A/N: So sorry for the long delay. Real life got in the way. Hopefully a longer chapter will make up for it.
Starfire and I agreed that we would keep each other's secrets for now. She didn't want to face the sympathy the rest of the Titans would give her, and I knew Bruce definitely wasn't ready for Beast Boy to know who Batman was and where to find him. It was freeing to finally have someone who knew all of me. It had been different with Babs. The barriers I had erected in Gotham weren't necessary outside the city limits, and I could tell Starfire anything without fear of pity or teasing. The whole girlfriend thing was in a word: awesome! That part we didn't keep secret, though we restrained ourselves to the privacy of our own rooms. I was still the leader and the last thing I needed was to find myself on one of Cyborg's security cameras pinning her up against the wall with my hands…like I said, awesome.
A week later, I sat in my darkened bedroom staring at my computer screen. Starfire had gone for a patrol with Beast Boy. A chat window blipped into existence, and Clark Kent's face appeared. He looked reserved, and his lack of cheer instantly put me on my guard. I hadn't spoken to him yet, but I hadn't forgotten his part in what had gone down at the manor.
"I thought Superman didn't lie," I said, narrowing my eyes. Clark's jaw tensed slightly, but his expression didn't change.
"I didn't lie. Had anything happened in Jump I would have gotten there before the Titans could." He was probably right.
"You could have told me that was the plan."
"I gave my word that I wouldn't." So he won't break a promise to Bruce, but he can lie to my face without batting an eye. Way to stick to your principles.
"Why didn't you help us get Starfire back? Do you have any idea what they did to her?" His shoulders sagged and he ran a hand through his dark hair. He looked so remorseful and chagrined that I regretted my harsh tone. Clark wasn't Bruce. Of course he realized what his absence had meant for Starfire.
"You have my utmost apology, Robin. Batman told me you and your team had everything under control. If I thought for a moment—"
"It's all right," I interrupted, bothered by his utter sincerity. "We got her out, Joker's in jail, no harm no foul."
"I know you don't mean that, but thank you," he said with a weary smile. For a moment I wondered what it would have been like if Clark had been the one to take me under his wing after the accident at the circus. He was like Starfire; he wore his heart on his sleeve and he felt everything with all that he was. But Bruce was right. Lois crippled him more than kryptonite, and as a mere mortal with no superpowers I'd needed the guidance of a man who'd made himself into a superhero through sheer stubbornness and determination.
"And Starfire, is she all right?"
"I think so," I said. "Ever since we made things official she hasn't stopped floating around the tower." His face split into a wide grin that wiped away all the remorse and sadness of moments before. His happiness was infectious and I caught myself grinning self-consciously.
"Congratulations Robin," he said wholeheartedly. "I'm glad things have worked out for you. I trust you've learned your lesson about secret identities?"
"Yep. Sure have. The lesson is: a pair of glasses and a hairstyle change doesn't fool anyone."
"He's right, you know."
I think my heart stopped for him. No one, and I mean no one, can sneak up on Clark Kent. He's got the unfair advantage of being able to hear your heartbeat from two city blocks away and pick up your scent before he enters the building. The fact that he let her hear his conversation meant that he was finally ready for her to know the truth. She was standing somewhere behind him, but his webcam wasn't in the right position to let me see exactly where. It was positioned correctly for me to see the flash of relief that his days of hiding the truth from her were finally over.
"You'll have to excuse me," said Clark formally, and only I was able to see the mixture of fear and excitement on his face as he turned to face Lois.
"Wait," I said, before he could terminate the chat. "Lois?"
There was a moment's pause before she stepped up to the camera. She was a pretty lady with a pale oval face and shoulder-length dark brown hair. At the sight of me her slender eyebrows rose in surprise, but her lips pressed together in determination not to give away her awe—I am after all a fairly well-known hero myself.
"Robin." The greeting was clipped, a hint at the storm that brewed just under the surface preparing to crash down on poor Clark's head. He recognized it too. The Man of Steel actually cringed. I couldn't help myself. I grinned widely.
"Don't be too hard on him. There isn't anyone on this earth that he respects more than you." Her stern demeanor softened ever so slightly, but she lifted her chin stubbornly.
"He's got a lot to answer for." I laughed as Clark gulped.
"I'm sure he does. But for the sake of every member of the Justice League, please don't break his heart. I don't think Batman could stand his moping."
"All right, Robin, that's enough," snapped Clark, scowling even though his cheeks were a bright pink. My grin widened. Payback was fun. It was about time I got to laugh at someone else's expense, and I could tell already that Lois wasn't really as mad at him as she was pretending to be.
"Whose heart would I be breaking? Clark's or Superman's?"
"Whose heart matters?" I countered. It was the first time I'd ever spoken to her, and I liked her already. No wonder Clark was head over heels. She had a sense of humor and she took no prisoners. I had the feeling that once they sorted out their differences I would have a new ally in giving Clark a hard time.
