Disclaimer: Just like how Vlad Plasmius wants to own the Green Bay Packers I want to own DC comics. Oh, wait...wrong fandom...

Chapter 12

It seemed like a surreal dream.

Robin awoke to the harsh smell of anti-septic and the comforting warmth of soft bedsheets. He opened his eyes and found—strangely enough—that his mask was still on. The multiple contusions and scrapes were disinfected and covered in gauzes. His arm was wrapped up and put in a sling. Sunshine shone through the clouds outside of the window of the Tower's infirmary. Robin wondered how long he had been asleep. Propping himself up on his good arm, Robin looked around and found his friends sitting in the corner of the room, speaking quietly to one another.

His heart seemed to soar with happiness as he gazed upon the faces of his friends. For once he didn't think of Slade as he watched them talk to one another, simply content with knowing that they were safe.

A smile lit his tired face.

Starfire, of course, noticed that he was awake first.

"Robin!" Starfire levitated into the air and did a backflip. "You are well!"

"Yeah," Cyborg said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Welcome back, man."

Jericho stood beside the hospital bed. He brushed a strand of blond hair away from his forehead, smiled, and waved shyly. It was amazing how much the kid could convey through facial expressions and gestures. Jericho's shy and sweet demeanor was a real contrast to Slade's gruff personality. It was hard to see the two as father and son. Yet as Robin gazed upon Joey's face he could see the faint similarities: the blond hair, the curve of the nose, a hint of Slade's strong jawline.

"Hey, what happened after I left the airplane, Jericho?" Robin asked. "After you fought your father?"

Jericho's face fell slightly at the mention of his father, but he began to sign. Robin struggled to follow him, but Cyborg put a hand on the young man's shoulder.

"After Jericho fought Slade he went back to Slade's lair and got this back for us." Cyborg gestured towards a machine with a bulbous head, studded with red spots that blinked. "It controls the probes. With it I can purge all of the probes from our bloodstreams."

The probes. Without Jericho, a boy Robin would have never trusted if he had known he was Slade's son, Robin would still be living in that nightmare. He had to admire Jericho's courage to fight his own father, a man Jericho obviously still loved. There was plenty of things Robin would never understand about Slade, but he did sense the mercenary's love-however faint-for his biological son. Slade had let Jericho go unharmed, a mistake that cost him his apprentice.

But Slade was, after all, human.

The Titans stopped talking as soon as Batman approached, his great black cape covering his entire person. His dark demeanor was a stark contrast to the colorful uniforms of the Titans and made him appear larger-than-life.

"Batman…" Beast Boy said, his eyes growing wide with admiration. "Can I have your autograph?"

Batman turned and looked at Beast Boy silently, until the younger hero slouched away. The other Titans backed away, unsure how to act around the legendary hero.

"How are you feeling?" Batman asked.

"Fine. Just fine."

The old tension was creeping between them again. There were issues they would never resolve, but Robin knew that his real father stood before him.

"I need to know what happened," Batman said. "Tell me. Tell us."

He did.

He told them everything about the past year, even though he really didn't want to. All of the pain. All of the suffering. The threats, the lies, and the desperation. Everything tumbled from him like a flood of water bursting from a dam. For a hour and a half everyone listened, captured by the intensity of his story. Once he finished a silence crept among them as they digested this information.

"X'hal," Starfire said, putting a hand over her mouth.

"I feel so bad now," Beast Boy went on. "I really believed…that you turned."

"We all did," Raven said, "but that day you kidnapped Stevens I thought I felt something. I think that deep down I knew that you weren't truly evil."

"The scary thing is that we all have the potential to become evil. It's our choices that define who we are."

Raven nodded knowingly.

"I do have something to tell you," he said. "Before…I kept secrets. It's not right that I knew a lot about you but you knew nothing about me."

He couldn't believe he was doing this, but it felt like the right thing to do. Whatever Batman felt, it was Robin's choice and Robin's identity at stake. Robin moved to remove his mask. Beast Boy's eyes shone with anticipation, as though hardly daring to believe that Robin was actually going to do it. Raven placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Robin, you don't have to—"

"Thanks Raven," he said. "But Slade knows my identity. I want you to trust me."

