"Come on, man!"

So wrapped up in his unwillingness to return to Gotham, Robin hadn't expected his friends to immediately badger him questions. Of course, he did expect questions to be asked, but Cyborg and Beast Boy had started the second the phone call had ended and hadn't stopped. "Drop it. I don't want to talk about it."

"But it's Batman! Tell us what he's like!" Cyborg ignored him.

"No."

"Dude, tell us why you ran away and came here!"

"The one thing I don't want to talk about..." Robin grit his teeth and decided it would be best to just not respond.

"Rob man, at least tell me the T-Car is better than the Batmobile!"

Ignoring all the comments and questions from his friends, Robin pushed past them as they tried to impede the way to his room by getting in front him. It took more effort than it should have, especially when Cyborg tried to keep the door to his room closed when he tried to open it, but with a monumental yell, Robin managed to get into his room and close the door behind him. "Sheesh..." He sighed as he locked the door and took in the silence of his room. His head hit the door with a quiet thump and he closed his eyes.

"BOO-YEAH!"

Robin jumped to his feet as he opened his eyes and saw the Titans in his room. The glow from Raven's eyes were a tell-tale sign that she had used her powers to phase through the wall, but she was the only one looking at him in concern while Beast Boy and Cyborg continued to badger him with questions.

"Enough, both of you!" Robin shouted.

Everyone gaped and stared at him with wide eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath to calm himself.

"Look, I know you want to know more about me and Batman." He began, walking to his closet and pulling out a small suitcase. "But that's in the past, and it's not a pleasant one." With a forceful tug, he freed it from here it was hidden in the side of his closet, and tossed it to his bed. "I came all the way here to get away from all that. I wouldn't even be going back if it wasn't an emergency." He pulled his spare uniforms out of his closet and tossed them over to his bed, where they landed next to his suitcase.

"You and this Batman..." Starfire spoke up, "You were teammates, yes?" When Robin nodded in affirmation she continued. "But you are our teammate. What if he asks you to rejoin him?"

Robin stopped packing his clothes and laughed, then turned to Starfire. "I would never go back. He made it pretty clear that we weren't partners, I was just-" He stopped, his grip on the spare uniform he was holding tightening. Everyone gave him a worried glance, wondering what had happened, but Robin continued to speak. "It doesn't matter. I'm only going back to save him, and once he's in fighting condition, I'm coming right back here."

"Uh, you mean we're going to save him and we're coming right back here, right?" Beast Boy asked.

"No. Gotham is too dangerous for you. Even if all we're doing is looking for Batman-"

"Then that's even more reason for us to come with!" Cyborg interrupted him. "If there's someone out there strong enough to beat Batman, then you don't stand a chance. No offense." He added quickly with an awkward cough.

"No!" Robin said again. "The villains there are on a completely different level than what we fight here. Maybe on the surface they don't seem so different, but if we actually have to fight them..." He shook his head. "Besides, if all of us go, Jump City will be completely undefended, and who knows how long it'll take to find Batman?" He started folding another spare uniform. "You're not going." At the uneasy silence, he stopped and turned to face his teammates. "Look, I don't plan on getting in over my head. I'm just going to find Batman, not finish whatever it is he's started. Besides, his true identity needs to be kept secret. The more people there are that know about it, the more danger it puts him in." He exhaled slowly.

The Titans glanced at each other. They all recognized how serious Robin's last statement was, especially when they thought about how none of them knew about his secret identity.

"You will check in with us often?" Starfire asked, stepping forward.

"Of course."

"And you will not hesitate to call us if you require help?"

"I'll have my finger on the speed dial button the whole time, I promise." He answered.

The other three looked between themselves, and Starfire turned and forced a smile. "I know it is difficult to let him go alone, but this is his journey, and if he does not want us there, we must not go."

There was a loaded silence as everyone looked at Robin, who was still busy packing his clothes.

"Rob, are you really sure?" Cyborg asked one last time.

The leader of the group turned around, then nodded once. "I'm sure. I'll be in contact with all of you often. At least if something happens, you'll know where to go and look."

The group shared an uncomfortable look, but murmured their goodbye's and left his room.

All except Raven.

The two stood and stared at each other, both waiting for the other to say something first.

Finally, Raven broke the silence. "Any ideas what could've happened to him?" She asked, walking over to his bed and taking a seat next to his suitcase, crossing one leg over the other and linking her hands together.

Robin shook his head. He glanced at Raven out of the corner of his eye, and decided that since the other Titan's had left the room, he didn't need to keep being vague with names. "Maybe if Alfred had said Batman was going to stop Joker or Two Face, or one of the other super villains there. But a small arms shipment?" He shook his head. "It doesn't make sense. Unless the small arms were just a cover for something bigger, something Batman didn't anticipate it. Still, to just up and disappear like that with no warning..." He trailed off, and Raven could see the gears turning in his head.

"Robin, are you sure you don't want us to come along?" She asked him, eyes narrowing as she turned on the edge of the bed, bringing one knee up to her chest and linking her hands around her shin. "If it really is something dangerous, we should be there." She tried reasoning him with again, but there was a small voice in the back of her mind that was yelling, screaming at the thought of something happening to him if she let him go alone, and that no matter what he said she would find a way to go with him. "I'll keep him safe." The voice said. "I will protect him."

There was a moment of silence as he turned to face her, and Raven tilted her head up so she was looking directly into his mask. His emotions were in turmoil, and it took an incredible amount of self control on Raven's part not to reach and comfort him.