"Superman's heart is just as invulnerable as the rest of him, and I couldn't break it with a two-ton sledgehammer. Clark's on the other hand… You may inform the Justice League that they can breathe easy. I won't hurt the farm boy any more than he deserves."
"Excellent! Did you hear that, Clark?" I teased.
"Goodbye Robin." He terminated the call before I could find one last witty thing to say.
I knew exactly what he was going through, and I knew now from experience that he would not regret letting her finally know the truth. Lois was a smart woman, from what I had seen, and she was exactly the type of no-nonsense personality that he needed when he tried to blame himself for all of the problems in the world he couldn't fix.
Red lights flashed in my room and the alarm blared annoyingly loud. I sprang out of my chair and dashed for the door. I nearly crashed into Cyborg as he barreled out of his bedroom, and I led the way to the common room where Raven was waiting for us. Cyborg went to the consul and pulled up an area map of the wharf, where the alert had been triggered. I didn't need to see any more to know exactly who we were dealing with. Slade.
My communicator vibrated alongside a ringtone version of "I Will Always Love You." I shot Cyborg a dark look before I flipped it open to see Starfire's concerned face.
"Don't look at me man. That's got Beast Boy written all over it." Despite the seriousness of the situation the corner of his mouth twitched and I silently vowed to strangle the changeling the next time I had the chance.
"Robin, Beast Boy and I have Slade cornered at the wharf. We request permission to engage."
"No. Wait until I get there."
No way was anyone else taking Slade down other than me.
Ten minutes later, thanks to Cyborg pushing the limits on the T-car's speedometer, we screeched to a halt a short distance from the wharf. Beast Boy and Starfire came over to brief us. Slade was inside the warehouse. His men were loading large crates onto one of the cargo ships. He was surveying everything from a platform high above everyone else.
"Raven, teleport me inside. He'll be expecting us to come in together."
She nodded and her eyes glowed white as she murmured her familiar chant. The swirling power swallowed me and then spat me out mere feet behind him. Before he had the chance to react, I ducked down and kicked his legs out from beneath him. Glass shattered as Starfire plowed through a window below to announce the presence of the Titans. I didn't worry about my team. They could handle his men—they always did. Slade was mine.
"Ah, Robin. How nice to see you ag—"
I managed to land a swift uppercut into the bottom of his jaw, snapping his head around before he could start in on his mocking. It was a short-lived victory because his foot shot out and caught me square in the stomach.
"I take it you prefer to be called Dick Grayson."
"If you think I'm Dick Grayson then you're not nearly as clever as you think you are," I said. My heart soared when he fell into a contemplative silence and lashed out with several swift kicks that I dodged around easily.
"Why is it that Robin appeared in Gotham for the first time in months on the eve of Grayson's abrupt return to society?"
"Starfire showed up in Gotham that night. You think she's really a Wayne in disguise too?"
"Ah yes, you're little girlfriend," he breathed, pausing to look over the railing to where Starfire was fending off two thugs with low-watt starbolts aimed at their feet. The way he looked at her sent shivers racing up my spine. "I thought you were above such weaknesses."
"Ever picked up a tabloid? If I was Grayson she'd have fried me by now."
Slade froze. A long moment went by before her threw back his head and laughed. He doesn't laugh like Joker, not that insane high-pitched cackle that drives you to your knees with your hands over your ears to try and block it out. No, his laugh was on the other end of the spectrum, a deep low chuckle that made every cell in your body quake with dread.
"You've thought of everything, haven't you, Robin? For once, I'm actually impressed."
"If you liked that then you'll really like this."
A pair of black spectral hands shot up through the floor and grabbed his feet. They wound around his legs and climbed up his body so that he couldn't move. I darted forward and snapped a pair of handcuffs onto his wrists—not that I expected that to hold him.
"Clever, but not quite clever enough," he said, narrowing his eyes at me. Just then we all heard an unmistakable beeping sound. I turned and ran in the opposite direction. Beast Boy morphed into a pterodactyl and launched Cyborg into the air through a hole in the roof. Raven phased out of harm's way. Behind me the robot exploded just as I fired my grappling gun and leapt into the air.
Starfire wrapped her arms around me from behind and carried me safely ahead of the blast.
"Again?" Beast Boy complained once we rendezvoused beside the T-car. "Another freaking robot?!" He threw his hands into the air in frustration. "How many of those things does he have?"
"Don't worry, Beast Boy, we'll find him," I said, smacking my fist into my palm to emphasize my point. For once, I didn't care about Slade slipping through my fingers, because for the first time in what felt like ever I had actually gotten the upper hand. Despite his laughter, I knew I'd thrown enough doubt into his mind that I didn't have to worry about him exposing Dick Grayson as Robin. I was so happy I wanted to cheer. I settled for simply taking Starfire's hand and giving it a discreet squeeze. She squeezed it back, and somehow that was just as good.