Goodnight

By

Angelina

I tell you, it's always me. Everything always happens to me! And today was no exception.

We were sent on a mission to find and shut down another of Bane's plants in South America. What we hadn't been told was that his plant was in an old mine! Apparently South America is riddled with mines, abandoned or otherwise, and Bane thought it would be a good place to hide his operation. If it hadn't been for my superior hacking skills than we never would have found the place, let alone got in.

After we got in we split up to our different tasks.

Kid Flash and Artemis were to create a distraction, easy enough for them. All they had to do was get into one of their infamous arguments and all of the workers would be running for the hills.

Megan was monitoring all of our separate locations and searching for Bane's mind. If she found his location than Superboy and Kaldur would be dispatched to go take him out, but if he wasn't found than Kaldur was guarding Megan and Superboy was guarding me.

And I was planting explosives in strategic points in the mine. As soon as everyone was out we were going to blow this thing sky high. As soon as the last of the explosives were set I hacked in to the mine's security system (really, who puts a security system in a mine! But that's Bane for you, willing to do anything to protect his pressure drugs. And I mean anything) and activated the emergency evacuation system.

Loud klaxons began blaring, sending the workers running for the hills and signaling the team to regroup.

But of course Bane had to find us in the pandemonium, and by us I really mean me. Because of the klaxons and shouting echoing through the mine, I couldn't hear Bane until he was right on top of me. Batman would be so mad.

Bane aimed a punch at me and I attempted to flip out of the way, but the villain had followed up with a kick that caught me in the side and sent me flying across the mine shaft to impact painfully with the opposite wall, I groaned. Why me, why is it always me?

Superboy heard my groan and turned around in time to see me slide down the wall. With a howl of rage he launched himself at Bane.

The rest of the team had arrived by now and Kid Flash helped me to my feet as Kaldur and Megan went to help Superboy battle Bane.

In his angered state Superboy grabbed Bane, as Kaldur knocked him off-balance, and hurled him across the mine shaft to break through two beams before crashing into the wall, leaving a large dent. He jumped over to the villain and picked him up again, spinning around twice before letting him fly. Another two support beams splintered as the massive Bane crashed into them.

I don't know what Superboy was thinking, or if he was think at all, but my mind couldn't help flashing back to the collapse of Cadmus. The clone was going to bring the mine down on us! I was just opening my mouth to warn him when he managed to hurl Bane through the last three support beams; I'm going to kill him if we get out of this alive.

The mine gave an ominous groan before it started to collapse. This time there was no strong metahuman to shield me from the collapse and a rather large section of ceiling decided to fall on my head.

Why me? That was the last thing I thought before blackness enveloped me.

"-bin, dude, come on, wake up!" Someone was kneeling beside me, patting my cheek. I gingerly cracked my eyes open, hissing at the pain that that little movement caused me.

"Hey guys, he's waking up!" There was the voice again. I concentrated on bringing everything in focus and was greeted with the sight of Kid Flash hovering worriedly above me.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty," Kid Flash laughed.

The other quickly crowded around me. Superboy and Megan had both survived without a scratch. Kaldur had lost one of his waterbearers and was sporting several rips in his costume from which blood oozed sluggishly. Artemis had a sling on her right arm, which I assumed was broken. Kid Flash had a nasty gash on his left shoulder where his uniform had completely been torn away to reveal the freckle covered skin beneath. All of them were coated with several layers of dust and grime. I imagined that I didn't look any better.

I groaned and attempted to sit up, only to fall back again. Kid Flash caught me on my way down and propped me up into a sitting position.

"You okay?" The speedster asked, concern clouding his voice.

I gave him one of my patented 'what do you think' looks. "How long was I out?"

"Several hours," Megan supplied with a worried expression.

"What happened?" I asked.

They all looked at me like I had two heads.

"Uh, the place kinda came down on us." Wally finally answered.

"I gathered that much. I meant what happened after the place came down?"

The team traded uneasy glances before Kaldur spoke up. "After I awoke I helped Wally dig you and Artemis out of the rubble while Superboy and Megan attempted to dig a way out. It appears that a several sections of the mine collapsed. We are fortunate that your explosives were not set off, but as it remains: we are trapped. We are unable to find a way to dig to safety without comprising the integrity of the haven we have here."

I tried to sit up fully to get a better view of what remained of the mine, but my broken ribs screamed out in protest and my head throbbed. Great, just great. This is so not my day. "Did you guys contact the League?" I ground out through grit teeth, trying to keep my mind off the pain by fully analyzing our situation.

"We tried, but we're in too deep. The signal won't get through." Artemis looked exhausted, all energy seeming to have left her voice. "Could you get a signal on your computer?"

I shook my head and immediately regretted the action as black spots danced across my vision and white hot pain radiated through my body. I forced myself to calm down and take deep breathes until I stopped feeling dizzy.

By the time I had gained control of myself again my team was looking at me with even more concern than before, if that was possible.

"Rob, dude, are you okay?" Wally asked worriedly, lowering me back down to the ground.

"I will be, just a concussion."

A took another deep breathe and closed my eyes, focusing on anything but the pain and dizziness.

"Robin! Stay awake!" Superboy was kneeling beside me now, shaking my shoulders as he spoke for the first time since I woke up.

Gradually I opened my eyes again, trying to ignore the pain lancing through my head as Superboy continued to shake me.

