Big thanks to everyone who is still reading this. Some interesting developments coming up, and easily my favourite chapters to write. Thanks for all the support!

Less than halfway into the night, Raven was seriously beginning to regret falling behind on her training.

By the time they arrived at the manor, the sun was already above the horizon, and Robin had barely stopped all night. His relentless pursuit of criminals made all his efforts in Jump City look almost laughable in comparison. The worst part of it all was how often Raven had to force him to stop; his anger hadn't settled at all no matter who he fought or how far he went. She'd tried talking to him more than once, but he'd brushed off her attempts to calm him down and immediately began searching for the next group to inflict his wrath upon.

And Raven hated it. For just a little while, they'd been two normal people, enjoying dinner and each others company, and now he was barely talking to her. "Sit down." Raven used her powers to pull a chair up behind him, and he reluctantly sat down. "You're reckless when you're angry. You got hit too many times tonight." She stared at him with a frown for a moment before she leaned forward and began healing him.

He said nothing, nor did he give any reaction when her hands passed over the cuts and bruises visible through the tears in his uniform. "You can't let it get to you." She tried one more time, her voice strained as she stepped away from him after all the wounds he'd sustained had healed.

"It's been this way since I came here." He leaned forward and rested his forearms on his knees, his hands hanging limply in front of him. "That guy outside the restaurant: that's exactly why I put on this uniform and go out at night. If I don't fight those kinds of people, then innocent people like you and me would get hurt."

"We didn't. Why can't you understand that?" She asked, her voice filled with frustration.

"Because we could have. That's the point. If we didn't have powers or training, all it would have taken was a scream, or a little twitch, and he would have pulled the trigger." Robin stood up and walked past her. "If he was just a little bit more unhinged, we wouldn't have had to do anything at all, and he still would have." He leaned against the edge of the console for the computer and shook his head. "It's why I can't stop. No one should have to be on the end of that, no matter who they are. No one."

Raven sighed and closed her eyes. "You're not helpless, Robin. Not anymore." She opened her eyes, but Robin still had his back to her. "But no matter where you go, crime will never stop. You can't just jump headfirst into one dangerous situation after the other to prove to criminals that they aren't as strong as they think."

"It isn't about proving anything, Raven. I'm not proving that I'm stronger than them, I'm stopping them from hurting others. If you had gotten hurt..." He went quiet and sighed, his shoulders squared as he grit his teeth.

Raven's eyes widened as she realized what must have really upset him. Quietly, she moved over to him, and placed one hand on his. "I'm tougher than I look. I've been hurt before and you've never gotten this upset before." She raised her other hand and put it on his shoulder. "At least not since the events of the prophecy of my birth..."

"But not everyone's as tough as you are, Raven." He turned and walked away from her touch. "And that's why I can't stop. Not until I literally, physically cannot fight back."

"There's more to life than crime fighting, Robin." She called out after him.

"Crime is a part of life. We can't get rid of it, so all we can do is fight back against it."

Raven sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Nothing I say will make a difference. He won't be feeling any better until we can get out of this place." She caught up to him and began walking shoulder to shoulder with him. "When are we going after Batman?"

"The next shipment containing weapons won't be here for a few days. They have to move it discretely, without arousing suspicion, which means small amounts spread out over time." He answered. "We'll capture whoever is bringing the weapons in and we'll find out where Batman went. That reminds me-" He turned and began heading back into the cave, "I need to find that flash drive Gordon said he gave to Batman. That'll help us-" He stopped when Raven grabbed a handful of his cape and tugged him back.

"You've done enough for one night. We've got some time before the next shipment. You need some rest." She told him.

Robin wanted to argue, but he could tell from the look on Raven's face that she was serious. "Alright. First thing in the afternoon then."

She relaxed and let go of his cape, and a few minutes later the two were upstairs.

"Good morning." Alfred greeted them as they approached the first flight of stairs.

"Morning." Raven responded as she stopped before the butler. Robin gave a tired wave and continued up the stairs.

"I take things did not go well?" Alfred asked.

"I know that was rhetorical, but..." She sighed. "It's not fair." She said bitterly. "That someone as good as him got dealt such a bad hand in life. He's still holding onto it, and I just- I just wish there was some way to help him."

