So here it is at last, the final chapter. I hope you've all thoroughly enjoyed this story!
Chapter rated K+ (probably could be K, better safe than sorry)
With the city at last safe from harm, the titans finally had a chance to start getting back to normal. Cyborg's drug was a success in counteracting Robin's delusional state. He also checked out all the other titans to make sure there wasn't any other funny medical business going on. Beast Boy was definitely banged up a bit from being shot by Chang's cannon, but Robin's cape had done a remarkable job of protecting them both from the worst of it. Everyone got some much needed sleep and then Cyborg did go and make waffles. Cyborg piled a plate with big fluffy waffles and poured syrup over them until it nearly flowed off the plate. Then he topped it with a large dollop of whipped cream and strawberries. This was a celebration after all! He walked past Beast Boy whistling heading towards the med bay. Beast Boy hurriedly finished his waffle masterpiece and rushed past Cyborg! Both started racing each other while trying not to destroy their dishes!
"Hey Robin!" Cyborg shouted, "I got you brunch!"
"No he doesn't!" Beast Boy interjected, "I got you brunch!"
"Yah but mine actually tastes good!"
"Oh yah?! This is a new super duper ultra awesome tofu recipe that's gonna make your Grandma's waffles taste like cardboard!"
"Tofu taste better than Grandma's! In your dreams BB!"
"Yah?! Well, just wait till Robin says so!"
"Robin tell the kid he's craz..." Cyborg and Beast Boy looked around. Robin was nowhere to be found.
True Robin loved Cyborg's waffles, but his stomach still wasn't having it. He was very thankful to Starfire and Raven for helping him sneak out of the med bay. Now having showered and changed, Robin sat on his bed reviewing their past few weeks. He'd finally figured out why that drug seemed so familiar. Initially he had suspected it was Slade's handiwork but his analysis showed the formula actually came from an old enemy, the Scarecrow. Chang had certainly done his homework, taking his concoction from the self proclaimed master of fear himself. Rather chilling really, but considering his last few weeks, it didn't surprise him. There was a gentle knock at his door,
"Robin? Are you awake? It is only me, Starfire."
Robin smiled and spoke out his code. His room scanned him, his voice and the code and his door slid open. Starfire entered with her usual glow, holding a tray. Robin's stomach turned, he thought he'd gotten out of breakfast.
"You are feeling better yes?"
"A lot better, but... still not really hungry Star." Starfire smiled,
"Do not worry, this is a Tamaranean remedy for the turning of the stomach. The tea is from Raven. She is doing the distracting of Beast Boy and Cyborg."
Starfire came and sat next to Robin on his bed. Robin sighed inside. I mean, the worst that would happen is having to bolt to the washroom and throw up right? He knew Star was only trying to help. Starfire handed him a bowl. The contents didn't appear overwhelmingly repulsive, in fact, it seemed relatively normal. Robin looked at Starfire then the food. He hesitantly took a spoonful. It tasted awful, like medicine or something. He sipped some tea and braved a few more spoon fulls. To his great surprise, after the initial upset from the taste, his stomach did begin to settle. Starfire sat there quietly keeping him company. Robin finished the contents of the bowl and set it back on the tray. He smiled warmly at his best friend,
"Thanks Star, I do feel better."
They smiled at each other, their hands inching closer together.
"uhhh, am I interrupting something?"
Starfire let out a short squeal and Robin's eyes widened. They both looked over to find Raven standing in his doorway.
"I was merely sharing a Tamaranean remedy with Robin and also your tea," Starfire said with a big somewhat sheepish grin. Raven smirked a little, it was good to see things back to normal.
"I came to warn you Beast Boy and Cyborg will be here shortly." Robin sighed,
"thanks Raven," he said a bit wearily, still exhausted. "I guess I can't just keep avoiding them..."
he mused to Starfire.
"I would," Raven said bluntly from the doorway.
"Would you like me to take them on the chase of the goose?" Starfire asked.
Robin's eyebrows scrunched a little in confusion and he looked at her oddly for a moment, not connecting what she meant.
"A wild goose chase?" he finally asked.
Starfire giggled and nodded with a smile. He smiled back,
"No, that's okay. I could have a bit of waffle now anyway."
Just then, a commotion was heard heading that way and Cyborg and Beast Boy appeared carrying plates of waffles. Beast Boy was panting and his creation looked pretty sloppy now.
"Ah ha!" Cyborg said pointing at Robin and the girls, "So here you are!" He looked at the girls and said smugly, "And ya'll thought you could keep us away and have him all to yourselves!"
"My bad," Raven said in mock disappointment.
Starfire giggled but didn't say a word. Beast Boy wiggled past Cyborg and ran to Robin first.
