Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. Just the story and the character Oriole.

Author's Note: Happy New Year! Welcome to 2012, everyone! And my first chapter of the New Year is a doozy. You guys have no idea how long I've been waiting to get to this part of the plot, where Slade tries to possess Oriole. My book journal for Oriole is flooded with ideas for it, since I've been so excited.

Back to business, welcome to the New Year and my first chapter in 2012. Enjoy Chapter 33.

Oriole

Chapter 33: Morphine

Robin

1:55 pm

Titans Tower

Jump City

Robin leaned against the far wall, watching the scene unfold. Oriole activated her healing abilities and mended the shape-shifter's cracked ribs. Beast Boy's eyes fluttered as he returned to consciousness. When the deed was done, Sara slumped into a chair, sweat beaded on her forehead. Clearly, that fight took more out of her than he thought. Raven helped Beast Boy into a sitting position.

"Ugh, did anyone get the number of that bus that hit me?"

A faint smile lit Sara's face. "No, but we did see the driver."

Beast Boy grinned, probably because someone finally responded to his terrible jokes. "I suppose you and Raven helped me heal faster, huh? Thanks, both of you." He said, looking between the two girls.

Sara shrugged. Raven muttered, "You're welcome," then turned on Oriole and grumbled, "Maybe this wouldn't have happened if you stayed put like you were supposed to."

Oriole glared back at her. "I saved your skins, admit it. If I hadn't shown up, someone could have died. Believe me, Slade was feeling dangerous enough."

"You would know." Raven hissed, her violet eyes slits as she glared at the younger girl.

Sara sighed. "What did I do now Raven? What could I possibly have done to make you so angry at me-"

"I read Slade's mind. I know what you've been hiding."

Sara's face paled, but she tried to keep her composure. "What are you talking about?" Her voice quivered worriedly.

"I know why Slade can enter your mind so easily and why you've been protecting Robin the most."

Sara laughed, a hint of nervousness behind her poker face. "Duh! 'Cause he's the one Slade's after."

"Really?"

Sara scowled. "What are you trying to say Raven? Spit it out. I'm all ears."

"It's because Slade and you are so alike."

And just like that, Sara smacked her and her eyes turned black as coals. "Don't you dare compare me to Slade. He killed my parents. We're nothing alike."

Raven scowled back at her, trying to keep her anger under control. Batman stepped in and grabbed Sara's arm and Robin pulled Raven away. The last thing they needed was a catfight between Oriole and Raven.

Robin understood where Sara was coming from. He too was a lot like Slade, which was what Raven was trying to convey about Sara's overprotection of him. Also, in Sara's mind, if she was similar to Slade, even only a little, it made her just as much a murderer as Slade was. From her point of view, it made her just as guilty of her parents' deaths as Slade. But just because he understood, didn't mean he agreed with her.

"Raven? Did you find anything else from Slade?" Robin asked.

She shook her head. "I only got a glimpse, and only to check on Oriole. I only found out things about their connection." There was a definite "but" on the tip of her tongue.

"But…?"

"But, there was something else I found out. It's probably nothing."

"Which is?"

She looked away. "It's nothing. I have to talk to Oriole about it first, okay?"

He nodded and said with a sly grin, "Promise you two won't start World War III?"

A smile twitched on her lips. Unsurprisingly though, she didn't ask Sara right away. Instead she levitated over to the door and left the room, probably to go meditate or something.

Robin looked over at Beast Boy. "BB, take Raven's example and go get some sleep. You look exhausted."

The green teen nodded appreciatively and walked, almost zombified, over to the door to go to his room. It left Starfire and Robin alone in the room. Starfire floated over to Robin and asked, "Robin?"

"Yes Starfire?"

"Everything will be okay, yes? Oriole seemed very scared. And Slade beat her most easily today. I worry for her…and for you. If Oriole should fail at fighting Slade, what will happen?"

Robin tried to ignore the fear in Star's eyes, but it was so consuming it affected his own emotions too. And honestly, he already felt afraid himself. He struggled to find the right words, yet not outright lie to her either. "Oriole's strong. And stubborn as a mule. She'll find a way."

Starfire studied him. "You have not seemed to think so."

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "What can I say, Star? Before I came to Jump…she was my best friend. She's like a sister to me, even more like my family than Bruce sometimes. I'll always worry about her when she's not completely safe. I feel the same way about you. And if anything, I'm afraid she'll do something that she will regret, not the rest of us. If Slade gets inside her head and convinces her to be his apprentice until he gets what he wants, we could all be in danger. Sara has the potential to kill millions with a flick of her hand. Bruce and I knew that from the moment she joined the team."

"Does Oriole know that?"

"I don't know. I don't think so, but with her it's hard to tell."

Starfire thought about it for a second. "Does Slade?"

Just the man's name soured Robin's mood and put a frown on his face. "He'd be an idiot if he didn't see it. Sara's more powerful than he is and look at all that he's done. And I have a feeling we haven't seen anything yet."