Alfred placed a hand on her shoulder. "All you can do is stand by his side, Miss Raven. To pull him back from his worst moments and to lift him into his best. He may not say it, but he is luckier than most to have as good a friend as you."

She nodded slowly, wishing Alfred's words had been something different than what she herself had thought a thousand times. "Thanks. I need to get some rest, Alfred."

"Of course, Miss Raven. When you two wake, things will be better. Good night."

She gave a wave and headed upstairs as well.

Hours later, Raven awoke to the mid afternoon sun shining through her windows. "I kind of miss when the bad guys would attack the city during the day..." She muttered as she stretched out in bed. "Flipping to a night schedule is killing me..."

She pulled the covers up over her head as she wondered what was going to happen tonight.

"Again, I won't be enough..." She thought as she frowned. "How am I supposed to make him happy? He's so deeply affected by what's going on, he won't even listen to me. It's like he's going into overdrive now that Bruce is gone." She turned over and brought her knees up to her chest. "And he was wondering about what to do in Jump after all the villains had been beaten... I just wish there was some way to make him realize that fighting isn't the only thing that matters in life, that I'm here for him... Even if he went with someone else, as long as he wasn't endangering himself, I just wish..."

She pushed the covers down as the heat built up and exhaled. "I know it's probably the area I have the least expertise in, but we have to go out and do something that isn't related to fighting when we get back home."

Getting out of bed and gathering everything she needed for the day, Raven opened her communicator.

"Hellooooooooo, Raven. Whatcha been up to? How's Gotham? Everything all right?"

She rolled her eyes at Cyborg's questions. "Fighting crime, crime ridden, and no." She answered. "Which is why I need a favor from you."

"Anything at all, witch girl. Cyborg's got your back."

Swallowing back her nervousness, she sighed and let her head hang before she looked back up. "I don't have a computer with me, so I need you to look up some places that I could take Robin when we get back."

Cyborg nodded. "Sure, I can do that. But Rae, you haven't-"

"No, not yet." She cut him off. "But... I want to tell you what I know, but I don't want to betray Robin's trust. How do I put it? He's so obsessed with stopping criminals that I think he's afraid of doing anything else. I want him to see that it doesn't need to be the only thing in life he cares about." She explained. "When we get back, I want him to see..." Her face flushed and she tilted the communicator away from herself.

"I know what you mean. He was asking us the other day about where we go if the city shut us down." Cyborg said. She tilted the communicator back so she could be seen again. "And you want to show him that you're there for him." He finished.

"He's been... Distant lately. And ever since we got here, he's been tense and angry. Yesterday we nearly got mugged and he probably mopped up half the cities criminals in a single night." She informed him. "And I know he asked me here to deal with Batman, but I want to do more than that, but he barely listens to me. He's stubborn."

"I know what you mean." Cyborg said with a laugh. "Guy's a one track record, sometimes." It was silent between them before Cyborg spoke again. "Look, I'll find a place you and Robin can go out for a date, but right now just focus on finding Batman. The sooner you complete your mission, the sooner y'all will come back, and the sooner you'll be able to tell him how you feel."

"...Anything advice you can give me?" She mumbled, so low that Cyborg had to ask her to speak up. Clearing her throat and really wishing she had never told him and Beast Boy in the first place, Raven said, "I mean- you're a guy."

"Half of one." He confirmed.

"And you like girls." She continued.

"Mm-hmm."

"So-" Raven huffed, hating the feeling of warmth on her face as Cyborg grinned at her. "What can I do to get Robin to look at me as more than a friend?"

Cyborg couldn't hold back his laughter anymore, and Raven was about to close the communicator and end the call when he spoke up. "Wait, wait! I'm sorry Rae, but it's just too adorable." He wiped away the tear from his human eye and took a deep breath. "Oh, my little sister is all grown up. Look, in all honesty I'm not sure what all I can tell you. Look for opportunities to touch him. I'm not saying you need to glue yourself to his hip, but even someone as dense and awkward with love as Robin would notice a girl's presence if she were in his personal space. Even more so with you, miss stay-at-arms-length. And guys like compliments as much as girls do. Feed his ego, in a healthy way. You know him better than me, so there are probably some specifics between you and him that you can come up with."