"Here... is your... breakfast."
He said through gasps of air holding up a sad looking plate of tofu waffles. Before Robin could respond Cyborg came up also,
"Brunch." he said with emphasis holding out his creation. It was a little more intact than Beast Boy's.
"What happened to them?..." Robin asked, looking at the messes.
Both looked at their plates. They weren't exactly the culinary masterpieces they'd created in the kitchen anymore.
"Dang it Raven!" Cyborg said yelling back to the door. "Look what you made me do!"
"Yah!" Beast Boy piped in. Raven just stared at them,
"I never told you to carry them around everywhere while you looked for Robin," she deadpanned. There was silence in the room.
"Soo," Cyborg started a little embarrassed, "you want a fresh batch?"
"Yah!" Beast Boy cut in, "I'll make it bigger and better!"
"Not as impressive as mine are gonna be!"
"Guys!"
Both stopped and looked at Robin.
"A new batch would be great but, do me a favor; just one waffle each."
"Just one?" Beast Boy asked quietly in disbelief.
"Just one?" Cyborg nearly echoed.
"Just one." Robin repeated.
Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at each other. Cyborg shrugged and immediately got his pep back,
"One super duper, fluffy, golden, chewy bit of heaven coming up," he said smirking at Beast Boy. Beast Boy shot him a petulant look,
"One extra super duper, fluffy, golden, awesome, chewy bit of terrific tofu mouth watering paradise coming up!"
"One extra, extreme super duper..."
"Go make them already." Raven interrupted from the door.
Cyborg and Beast Boy left, beginning to eat the waffles off their plates and yell comebacks at each other with full mouths. The three remaining titans looked at each other. Robin finally started to snicker and Starfire burst into giggles. Even Raven smirked from the door. It was great. It felt so good to just take it easy with no case hanging over their heads; enjoy some food and each others company and even be a little childish. It was going to be a good day.
The Titans sat together in the living room, some goodies garnished the table amongst case paraphernalia. Cyborg whistled shaking his head,
"Man... So Chang puts a toxin in Johnny's bot which you're exposed to when it blows up which was supposed to put you over the deep end keeping you out of the way while he hired some former shadow assassin turned rogue thief for hire and his team to steal and set up an aerosol dispersal system so he could shanghai the city with some crazy toxic gas scheme."
Robin only nodded, affirming Cyborg's summary of the events he had just explained to his team. Cyborg only shook his head again, the rest of the team also expressing their disbelief with various gestures. Cyborg continued,
"But how did you even make that connection in the first place?"
"I only connected Johnny's attack with the heists when I discovered the lab. The thieves' leader was able to fill in the other blanks."
Cyborg frowned crossing his arms, "And how come we only learned about this whole Rancid case file of yours after you connected the two." Beast boy mirrored Cyborg's posture,
"Yah, how come," he retorted also.
Robin's already very scrambled emotions stirred up inside. He didn't want to argue and didn't have the energy to dig up anymore uncertainty, pain or the like. His answer was very reserved and pragmatic,
"The situation with the thieves was far more pressing than any lose ends connected to Rancid's attack, I didn't feel it was prudent to involve you guys in a second hand matter with the city at stake. I didn't learn of the importance of the case until later and only followed up on it facing multiple dead ends in our current case." Cyborg was about to say something else when Robin continued. "By the way, did you figure out how Chang was able to conceal all those distributors?" Cyborg paused, not wanting to reroute the conversation but Raven joined in,
"He used the telecommunications system." She stated matter of factly. Cyborg sighed and continued,
"Right, all the distributors were hidden inside or very near communication lines which hid the signal from being detected without knowing the exact frequency. Even with the spectral analysis it would've taken us sometime to pinpoint which frequency was Chang's. He really had this thing all figured out."
Robin sat there contemplatively, the case still making his head spin, when Beast Boy piped up,
"Chang may have thought he had it all together, but he still forgot about 1 thing... US! We were just too good for him and his goons!"
Beast Boy grinned. The others smiled too, even Robin a little. It was true, as trying as the case had been, despite mistakes and mishaps, they'd worked together and come through it all, just like always.
"Now that we have finished with the explanations, should we not celebrate our glorious victory?" Starfire asked with anticipation.
That was enough for Cyborg to shift direction! "Boyah baby! It's been a long time coming."
"We are gonna tear up the T-tower," Beast Boy remarked crossing his arms like a bad boy!