"Would you come with me?" His voice was barely above a whisper, and Raven could see the way his shoulders set, the way they always did when he was upset or uncomfortable. "You've seen my past. You know better than anyone how I don't want to go back there. I convinced them I wouldn't get in over my head, but really..." He sat down beside her on the bed, and rested his hands in his head. "I just didn't want them to see the crap-fest this is going to turn into when I see him again. And I know it will. He might be grateful that I saved him, but-" He shook his head, and Raven glanced down as his leg started bouncing in agitation.

Hesitantly, Raven wrapped her arm around his shoulders, and brought him into her embrace. He didn't say anything or react, just slumped against her, letting his arms loosely encircle her waist. "Of course I'll go with you." Was her response. It was the easiest decision in the world. "You helped me with my family problems. When I needed someone by my side, you were there for me." She swallowed hard at the memories that came to mind unbidden and shook her head, his hair tickling her nose, the scent of strawberries overpowering. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't return the favour?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood, trying not to think about the fact that she would always be there for him.

"I don't think we can compare family situations." He said, and Raven could feel him smiling. "Yours ended the world, mine-"

"Just makes you wish for it?"

Robin chuckled and sat upright, and Raven could feel his mood improving, that inner turmoil settling down little by little. The thought only lasted a moment as she realized how close their faces were, and his hand was at the small of her back, and-

"Well, I wouldn't wish for it. But at least when I went to save you, I knew that things would work out for the best." He tapped her hand and stood up, and missed the way she turned her head to hide color blossoming on her cheeks. Then, after a moments thought, added, "Thanks."

It took a moment to realize what he was thanking her for before she turned back to him. "No need to thank me. We were all willing to go with you." She replied. Raven looked down at her feet, and Robin once again saw that same look from before, but didn't say anything. "I'll go get my things. Just let me know when you're ready."

Robin nodded, and she stood and made her way into the Meeting Room. "Cyborg, you're going to be in charge." She announced to her friends, who had all congregated on the couch and had likely been talking about Robin and his trip before she interrupted.

"What do you mean? When Robin's gone, you're in charge." He gave her a confused look. "Wait, you're going with him?" He asked in surprise.

"I managed to convince him that one person going with him would give him the backup he may need without leaving the city up for grabs by the criminals." She lied easily, and watched as her friends turned to each other. Starfire nodded in understanding, but Beast Boy and Cyborg shared a look with an unspoken uncertainty passing between them, and Raven turned on her heel as she tried not to acknowledge it. "As it stands, I'll be leaving with him pretty soon. I need to pack my bags."

She marched out of the room, her cloak tapping the back of her legs as she walked down the halls and slid the door open to her room.

But she left it open, as she could feel the presence of another person following after her, and a moment later there were three knocks on the frame. "Hey, Rae..."

She turned to see Cyborg standing in the frame, one hand on his hip and another on the back of his head. With sigh, because she knew what he was about to bring up, she asked, "Yes?"

"Can I come in?" Cyborg asked with an awkward smile, and when Raven nodded, he stepped into her room, closing the door behind him. He shuddered at the cold, glancing at the creepy statues and strange and bizarre totems and other magical objects that he had no idea what they were or how they were used before walking up to Raven. "What'd you say to Robin?" He asked.

Raven shook her head. "Nothing." At Cyborg's unbelieving stare, she hunched her shoulders and quickly began pulling cloaks and leotards out of her closet. "Really. As a matter of fact, he asked me to come with him." She walked over to her dresser and grabbed spare socks out and placed them on her bed. "So, there's nothing to it."

Cyborg placed a hand on her shoulder, stilling her as she turned to face him. "If he asked you, then that's fine." He stated. "Really, I'm glad someone is going with him. I probably would've told Beast Boy to follow him in fly form or something, because I wouldn't want him going back to Gotham alone if I could help it. I mean, we all saw he almost turned down that British guy when he called here." When Raven started to relax a little, his face fell. "But Rae, this may not be the time to-"

"I'm not going to tell him." She said with a huff, turning her back on Cyborg. "I haven't said anything to him, I haven't acted any differently around him, and he hasn't said or noticed anything." She spoke quickly, mindlessly shuffling her spare clothes around. "He needs a friend, Victor. And if that's what he needs, that's what I'll be."

"Even if I want to be more."

She sighed, and Cyborg rubbed his cheek. "Alright. I'm just saying, y'know, that this is probably going to be a tough time on him emotionally, and you may be tempted to spill the beans, you know, to try and make him feel better. Just- Wait till you get back, alright? Come back, get settled in, and if you're comfortable telling him then-"

"I know, Vic. I'm waiting for the right time, I'm trying to build up the courage, but..." Raven closed her eyes, arms falling limp at her sides. "I'm still scared." She admitted.

The realization that she'd fallen for Robin had happened over a year ago, and yet she'd kept her feelings concealed from him. First and foremost because the realization had happened before they stopped her father, back when she thought there was no chance for them to stop her fate. Secondly, because shortly after stopping her father, everything with the Brotherhood of Evil had gone down, and there had never been a chance for her to talk to Robin about her feelings. Thirdly... she knew how much easier it was for Robin to get along with Starfire, and she worried that if she told him and he rejected her, she'd never be able to continue on with the moments that allowed her feelings to flourish, even if he didn't know about them.

"The moment will come." Cyborg assured her. "And you shouldn't be scared." He gave her a double clap on the shoulder, and Raven couldn't help the smile that formed. "Just help him get through this. There's no way that after this, things won't work out the way you want them to. You'll get your happily ever after."

"Thanks, Victor." She said, her tone betraying just how much she actually meant it.

"No worries, witch girl. I'll get out of your hair and let you pack."

Raven watched him go, then turned back to the things on her bed. "I hope you're right, Cyborg. Hopefully, after this I can take him somewhere and tell him..." There was a small tremor in her hands as she realized that she was going to be alone with Robin for who knows how long. "I want to tell him..."