He removed his mask. This time he did not hesitate to show them the color of his eyes. In fact, he was quite proud to reveal his true face to the friends.

"My name is Richard Grayson."

The Titans were momentarily silent. Beast Boy, of course, spoke up first.

"DUDE!" he exclaimed excitedly. "You're Richard Grayson? As in Bruce Wayne's adopted son?"

"Yeah." He felt himself blush a little. "Call me Dick if you want."

"Since you're the heir of a billionaire I bet you could afford to buy me a moped." Beast Boy smiled. "Pretty please?"

Some things never change.

"You still want a moped?"

"Uh...DUH! So how about? Think you could get me one?"

"I'll...I'll think about it, BB. Definitely."

A half-hour later...

Robin left them and walked to his room. His name was still on the door, but when he walked inside he found his things in boxes. His bed was stripped of its sheets and the bookshelves were empty. He opened his closet and found his old uniform still hanging in there. That was probably Starfire's doing. He took his tunic off the hook and held it in his hands.

Someone entered the room. Robin didn't need to turn around to see who it was.

"I suppose you're here to tell me it was stupid to tell them my identity."

"Yes and no."

Robin shot Batman a sidelong glance. The man closed the door behind him and took off his mask. Bruce looked just as tired as Robin felt. New lines creased his face, making him appear older than he actually was.

"You're your own man now. I'm just glad you're alive. So is Alfred."

"So you're not going to lecture me?"

"No. There are many things I could lecture you about, such as your choice in headquarters or…" he trailed off. "As much as I dislike your decision, you are their leader."

Robin didn't know quite what to think. It was obvious from Bruce's tone of voice that the man wanted to lecture him, just like the good old days in Wayne Manor. Lecture him about his stupid, impulsive decisions that caused the situation to occur in the first place.

"How do you feel about what happened, Bruce?"

Ask the Batman about his feelings? But Robin was curious. He had lived so long with Slade that he longed to catch up with his family and friends, even if it meant a therapy session with the Dark Knight. Bruce's fierce eyes studied him for a moment before answering.

"If Deathstroke meant to infuriate me by making you his apprentice then his plan succeeded. Dick, I had no idea where you were the past year. I came a few times to Jump City to help the Titans track you down, but Deathstroke was always one step ahead of me." Bruce shook his head. "I knew you were alive but in the hands of a psychopath."

So Batman did try to find him. It relieved him to know that Batman hadn't completely abandoned him.

"I had to go back to Gotham. But once I got wind that Jericho was inside Slade's liar I came at once to help."

"So what happens now? Do you think we're incompetent? That I'm incompetent for not resolving the situation myself?" Robin sat down on the empty bed. "Will you have the JLA check up on us even more."

Now that his fear of Slade was gone, new irrational fears cropped up. He felt himself incompetent for not dealing with the situation himself. For allowing himself to be trapped in a perpetual nightmare for over a year. He didn't want his leadership of the Titans to be conditional. Bruce shook his head.

"No, I don't think you're incompetent. Not even I can defeat Deathstroke. You lived with him for a year. You know his weaknesses. In the end, we would have never brought him down if you hadn't put your life on the line."

Robin breathed a soft sigh of relief.

"Are you going to stay in Jump?"

"No, not for long. You should come home. It would do all of us good to have Dick Grayson come back to Gotham."

"I'll think about. At the very least I'll give Alfred a call."

"Do that. I have to go back to Gotham." Batman pulled his mask back over his face. "I'll be leaving."

Of course. Always the laconic one. Before Robin could say anything to protest Batman had already disappeared. Probably through his bedroom window. He shook his head and turned his attention back to his uniform.

Robin pulled his scarlet tunic over his head. Good, it still fit. The black and yellow cape added a little extra weight he wasn't used to anymore. Next he pulled his green gloves on and made a fist, loving the way the fabric felt on his hand. He clipped his gaudy yellow utility belt around his waist and put on his old mask.

Robin turned to the full-length mirror and gave himself a thumbs up.

"It's good to be back."

Author's note: As promised, I have the last three chapters clumped together for you to enjoy. Triumph! Onward to the next chapter!

As always, reviews would be nice.