Tabiebear: Haha welcome to the story. Glad you have enjoyed the first few chapters. Keep reading, it only gets more intense.

Captain Planet: Yes, m'dear, you did send me such a message. I did spend a good deal more time on that last chapter, so I'm glad you noticed! Glad you are still enjoying, and congrats on the internship!

Sadie Aurora Night: Haha, that was the point. Suspense!

Sky the white dragon: Dick isn't exactly in the right state of mind right now. Give him some time.

SladeRavenFan: I am a fan of both if it's well written, though for this story I am going for more of a no pairing situation. Glad you are still with us!

Darkerthanlight: Thank you very much. Actually, I was writing when I got your review, and I was already writing in a Beast Boy scene, so I hope you enjoy it!

TSRowenwood: Doesn't sound good at all! Fingers crossed for Dickie Bird!

Beast Boy was, for once, doing as he was told and staying put. He had gotten sick of being cooped up and had, through no shortage of pestering, gotten the Batman to let him come on patrol with him. It had been the coolest thing ever…

Until they came across a murder.

Beast Boy had never dealt with anything like that back in Jump. Of course, murders still happened, but every time they got an alert about someone being killed, or a potential homicide occurrence, Robin always insisted he go alone.

Before, this had always made Beast Boy so angry, made him feel excluded and like Robin didn't trust them, but after seeing all the blood…

He had never respected Robin more than he did right then. And he had never gone out with Batman again after that, preferring to stay at Wayne Manor or the Watchtower.

He had been with Bruce and Alfred long enough that he was pretty much given free reign of the house, but there were certain rooms that he knew better than to disturb. Bruce's room was one. Alfred's was another. The room he knew to be Robin's was below his, on the next floor.

He didn't know why he felt the need to go in there, but he did, so he wandered down the stairs. Bruce had long since left for his nightly Batman shift, and Alfred was busy downstairs doing something or other, so he wasn't interrupted as he made his way to the door and, hands sweaty, turned the knob.

The room was surprisingly normal. Unlike Robin's room at Titans' Tower, which was covered in papers and articles, with filing cabinets lining one wall and his bed pressed up against the other, this room was comfortable and welcoming. The walls were decorated with everything from a Gotham Academy banner to a poster of the Flying Graysons.

This room had nothing to do with Robin. This room was Dick's.

That was something Robin had never been able to do in Jump, seperate his civilian life from his hero persona, seperate himself from his work.

And look where it had gotten them all.

Beast Boy shook his head. That wasn't fair. It wasn't Robin's fault. It was Slade's.

"I failed him."

Dick could see her take this in, see the question in her eyes before she asked it aloud.

"Who?" she finally said, her voice low and forcefully even. She knew the answer, even without him saying it. Their eyes did the talking for them.

A few weeks ago, Dick might have been ashamed of his answer. He would have been afraid to see the disappointment in her eyes, but now his only concern was how to fix this, how to make Slade proud of him again. How to make things right again.

He heard her sigh, saw her lower her gaze, her slightest movement showing her disapproval.

Dick…" she began. "Robin," but Dick cut her off.

"Please, Raven, I—I don't need to hear it right now… I don't think I can take it." He lowered his eyes to the floor, running his hands through his hair.

"Dick, think about what you are saying." She patted the spot next to her on her bed, gesturing for him to sit by her. He took a jerky step forward, hesitant before making up his mind and sitting down. "Dick, do you—"

"Raven, please—"

"No, Dick, listen." Dick took a calming breath through his nose, exhaling slowly, before raising his eyebrow for her to continue. "Do you even know what you are saying?"

He knew how ridiculous he must sound, being so concerned with pleasing Slade, a man that the other Titans only knew as a brutal, harsh, unforgiving villain.

"Raven, you don't know how he—"

"What, Dick?" for once, Dick could hear her emotions in her tone. The anger and frustration was clear. "How he's changed? How well he's treating you?" It was the sarcasm that pushed him over the edge.

Leaping to his feet, he yelled, "You don't know what you're talking about Raven! He has changed, and he's not as bad as you think he is! He has been teaching me, helping me, showing me what Bruce is—"

She stopped his sentence without saying a word. Rising to her feet and moving quickly toward him, she brought her hand to his face and touched his cheek, pressing on his fresh bruise. It didn't hurt much, but it was enough to silence him as he winced.

One spot at a time, she placed her hand over old hurts, looking into his eyes all the while. He couldn't look away as her fingers ghosted over his face, his shoulder, his wrist, his ribs. His eyes closed and he trembled as she finally, slowly, turned him around, placing her hand on the center of his back. His breath hitched slightly as she removed her hand. He remember that day, the pain, the fire he had felt, that feeling of his skin being stretched too tight over his body… the comfort he had taken from the Titans' presence, the thought that they would get out of there, their hands holding his. Bruce had held his hand like that when he had come to take him from the Juvenile Detention Center they had put him in. It will be alright, Dick.

He had been so sure when Slade first captured him that Bruce would…

He was jerked out of his thoughts by a light touch on his cheek. He opened his eyes, coming face to face with Raven once again, but this time she held something in her hands.

"You know what you have to do," she said. "No one is asking you to sacrifice yourself, Dick, but you and I both know how this ends without him."

Dick reached for it, but she moved faster.

"Don't let him destroy you," she whispered, lowering her hands. Dick was so confused on the way back to his room that he forgot he even had the mask on.

He felt his heart sink as, when he was leaving, Starfire and Cyborg caught a glimpse of him with it on his eyes, and their faces lit up, letting him see something he hadn't seen in a while. Hope.

Who am I?