Newcomers to Jump City are often puzzled by the location of Titan's Tower. The massive T shaped building is on an island in the middle of the bay, with no bridges or ferry lines connecting it to the mainland. How, then, do the heroes that can't fly get on and off the island? How to they take their almost daily delivery of pizza? Veteran Jumpers generally laugh, and tell the newcomer about the short-lived Jump City Aquarium.

The aquarium had been designed to offer a unique experience to the public. It was composed of two separate buildings, each holding a large number of standard exhibits- one on the mainland, the other on the island. The two buildings were connected by a long, plexi-glass tunnel, which ran underwater from the mainland to the island. It had been constructed to give visitors a view of the bay's rich marine life, in a warm and dry environment- and it was this that was the aquarium's downfall. The management soon discovered how difficult it was to keep an eight hundred-foot glass corridor climate controlled- heating and cooling the tunnel cost more than all the rest of the aquariums expenses combined! The entire aquarium was soon abandoned, with the various exhibits being moved to the Jump City Oceanic Institute- but the tunnel remained. When the Teen Titan's scouted locations for their new base, the island was the natural choice- being isolated yet close to the city. The tunnel was easily modified into an access point, which only the teen heroes could use.

Now, the T-Car raced down the long glass corridor, which lead to Jump City. Cyborg still had to do his Patrol, while Beastboy was unabashedly fleeing the Tower and its occupants. As he put it "Girlfriend plus ex-girlfriend equals pain. That's just basic math". So, he had elected to join his best friend on this sweep of the city.

For a long time they were silent, as both heroes tried to digest what had just happened. An elderly Englishman had arrived at the Tower, chewed Robin out for being a slob, introduced himself as BATMAN's butler, and then ordered Robin to help clean up. To top it all off, Robin had acted like a whipped puppy the whole time. It was a lot to take in all at once.

Eventually, Beastboy said "Who would have thought that Robin would be the one to get chewed out for sloppiness? I mean, you remember when the Doom Patrol came to visit last year? I was sure that Elasti-Girl was going to send me to the corner when she saw my room! I swear, Rob won't be able to nag me about cleaning up for months!"

Cyborg chuckled. "Yeah, that was pretty funny. I wonder why Rob takes the guy so seriously. I mean, okay family ties and everything, but I haven't seen him this freaked out since that first Slade-Induced Psychosis he went through." The T-Car emerged from the tunnel into the waterfront district of Jump City. Cyborg turned the car to head towards the High-Tech Industrial park, the target of this patrol.

"Oh, man, and did you see Starfire's face when he called her Your Majesty?" Beastboy laughed "Or how about when he bowed to her and told her that Robin'd been telling everyone in Gotham she was radiant? Who knew orange skin could blush that deep?"

Cyborg smirked at his small friend "You sure you want to be making fun of her, greenie? I got a feeling that you'll be on the receiving end of plenty of teasing as it is- you shouldn't alienate the one person who's unlikely to take part. Raven's never been a Sharing kinda person, and whatever she says, I doubt she's thrilled to see your Ex in the Tower. My guess is she's going to stake her claim in public, and be watching you like a hawk to make sure you don't welcome Cassie back too warmly"

Beastboy shook his head, smiling "Nah. Any other girl maybe, but not Raven. Rae's way too mature for that stuff, Cy- she knows she can trust me, and that even if Cass hasn't given up I wouldn't cheat on her. Still, you're right about one thing: the Tower's gonna be an awkward place to live for a while."

"Yeah." The metal man glanced to the right, where a column of black smoke stained the sky "Hey what's that? A fire?"

Beastboy fiddled with the dial on the radio "Nothing on the emergency channel, Cy"

Cyborg frowned "Listen, I don't like this one bit. That much smoke usually means a huge fire- but no one's called 911? We're going to go investigate, but if it's anything even remotely dangerous, I'm gonna send you back to the Tower. I'll be trusting you to go on your own, okay?"

Beastboy nodded "Let's just hope someone's having a barbecue. A really big barbecue" he said gazing at the thick black cloud.

Alfred and Robin began their cleaning with the Common Room. Alfred dusted the various surfaces- tables, windowsills and the like- while Robin picked up the trash. As they worked, the two chatted about various small matters- the state of Gotham, dining in Jump City, the latest BatClan gossip. Tim was thrilled to hear that Dick Grayson, better known as Nightwing, had finally proposed to his long time – and long-suffering- girlfriend Barbara Gordon. Alfred was proud to hear how well his young friend had managed as leader of his own super team. Eventually, the older man came to the matter of trust- he asked how trustworthy the other Titans were. Tim responded proudly that he would trust his teammates as much as he would trust Batman.

"In that case, Master Timothy" Alfred said, a cunning gleam in his eye "May I ask why you wear your mask in the Tower? While we are on the subject, why do you insist that your teammates call you Robin as opposed to your given name?"