"Perhaps that is why friend Raven was so upset?"

"Maybe. Honestly though Star, I don't think it matters. But we can't just give up because we're worried we'll fail. Never give in, right?"

His little speech was rewarded with a half-smile from Starfire. He wrapped his arms around her and tried to ease her worry. A purposeful cough made them leap apart. Batman stood near the hospital room's entrance, arms folded across his chest and the way he stared at Starfire made Robin bristle. Starfire seemed just as uncomfortable. Eager to slip away and knowing a "get lost" look when she saw it, the Tamaranian said, "I should try to comfort Raven. She seemed most distressed."

Robin watched her go. As soon as she was gone, he spun around to face Bruce, fists clenched at his sides. "I can't have two minutes of a semi-normal relationship around you, can I? You couldn't have just excused yourself or something? It's not like we were kissing and it's not like she's Roy's girl, Cheshire."

"I never said anything against her."

"It wasn't what you said! It was that look you gave her! She's intimidated by you, and if you can't imagine why, then something's wrong with you." He sighed. "You know what, forget it. I don't want to fight anymore than you do." Quickly changing topics, he added, "How's Sara?"

"She's sleeping, said she was exhausted. Considering all that happened today, I can't say I blame her."

Robin hesitated. What he wanted to say was a touchy subject, but he had to know. "Why did you let Sara out?"

He gave Robin a look that asked how it wasn't obvious. "Robin, she was in a coma for a week. I don't see a problem in letting her stretch her legs."

"But why bring her to face Slade? You knew the risks."

"She knew what she was doing."

"Half the time she seems confident in herself she ends up losing control or captured, haven't you noticed?"

"While you're around, yes."

"What are you trying to say?"

He shrugged. "Nothing. Just that she only seems to lose control while you're next to her."

"Are you accusing me of causing it?" He demanded, outraged that Bruce would even suggest such a thing.

Bruce replied, in a infuriatingly calm voice, "Not at all. But there is a pattern. In any case, Sara was in a coma for a week and we're lucky it wasn't longer. Especially since Slade seems to find a breach in her mental barriers every single time…"

"Why do I hear an accusation in that?" Robin challenged, daring Bruce to "suggest" he himself was the cause of it again.

"It's nothing for you to worry about." And just like that, Bruce brushed past him and headed for the door. "I need to talk to Alfred about something. Call me if her condition worsens. I'll be back in the morning."

Robin caught his arm. Bruce stopped but didn't turn, just waited for whatever Robin had to say. "We will talk about this later, Bruce. Count on it."

Bruce said nothing and headed for the door as if he hadn't even been interrupted. Robin glowered at his back, watching as the Dark Knight exited through the automatic door.

Oriole

2:45 pm

Titans Tower

Jump City

Oriole's eyes fluttered beneath her eyelids. The cause of this, of course, was a dream. Or, more accurate, a nightmare.

Oriole ran over the rooftops of Gotham, finally feeling at home for the first time in a long time. The city was strangely calm tonight: no muggings, no break-ins, no super villains trying to take revenge or anything like that. She perched on the rooftop of the GCP building, looking down at the city below. Though her parents' house was far, far away from modern Gotham City, she would always feel an attachment to this place. After all, Gotham was where she learned how to survive and how to live.

As Oriole watched the flickering life of Gotham's night, she heard a familiar and foreboding voice. "That is quite a view, isn't it?"

Oriole stiffened. She turned and saw Slade standing right behind her, so close that his burning gaze could scorch right through her. Skittering away, she hopped down off of the roof ledge and kept a close eye on Slade. Finally, she managed to say, "What do you want?"

Slade chuckled. "You mean it isn't obvious?"

Sara scowled. She took out her bo-staff in her belt and lowered into a ready position. "Good luck trying. I have better protection now."

"You may want to check them then." He said as he reached for his own bo-staff, "Because I found it even easier to access your mind. In fact, if I wanted to, I could take control as easily as pull the strings of a marionette."

"What do you want then?" They began circling like starved wolves fighting over a piece of meat.

"To make something very clear. I could have taken control of you a couple hours ago, but I didn't. Why? Simply because I didn't want to."

"Really? Because I thought it was because there were more people around."

"Perhaps that added to it." He admitted. Sara smirked, relishing the fact that she was right. But he continued, "However, I could have taken over and killed Wayne."

Sara's eyes widened. So that's what he had in mind. She charged at him, fire blocking Slade's escape as she rammed into his chest and knocked him back. Slade punched her jaw, knocking her to the ground. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth as crimson liquid dripped from her lips. She flipped over her head backwards and rolled to her feet, fists raised and ready.

"Why is her lip bleeding?"

"I don't know, I just got here."

A conversation echoed in her ears, but the pump of adrenaline blocked the rest of it out. She leaped up and over Slade's head, kicking his back as she passed. He turned and, in a blur, grabbed her leg and whipped her to the ground. Her skull met concrete and stars popped in front of her eyes. Sara shook the stars from her vision and tried to knock Slade's legs out from under him. He dodged and stomped his boot down on her fingers.