And with that sentiment, the team packed up the case, finally closing the file and took the rest of the day off! They played games indoors and on their own private little island. Beast Boy quickly learned Robin's mind was still a little slow and wasted no time goofing off with him. After all, how often could he get the best of him mentally... never really. Unfortunately for him, it was short lived as the girls were having none of it! After fun and games, the Titans had an early dinner and Robin turned in for the night, much to Beast Boy's disappointment, as he'd been hoping to end the night together with a monster movie. The others opted to still watch something and then they too turned in for the night, still being tired themselves. Beast Boy teased them about being party poopers, not even staying up till midnight on a party night, but as soon as he went to bed himself, he was out like a light!
Hours had passed and all was quiet in their T-shaped stronghold. But though the battle had been won, the war wasn't over for Robin. He'd slept a few hours from his exhaustion and now, with a full mind, he lay awake in bed. His ordeal had surfaced many things he worked hard to keep shut away in his mind. He thought about his parents. The anniversary of their deaths was all but a blur, he'd had to spend it preparing to trap their thieves. It wasn't right. He'd always done something to honor them on that day in the past. Tears stung at his eyes. He wanted so much to sleep, there was no reason to stay awake now. He finally relented to the turmoil and got up.
He found himself on the roof a while later, overlooking a vast ocean. The sky was completely clear, a beautiful crescent moon scintillating over the ocean's calm waves. There was a soft breeze that ruffled his hair and played with his cape. Robin was very still, his demeanor pensive, staring off into the distance at nothing in particular, his only movement the absentminded handling of an origami rose.
"Hey mom, dad," Robin said finally, his voice soft and very reserved. "I know I'm a little late this year... things got," Robin paused and took a shaky breath, then he continued, "things got a little out of hand."
Robin again paused and shut his eyes tight, tears stinging again.
"I've been missing you a lot lately, I always do, but it's been... It's been especially hard."
Robin stopped and focused on his breathing for a minute or so, then he took the rose and continued.
"I made this for you... I know it's a little unorthodox but, I haven't had the chance to buy any..." tears stung again, "I know I should have, I hope this will do."
Robin released the rose, which fell silently into the sea below. Finally tears rolled down his cheeks as he watched, vividly remembering his parents last performance and the fall that ended it all.
"I love you," he whispered.
The rose found it's place in the ocean, clearly visible in the moonlight. Robin watched it drift and time escaped him. His mind too drifted, trying to sort out the mess, trying to realign, trying to go back to normal... With his foot planted against the wall, his elbows on his knee and chin in his hands, he had no idea how much time had passed. He was gently wisped away from his thoughts sensing a familiar presence behind him. Robin sighed to himself softly, he really just wanted to be alone.
"What are you doing up?" he asked quietly.
Raven stood by the entrance to the roof, ever impressed with Robin's awareness. It rivaled her own and Robin had no additional abilities. She was still concerned about him, all the more when she'd been unable to sleep, went to check on him and he wasn't in his room. That's when she'd gone looking.
"I couldn't sleep either." was all she said.
Robin didn't reply, he remained where he was. Raven took a chance and walked over to him standing by his side. Robin adjusted his posture, lifting his head a little and resting crossed arms on his knee. She could sense the turmoil again and wanted so much to help. She knew what it was like, how hard it was... She thought for a moment and spoke gently,
"I thought this was your morning spot, you're a little early..." Robin sighed again quietly,
"I needed some air."
They were both quiet again for a moment then Raven looked at her friend,
"Is there anything I can do? Would you like me to stay?"
Robin stoop up straight and turned to her. He smiled a little, it was soft and reassuring, but masked a great deal of pain.
"Thanks Raven, you've already helped more than you know but, I could really use some time to myself."
Raven nodded. It wasn't like her, but she found herself wanting to give him a hug, to let him know it was alright and they were all there for him. She turned and quietly headed back but, there was something nagging at her, one of the reasons she couldn't sleep. She could ask... Robin didn't have to answer. She turned back,
"Robin?"
"Mmm?"
Raven almost decided against it but she continued,
"Could I ask you about something I... saw, when I was in your mind?" Robin was silent a moment,
"What is it?" he said with reserve. Raven could sense the tension, she almost walked away again but Robin had opened the door to ask...
"Beast Boy was, falling," she felt shivers just from recalling what she'd seen. The emotion that had been connected to that image was almost unbearable. "It wasn't what happened to him, but I could sense it was significant."
Robin was silent. After almost a minute had passed, Raven knew she'd crossed a boundary and regretted it.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked," she said with empathy. "I'll go, but, if you need anything, I'm here, we all are."
Raven turned but just before she exited, she heard Robin's voice,
"It was my parents."
Raven turned. She was confused by the statement. Robin didn't turn, but he did clarify,
"That was how I lost my parents."