The Boy Wonder was completely wrong-footed by the question. "Uh, well…that is…in the field…er, that is to say…" He took a deep breath and began again, this time with more coherence. "I trust my friends with the knowledge of my identity, not the world. All it would take is for one of them to call out my name, my real one, in the midst of battle- as a warning, say, or because of high emotion- and the secret would be out. Not just mine, but all of the Batclan's secret identities would be public, and all our good work would cease. As for my mask, many times our enemies have managed to sneak hidden cameras into the Tower. Even now, someone could be watching- hoping we'll let something slip."

Alfred frowned. He made his opinion of his friend's reasoning known with one, well chosen word. "Rubbish"

Robin goggled "What?"

"Rubbish. I have been calling you Master Timothy ever since I arrived, and you have not protested in the least. The very fact that you allowed me to enter the Tower at all indicates that you don't seriously believe that anyone is watching you- Bruce Wayne's butler coming to visit Robin would be an excellent clue to anyone who wished to discover your or Batman's identity. Moreover, I have heard your teammates address one another by first name and you have not seen fit to reprove them. Now, what is the real reason?"

Robin felt himself growing angry "No one questions Batman's decision to keep his cowl on in the Batcave!" It was a childish piece of reasoning, and he knew it- but it was true. The Dark Knight never unmasked while in his cave, and Alfred simply accepted it. Now, when he was a guest in Robin's home, he felt the need to criticize the exact same behavior?

Alfred sighed heavily, and set aside his dust rag. Suddenly, the normally strong and energetic butler looked old and tired and sad. "I say nothing because it is my fault. When Master Bruce was orphaned, he needed love and support and reassurance. A lifelong bachelor, I was ill equipped to provide it- I did my best, of course, but it was not enough. Over time, the carefree young boy slowly disappeared, and a brooding, obsessed young man took his place. Bruce Wayne died, and was replaced by the Batman- all because I could not be the father he needed. That is why he wears the cowl in the Batcave- it is who he is."

Alfred bent slightly to look Robin in the eyes "That is the reason for my concern, Master Timothy. I fear that you are travelling the same dark path- that you will cease being the lighthearted young man you once were and forever become the serious and driven Robin"

Robin- TIM- felt a shiver down his spine . He'd taken for granted that it was necessary to guard his identity, even in his home. Yet Alfred's logic tore his reasoning to shreds. If he were really just concerned about his secrets, than he should never have allowed the Englishman access to the Tower. Nor would he allow his friends to reveal their secrets within the Tower. Suddenly, his reasoning seemed more like a rationalization. Was he STILL trying to bury himself in the Robin persona? It was a frightening thought- Batman had done the same, and his life was far from ideal. Although the Dark Knight had become a spectacular crime-fighter and detective, he had done so by sacrificing everything normal and human in his personality.

"I-I need some time to think about this, Alfred" Tim said "You make a lot of sense, though. Do you really think it's as bad as that?"

Alfred straightened up, gratified that his words had not fallen on deaf ears. "Not yet, Master Timothy but you are nearing the point of no return, as it were. The first thing to do, is remove that while at home" The butler tapped one long finger against Robin's mask.

"All right" Slowly, the Boy Wonder reached up, and peeled off his mask. Tim blinked his eyes in the light.

At just that moment, Starfire walked into the room "Boyfriend Robin, we require the food of snacks. Would you- eep!" Starfire stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the ice blue eyes of her boyfriend for the first time in her life. She felt herself being drawn into the depths of those blue pools, when a hand on her shoulder brought her back to reality.

"I trust you approve of the change, Your Majesty?" Alfred said, supressing a smile.

"I, that is…Ohhh!" Starfire could feel her cheeks burning "I am so the fluster! Boyfriend Robin, why do you not have on your mask? Is something wrong?"

Tim laughed softly and took her hand "It's all right, Star- I've just been talking to Alfred, and decided that if I can trust you guys with my life then I can afford to walk around in normal clothes. Oh, and Star? Call me Tim"

Starfire blushed an even deeper hue and smiled widely "Very well, Boyfriend Tim." The two teenagers stared into one another's eyes for a moment, before Alfred discreetly coughed.

"I have no wish to disrupt this touching moment, Your Majesty, but did you not mention something about a snack?"

"Oh yes! Friends Raven, Cassie and I have been speaking for some time, and we hunger greatly. Might I ask your help in making some snacks?"

"Certainly, Your Highness. In fact, I…" Whatever Alfred was going to say next was never heard, as the Titans Alarm blared throughout the Tower. Racing to the console, Tim put his mask back on.

Cyborg's face appeared on the screen "Rob, we got a problem at the Hickers Nano-Tech Lab. A bunch of Slade-Bots smashed their way in and are looting the place. I've sent Beastboy back to the Tower, and I'm waiting outside the lab. I'm outnumbered man, I need back-up and FAST."

Robin nodded. "We'll be there as soon as we can- take no action 'til we get there."

A/N

See? Told you there'd be action soon.

I've often wondered about how they can live on an island with no means of transport to land.