Miss me? I've sure missed fanfiction. And downtime in general (heh, YJ pun... lol) I've been super-duper busy with Marching Band and highschool, and my brain has been mush. Hopefully this is a satisfactory 'we're baaaaaaaack!' type deal. lol. enjoy :D

Ch 14

Robin sat up groggily, immediately wishing he hadn't. "Oww… what happened?" he asked Raven, who was sitting in the chair besides him.

"Don't you remember? There was a bomb you were defusing, it went off while you were in the process…"

"Right…"

"Do you know what the target was? There was minimal damage to your room, and the only damage to you was done by the shards of metal that got into your skin."

"But I was unconscious?" Robin asked, still confused.

"Probably because of the smoke," Beastboy explained, "It was impossible to breath in there until we opened the windows and it cleared out."

"I guess… but I'm used to smoke and bog and pollution from back in Gotham… usually I'd get to my gas mask in time… must've breathed in a lot of it to go out that fast…"

"That, and the fact that you have a mild concussion, broken ankle, bruised rib cage…" Raven supplied.

"Of course I do…" Robin muttered. Suddenly remembering something, he shot up out of bed. "Where is it?"

"Robin! Calm down!" Raven and Beastboy tried to restrain him.

"Dude, you need to chill! What part of mild concussion don't you get?"

"It's mild, I've dealt with worse," he brushed off, unimpressed, "now where is it?"

"Where is what?" Beastboy asked, exasperated.

"The book – where is it? That was the target! That's what the bomb was trying to destroy! It has to be okay, where is it?"

"Dude, that's the target? A scrapbook? Why would Slade-"

"Those pictures are all that's left of -!" he cut himself off. "It's pictures of my family in there. I-I don't visit them very often…" Catching his drift, Raven solemnly handed him the large book.

"Thanks." Robin carefully opened the book, at the moment not caring whether or not Raven or Beastboy saw the pictures. He let out a sigh of relief, seeing the pictures were all intact. He flipped to a page which had his favorite picture.

"Your mom and dad?" Beastboy asked, pointing out the two taller figures. Robin nodded. "And… you?" Robin confirmed again, looking down at the picture. The photo was old fashioned, taken on a black and white camera, and was from Dick's 9th birthday – the last one he had spent with his parents.

"May I…?" Raven trailed off, curious, and wanting to see the book. With a shrug, Robin handed it over. She looked intently at the picture. "You look just like your mother," she mused aloud. A sad smile came over the boy wonder's face.

"I used to hear that all the time."

"Used to-oh." Robin's former statement suddenly made sense to Beastboy. He grew serious. "I know how you feel, man. I'm in the same boat."

Raven smiled grimly. "It almost seems like a job requirement in this field. Why can't there be any happy back-stories?"

"Well, if everyone had a great past, it'd be impossible for things to get better," Robin pointed out. "If I hadn't been forced to leave the happiest place I had ever known, and to leave the people I loved the most," He turned the page, "I wouldn't have met such wonderful friends: you guys."

"Way to make this a sappy moment…" muttered the very un-touchy-feely empath. Robin laughed weakly in response.

"Hey, it may come as a shock, but sap is my forte," he said with a wink. Beastboy rolled his eyes.

"Yea, dude, and Batman's a poet," he stated sarcastically.

Sly grin on his face, Robin answered, "Well, actually-"

"La la la! Don't wanna hear it! Sorry, nope! No bat-poetry here! Nada! Nope! None of it!" He ran out of the room, calling, "I'm gonna go order food before Star starts cooking nasty Robin-just-almost-got-blown-up-pudding or something!"

"Anyting but pizza!" Raven called after him.

"What's that you say, Rae? Pizza? Okay!" the changeling called back.

"No-Beastboy!" She rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go stop him from getting pizza… again."

"Here, wait a sec, I'll come with-"

"No. Stay here. You just got a concussion, and-"

"I used to go out on patrol with much worse then that. I'm fine," he said, getting up.

"But you're rib, and ankle-"

"I'll use crutches."

"-With the disorientation of a concussion? You'll use a wheelchair."

"What?" he called in protest. "I'm fine! I don't need-"

"It's either that or I'm carrying you myself."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" Joked the boy wonder, trying to get off the hook. She encompassed him in a glowing orb of energy. He pouted like a little kid. "Alright, I'll use the chair. But only 'cause I know 'the face' won't work on you."

"… why am I not surprised that you have one of those pouty-faces?"

"Hey, it was genius – it bested the bat-glare several times. Why do you think Kid Flash, Speedy and I haven't been murdered by our mentors yet?"

"…touché." Robin wheeled himself into the main room, Raven trailing behind, stern gaze trailed on her patient. As soon as the door opened, everyone turned towards the too. Starfire, catching sight of the wheelchair gasped in surprise.

"Oh, Xhal! Robin, are you alright? I did not realize how severely you were injured and-"

"Starfire, I'm fine," seeing Cyborg's dubious glance, he reaffirmed, "really, I am. Raven's just fussing. Just a mild concussion and a broken ankle is all. No big deal."

"I don't fuss…" Raven muttered darkly to herself, only Robin hearing, grinning at her response.

"You do so," he responded under his breath, to her surprise.

"Oh! My varklerglacken!" Starfire called out, rushing over to the oven, smoke pouring out of it. As soon as her back was turned, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief. "Fear not friends, I shall make more!"

"No!" Beastboy shouted so very tactfully. "Uh, I mean…"

"What he means, Star," Robin cut in, wheeling himself over to the kitchen, "is that we don't want you to have to go through all that trouble, we'll just order out tonight. I'm sure it would've tasted great, though!" he encouraged.

"Oh, varklerglacken is considered a delicacy back on Tamaran! I am sure you all would have enjoyed it immensely! I'll make it again some other day!"

"You… have fun with that..?" Raven attempted. "Here, let's go find Tim and Damian… or something…" she left the room, the Tamaranian trailing behind her. As soon as they were gone…

Beastboy and Cyborg were in front of Robin, mock bowing to him. "Dude- we owe you our lives!" they thanked, dramatically.

"So… does that mean we can get Chinese for dinner?" Robin suggested hopefully.

"Chinese? Dude! No way! Pizza!"

"Again? Hey, I just saved you from Robin-almost-got-blown-up pudding! We're getting Chinese."

Beastboy sighed. "Case in point, dude… case in point…"

"Chinese it is then!"

"You know, for a guy that's oober-doober-famous, you sure have low standards in food."

"…This all coming from the two who live on pizza, tofu, and meat."

"…Shut up."

Just then, Raven and Starfire burst into the room. "Damian and Tim are gone!"

"And," Raven added dryly, "so is the T-Sub."

So how was it? Worth the wait? Not worth the time of day? Irked that I haven't thrown in a Professor X crack in there yet? (trust me I will!) Confused? Let me know! I'll even lisen to psychotic rants ;)