His answer was reserved, with the slightest tremor. The realization hit Raven hard! Of course! She'd seen the scene once before in his mind with a man and a woman. The melding of the memories, the emotional torrent, it made complete sense! Robin continued,
"When I thought we'd lost Beast Boy, the memories... meshed."
He wasn't crying, his voice was completely steady now, but the aching in his words was more than apparent.
"Robin I.." she said softly, apologetically.
"It's okay Raven." Robin said sadly, "It was a valid question and you deserved an explanation."
Raven didn't know what to do, it felt wrong to just leave it at that. But she'd intruded enough! She took a breath to steady her own emotion.
"Thank you for telling me," she said with all earnestness. Robin nodded not turning back. Raven turned to leave again but now, as Robin stared out over the huge ocean, all he could see was the immense blackness. Loneliness consumed him and the thought of being up there by himself now was overwhelming. He waited till the last minute, his emotions torn, unstable, practically bipolar. He'd already pushed his friends out to the point of almost losing them. He wanted to do better. He didn't have to carry this alone, he couldn't, he needed them.
"Raven?" Raven turned again just as she was exiting through the door. "I... actually could use the company..."
She was more than happy to oblige. Raven went and sat with her friend, they both sat. They said very little, a few things here and there, they meditated a little, they watched the dawn break. The weight wasn't quite so heavy, for either of them.
Cyborg flew awake as the crime alert rang strong and true through the base. By instinct, he jumped out of bed and exited immediately into the hall. Starfire quickly joined him. They looked around for the others who had yet to join them.
"Dang it!" Cyborg exclaimed. "I thought I'd set that alarm so it wouldn't ring through the whole tower!" Starfire looked confused,
"But is not the point to alert us all?"
"Yah," Cyborg replied, "but I didn't wanting it waking Robin."
The realization crossed Starfire's face and she nodded, understanding Cyborg's concern. Cyborg shut off the alarm just as Beast Boy ran up to the group. Raven and Robin also walked over quickly.
"Robbery at the museum," Robin said with his business as usual tone. He was about to address his team when Cyborg cut him off,
"Aww no! If you even think you're going on this mission you've got another thing coming!" Robin's eyes widened a little from the forcefulness in his tone, he opened his mouth as if to speak again but Cyborg continued, "We almost lost you like a day ago! You still look real run down and you seriously need to take a vay cay!"
"Yes Robin," Starfire joined in, "might it be better to sit on this one?" Robin was starting to look rather annoyed at this point but before he could say something Beast Boy also joined in,
"Common Robin, we can totally handle this one for you... Right?"
"Could I get a word in here?" Robin replied with irritation. Cyborg frowned, but at least allowed Robin to speak. Seeing the floor was finally his, Robin addressed Cyborg,
"As I was going to say; Cyborg, you have point on this mission." Everyone's eyes widened, except for Raven and Robin.
"You're... not taking point?" Beast Boy asked in amazement.
"I'm not coming, I'm going back to bed," Robin said matter of factly.
"Oh..." Cyborg said, still very surprised. Robin just smirked finding the bewilderment of his team amusing. He walked past his still stunned team and called out behind him,
"See you guys later."
Starfire beamed at the others, so happy Robin was going to rest. Robin stopped before exiting and turned back to the team,
"Oh and Beast Boy," Beast Boy turned and looked at Robin, "try to keep the showing off to a minimum huh?" Beast Boy smiled sheepishly, but then immediately saluted his leader,
"Sir yes sir!" Robin smirked,
"And don't call me sir."
"Robin yes Robin!" Beast Boy replied, still saluting.
"All right yall, we got a job to do," Cyborg took a big breath excitedly and just before Beast Boy could beat him to the punch, pointed and shouted, "Titans Go!"
"Aww! I wanted to say it!"
"Who's leading here, you or me?" Beast Boy crossed his arms,
"You could still let me say it."
The team had begun to exit as the argument continued, fading as the team left the building. Robin caught a last "not a chance!" from Cyborg and then silence fell over the tower. He stood there for a moment. His mind was still full, he still had a lot to work on mentally, but his heart didn't feel so heavy. He smiled thinking about his friends. It was hard for him not to focus on the bad, but when he thought about it, sure there was a lot of it, but there was also a lot of good. He was pretty lucky to have friends like the titans, he could always count on them. Robin walked over to his bed feeling the exhaustion set in once more, but this time, as he flopped stomach first onto his bed, as soon as his head hit the pillow, he fell into a deep restful sleep.
End
I strongly considered omitting the final scene and ending with Robin and Raven on the roof. They were both great endings to the fic and in the end, including the final scene won out. I'd love to know what you guys think. Until next time - Ann-Banann