."

"Res… oh, Robin. It said so in the police report. I heard Batman normally handles these incidents. That he would let a child handle such a thing, let alone run with him. It makes me sick."

The woman thought carefully about what the nurse said. "I don't think Batman would let Robin handle these kinds of things. I think, maybe tonight I had a guardian angel instead of a dark knight."

The thought didn't really make her feel better, and yet for some reason, she would later find it did, yet also come to debate what most troubled her about that night. The fact she had something important taken from her, or that a poor child witnessed her plight. After the nurse left, Robin peeked in, giving her a big smile – that of an angel, and one she'd never, ever forget.

~B~

"Robin…"

He'd snuck in or tried to. Batman was at the Batcomputer, making Robin swallow. Cautiously, he waved. "Hi."

"Where were you?"

Robin took a deep breath. "You're the world's greatest detective, excluding possibly Sherlock Holmes. So, I think you already know."

"Yes. I do know about tonight."

"I'm sorry."

Batman would have sighed, had he been a more emotional person. Instead, he simply motioned for Robin over to stand by him. The boy cautiously approached, possibly worried about some kind of punishment. Trying to get Robin to think outside of being Robin was a difficult, if not impossible task. A muscled arm instead reached out, pulling the twelve-year-old close. One hand pulled off the glove so that Batman could ruffle the dark head of hair. "No, I'm the one who should be sorry."

Suddenly, Robin turned, burying his head into Batman's side. The older of the dynamic duo glanced over by the zeta tubes where Robin's pajamas and Elenore in her Batsuit had been discarded. Sometimes, it was best not to ask questions of the precocious child, as Robin never thought like a normal child. "I'll, never, ever touch a girl like that."

"I know." Batman sighed, resting his chin on the preteens head. "Just to let you know, real intimacy is different, but we can discuss that more when you get a bit older."

"Mmm… Ray told me something like that." Robin muttered into his side.

At that, Batman knew he would need to talk to Roy about what he said to the younger sidekick but then wondered why Robin would want to confide in Green Arrow's sidekick when said sidekick didn't know how to keep his mouth shut. Instead of pushing the issue, Batman decided to keep his mouth shut and let Robin have something that he didn't know about.