Sara cried out in pain and lashed him with a fire whip. He jumped back to avoid it and she rose to her full height, fire curling around her arms.

"Sara! Wake up!" A familiar voice shouted in her ears.

Slade broke off a metal pipe, incredibly, and smashed it over her head. In the back of her mind, she was aware she was asleep. But the pain felt so real, how could it be just a dream?

"Raven, what's going on?"

"I, I'm not sure. It's like Slade's trapping her in a false reality to take over her mind."

"Then why isn't it working?"

"Oriole's resisting."

Sara shook off the pain she felt in the hope that her friends would help her. If Raven was right, and this was all a dream, there had to be a way out. Instead of staying to fight, she started to run to try to find the way out. It couldn't be too hard to find. All of a sudden, she halted. Sara tried to move, but her body didn't respond. "Oh shit. That was the wrong move."

Slade chuckled. "Well done, Sara. Well done indeed. I'll thank Raven for you."

The scenery changed and Sara was again trapped in the Void, watching helplessly as Slade took control of her muscles and manipulated them to his will. "Slade, no! Please! Stop!" She screamed, but she knew it was useless.

Sara's eyes opened and she sat up to see Robin, Raven, Batman and Starfire gathered around her bed. Beast Boy and Cyborg must still be sleeping. She smirked at them and her eyes met Robin's. Her smiled broadened.

Sara slammed her fists on the small screen that showed what her eyes were seeing. "Leave him alone! Slade, stop it!"

Sara turned to the edge of the bed and her bare feet touched the cold, concrete floor. She walked calmly over to Bruce and grinned evilly at him.

"Still think I won't harm him, my dear?" Slade's voice taunted. "Watch and learn."

"Sara?" Bruce asked, suspicion gleaming in his eyes. Out of nowhere, Sara brought her fist to Bruce's gut and kneed him in the face when he bent over. Bruce fell unconscious as Slade's mind reached out to isolate it. Raven reacted first, throwing Sara's body against the far wall. Sara flipped over her head and landed gently on her feet, her bangs falling over her right eye.

"Raven, what did you just-" Robin started, but Raven cut him off.

"That's not Oriole."

Robin and Starfire charged immediately while Raven fled the room. Distantly Sara felt Slade's curiosity, but for the moment he focused on the two teens. Because the room was so small, Starfire couldn't fly to get an overhead advantage, nor could Robin be as acrobatic as he would have liked. The small space fit Slade's fighting style perfectly. And if Robin and Starfire lost, what would happen to Sara?

Then Raven was there, in the Void, and Sara lost interest in the fight, grateful for Raven's sacrifice by coming there.

"Raven! Thank God! Hey, in case I don't get the chance again, I'm sorry for hitting you. It wasn't right."

Raven shrugged. "I might've deserved it. Do you know how to get out of here?"

Sara nodded. "But we have to hurry!"

Batman

3:00 pm

Jump City

Titans Tower

When Bruce came to, not too long after, Robin and Starfire had Sara pinned to the far wall. Bruce's hand reached up to the bruise forming on his cheek. What on Earth had gotten into her? He knew the cause right away. Slade. Slade found a way to win. Sara lost. Maybe forever. Batman got to his feet and helped the Boy Wonder and the Tamaranian keep Sara from hurting anyone, or herself. All at once, a black raven, obviously from Raven, cut them off from her. Robin looked over at Raven with accusing eyes, who appeared at the doorway.

Raven said nothing, just kept her attention on the possessed girl. Batman looked back at his protégée and watched as her legs wobbled beneath her as if she were dizzy. Tears formed in Oriole's eyes and she fell to her knees, hiding her face in her hands. Robin dropped down next to her and put a hesitant hand on her shoulder, perhaps wondering if this was all a trick.

Oriole pulled him to her and sobbed into his shoulder. Starfire floated over to the bed and draped a blanket across the younger girl's shoulders. Robin, meanwhile, wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back, a sympathetic look on his face. Her wet face glanced up at Bruce and she cried, "I'm sorry. I couldn't stop him! I should've found a way. He could've hurt you. I'm so, so sorry, Bruce."

"It wasn't your fault." Bruce mumbled quietly, knowing that she wasn't looking for his acceptance.

Oriole buried her face back into Robin's shoulder, but not before the look of defeat and fear in her eyes imprinted themselves in Bruce's mind. Oriole never cried. Not like this. She may shed a tear or two, but nothing this serious. Bruce's fists clenched in fury. Slade would pay hell for this. Robin looked up at Bruce and he knew exactly what Dick was trying to convey. Both of them knew what this meant. From now on, controlling Sara's body would be a cinch. From now on, there would be no protection.

Author's Note: Damn it, Slade! That was NOT okay! *sigh* well, looks like it's tough going from now on guys. What will happen next chapter? Tune in next week to find out! Please review. HAPPY NEW YEAR!