Raven sighed. "I'll try." She said.

"That's all you can do. Don't overthink it, and don't force it. Unless you plan on telling him outright or walking up and kissing him, it'll take some time. Just don't give up." Cyborg said encouragingly.

"Thanks." She murmured.

"Anytime, witch girl. Anything else you need?" He asked, and Raven shook her head. "Then I'll call you tomorrow to let you know what I've found."

She nodded, then closed her communicator.

"Good afternoon, Miss Raven." Alfred greeted the sorceress as she walked into the dining room. "Dinner is served."

She inhaled deeply and quickly sat down at the table, where a plate of chicken alfredo had been prepared for her. "Thank you."

"Of course, Miss." He left the room, and left the two crime fighters, alone.

She quickly began eating, not realizing how hungry she was until in just a few minutes, she'd finished everything on her plate.

"Did you even taste it?" Robin asked with amusement. His plate was half empty, his fork stuck in a piece of chicken.

"Didn't have to. It hit the spot either way." She wiped at her mouth with a napkin and took a sip of water. She watched as Robin played with his food, then pursed her lips before standing and walking over to his side of the table. "Hey." She leaned against the table, something that might have earned her a scolding from Alfred had he still been in the room, and put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's take it easy tonight, okay?"

Robin leaned back in his chair and frowned up at her. "We can't do that."

"Yes, we can. Robin, I know how much you want to save others, but Batman isn't going to be found any quicker if you're spending all night putting criminals in the hospital. And if you get hurt past the limit of what I'm capable of healing, it'll only slow the mission down. You've been lucky these past couple of nights to get away with shallow cuts and bruises, but luck won't last forever." Her voice was low, and her the tips of her fingers curled into his shoulder.

He didn't say anything at first, instead looking at her intently, the nearness of his gaze almost making her flustered under it, but after a moment he nodded once and stood up slowly. He curled his hand around her wrist, and she was lost for a moment at how small it felt in his gentle grasp. "Lucky for me, you're here." He smirked at her wry smile, and she lowered her hand. Maybe it was her imagination, but Raven thought he seemed almost reluctant to let go. When he did, his fingers brushed against hers and though Raven knew it was only natural that it happened, her heart accelerated on it's own all the same. "I promise. Gotham doesn't need me to clean up its streets, it needs the person we're looking for." He pushed his chair back and stepped beside it at the same time Raven stood up straight. "Speaking of, let's go down to the cave and find that USB."

She nodded, and together they walked down the lonely hallways of the manor until a minute later, they arrived at the cave.

Alfred had come ahead of them, and was busy cleaning the cement floors of the cave. "Hey, Alfred? Did you see a USB that Bruce might have left around here?" He asked.

"Not recently, Master Grayson. There may be one plugged into the main console itself." He directed with a point.

"Thanks." Robin and Raven descended the steps and began searching the large console in the center of the platform, and a moment later Robin found it, still plugged in from the last time Batman had used it. "Alright let's see..." He began typing, and Raven raised a brow at the message flashing on the screen.

ACCESS DENIED

"You've got to be kidding me. He changed the password." Robin muttered a curse under his breath. "Do you know how long it's gonna take me to break into this?" He asked rhetorically.

"Oh, goody. I really wanted to spend my evening watching you try one line of code after the other." She retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and curling her legs beneath her as she floated off the ground. Just as she began chanting, "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos...", Alfred walked over.

"Please, allow me." Robin moved out of the way and Raven opened one eye as the butler entered Bruce's credentials into the computer.

"Thanks, Alfred. When did he allow that?" He asked, confused.

"After you left. As a contingency."

"Oh." He nodded and turned back to the computer.

Alfred turned to Raven, who shrugged at him.

"NO!"

There was a loud slam as Robin pounded his fists against the edge of the console. Raven immediately lowered herself to the ground as she and Alfred looked up at the screen. "Robin, what's wrong!?"

The anger rolling off him made her recoil in fear and clench in a fist in shared anger. She had to take a breath to focus herself, and looked up at the screen. There was nothing out of the ordinary on it, just information about the shipment that was supposed to be coming in.

"He's in charge of it." Robin growled, his hands shaking. "The man who killed my parents. Tony Zucco."