"You can't go to sleep; you could go in to a coma if you're bleeding into your brain."

Darn that clone and all the knowledge Cadmus had put in his brain. I really wanted to go to sleep right about now, but I knew the clone was right. "ok."

Conner sat back looking somewhat placated, but deep in his eyes I could see his concern multiply. Great, that's the last thing I needed, more mollycoddling. I got enough of that from Batman.

The idea of an emotional and mother hen Batman suddenly danced across my mind and I started laughing. First they were quiet giggles, then laughter, and then loud, creepy cackles.

My team was looking at me like I was crazy, but I didn't really care, everything just kept getting funnier and I couldn't help but laugh and laugh and laugh. The concussion must have been worse than I thought.

My laughter died away into coughing after a few minutes. The dust in our small space was getting thicker and making it hard for me to breathe.

I don't know how much time passed while I laid there and tried to regain my breath. I only registered the fact that Superboy was carrying me when I felt a small jolt as he tripped over a small rock.

He was walking across the small space that we occupied towards a section that was somewhat protected from the thick swirling dust. Kid Flash was already there and he gently took me from Superboy's arms. He sat down with me in his arms, supporting almost all of my weight and allowing me to use his shoulder as a pillow. If I wasn't so out of it I would probably be angry with myself for being so weak.

After a few minutes of sitting there my eyes started to close again, I was so tired and sleep sounded like such a good idea.

"No." Someone was gently shaking my shoulder. "You must stay awake, Robin."

I opened my eyes to see Kaldur looking at me. I scowled, why wouldn't they just let me sleep?

"You may sleep when help arrives."

I looked over to where Artemis was propped up against a wall, sleeping fitfully. The Atlantian followed my gaze. "She does not have a severe concussion. I am sorry, my friend, but you must stay awake."

I grunted and forced myself to grasp onto consciousness a little harder. He was right, of course, but I really wanted to sleep.

Wally gave him a small nod and the leader reluctantly left our sides, going over to help Megan and Superboy try to dig their way out.

The speedster was talking to me now as he shook me periodically, making sure I stayed awake. He talked about his science project that was supposed to be due tomorrow, he really though that he was going to get an A on it, but now he couldn't turn it in. He talked about the kids in his class, the girl he wanted to ask out, and his Great Uncle's boring birthday party. Several minutes passed before he started talking about how lucky we were, how God had to be looking out for them. They had all survived the mine caving in, they had a small space that they could stand up in and move around in, and they even had oxygen coming in from somewhere, keeping them all alive.

I stopped listening to Wally and blinked rapidly a few times to keep myself awake. I really wanted to go to sleep right about now.

"Come on now Dick," Kid Flash whispered in my ear.

The use of my real name startled me and got me to focus on the speedster.

"Stay awake just a little longer. Help is on the way."

I snorted weakly, leave it up to Wally to be the eternal optimist. I had never been overly optimistic like the speedster, but at the same time I wasn't overly pessimistic like Batman. I guess you could call me a neutralist, realistic, yeah that sounds about right. And right now I couldn't help but look at my situation from a detached realistic point of view. "You don't know that Wally. We couldn't get a single in here, which means that it's quite likely that the League can't find our tracers. It's more than likely that the League won't find us in time. Whatever tunnel is letting the oxygen in could collapse. Without oxygen we would die within a few hours."

"Way to be positive Rob," Wally groaned.

I couldn't help but smile a bit at his tone, but then I became serious again. "Plus even if help is on the way it isn't likely that they would get here in time. With a head injury like mine I will pass out soon and after that who knows what could happen. The League would need to get here sooner rather than later and I doubt sooner would even be fast enough."

"For a smart guy, you're a real idiot, you know that?"

I looked up at him quizzically.

"You forgot about Batman," Wally told me, as if it was obvious. "Batman always comes for you, he will find us, I know it."

I felt a surge of gratitude towards the speedster and I smiled my appreciation. He wrapped his arms tighter around me and I relaxed even more into them. We sat like that for a long while, Kid Flash shaking me every once and awhile to make sure that I stayed awake.

I don't how much time passed, but after a while I slipped into a semiconscious state, neither awake nor asleep. Everything was peaceful and as much as I wanted to go to sleep, I was content to stay like that and wait. Wait for Batman to come.

I was jolted from my semi-conscious stupor when a pair of large arms lifted me from Wally's arms.

I forced my swimming vision to focus and was met with the worried gaze of Batman. I sighed thankfully and let my head rest on his massive chest, listening to his rhythmic heartbeat. "B-batman, asa oboist, c-can't st-stay…"

"It's okay. Voi fi aici cind te trezesti, micuta mea pasari." He whispered into my hair as he held me close.

I nodded and curled into him even more, allowing my eyes to slip closed as I finally gave in to the pressing darkness.

A/N Translations:

Asa oboist: So tired

Voi fi aici cind te trezesti, micuta mea pasari: I will be here when you wake, my little bird.

I know that Dick speaks Romani, but I couldn't find translator for that so you guys get Romanian.

This was a fill for Kick-Aft's request in which Robin gets a bad concussion and the team has to keep him awake. I hope you liked it Kick-Aft :D

Anyway this is another product of a roadtrip! Me, the twins, Charlie, Andy, and my parents all in the car together driving eight hours up to Ohio while singing along with VeggieTales at the top of our lungs!