Sorry it's taken so long to get another chapter out. Didn't really have any good ideas...

Chapter 4

It's been two years. Two years since Slade's attack. We've fought the few villains that bother to show up. Protected the city. That whole deal. But nothing is really the same.

Robin's been really quiet since his capture. He says nothing is wrong, but we can tell. He hardly comes out of his room anymore. God only knows what he does in there all the time. He just kind of loses himself in whatever he's doing. He's still our leader, in a sense. He plans battles, and leads us to victory and all that, but his heart isn't in it.

Beast Boy's been trying harder than usual to make him laugh, to make everyone laugh, but it doesn't really work, not that it ever has. But he seems to think that if he just goofs off a little more, everything will go back to the way it was.

That glimmer in Star's eyes has, dimmed. She doesn't smile as often now. I think Robin's silence is getting to her. She used to pretend that everything was okay, try to get us all to join in, but now she doesn't even bother. It's pretty obvious she blames herself, although we've told her enough times that it wasn't her fault.

Cyborg seems angry. Not like he used to be. He goes into battle with a gleam in his eye, and until he's completely obliterated everything in sight he's not satisfied. He and Star have really grown apart. I don't think he ever really forgave himself for saying those things about her, and she never really tried to forgive him.

Sure, we all act the same, but everyone knows that the battle changed us.

Strangely, despite everything that's been going on, or maybe because of it, me and Beast Boy have grown closer together. He doesn't act all happy around me, and I kind of prefer it that way. Seeing a more serious side of him that is.

He says I'm quieter than I used to be, but I don't really notice anymore. No one really talks, so how can you tell? We mostly talk to each other since theirs no one else, but we never talk about what happened of course, no one really talks about that.

It's hard to imagine what was different about this battle than any of the others. I mean, we've been captured before, hurt more times than we can count. We've fought for our lives more than once. But I think it was the fact that we realized Robin's not untouchable. He's not invincible. And that scares us more than anything else.

OOOOO

"Don't you ever read anything that's not so depressing?" Beast Boy asked, from where he sat on Raven's bed, idly flipping through one of her many books.

"No." She replied, opening one eye to regard him from her spot in the center of the room, hovering slightly off the ground.

"Don't you get bored of it though?"

"Haven't we had this conversation?" She asked, effectively silencing him. He was quiet so long, she wondered if he left. She opened one eye to see him silently watching her.

"What?" She asked defensively, opening both eyes.

"Nothing." He responded, picking up the book again, and leafing through it- upside down.

She dropped down onto her feet again, snatching the book from him and setting it on her shelf.

"I'm obviously not going to get any meditation done while you're here, so why don't you tell me what's bothering you, so I can get back to work."

She instantly regretted saying anything as his face crumpled slightly, his position on the bed becoming more slumped.

"What happened to us Raven? To the team?" His voice was quiet, but carried a load of emotion she wasn't sure if she would be able to handle.

"Nothing happened to us... exactly." She responded warily, dropping down on the bed near him- close, but not too close.

He gave a tired sigh. "Nothing? How can you say that? Robin never comes out of his room anymore. He and Star are like strangers, not the way they used to be. She's not happy anymore. And as annoying as that could get, it was who she was- she just mopes around now. And Cyborg is... I don't know, bloodthirsty. Like he wants to take out his anger on anything that gets too close. And you're-"

He stopped, looking up at her. "You're... you." He finished finally.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I just- never mind." He stood up, walking to the door. "I'll leave you alone now, I know you wanted to meditate. Is that okay?"

No, it's not okay! She wanted to yell at him, but she didn't. "You're right." She heard herself say, "It's fine, I'll catch you later."

OOOOO

Star floated lazily around the common room once again. She desperately wanted to get out of the Tower and get some air, it was stifling in here, in more ways than one.

But she couldn't. What if they needed her? Or worse, what if someone attacked, and she wasn't there?

She glanced out into the hall, hearing the door open. Beast Boy exited Raven's room looking as tired as she felt. He stopped when he saw her, and straightened up, mustering a smile.

"Hey Star. What's shakin'?"

"Nothing is shaking," She responded confused.

"It's just a saying Star." He said with a sigh. In any other case he would have found that amusing. Now it just... wasn't.

"Oh." Instead of embarrassing herself further, she ducked back into the common room, waiting until she was sure Beast Boy had left before venturing into the hallway once more.

Tiptoeing to Robin's room, she knocked lightly on the door once. But just once. She stood and waited for a response, although they were becoming rarer. The more time he seemed to spend in his room, the less time he seemed to have for anyone else.

Just as she was about to give up, the door slid open. She stepped into the shadowy emptiness of Robin's room, wishing she could see a bit better. She caught sight of him, hunched over his computer screen, typing busily, his skin bathed in the greenish glow of the screen.

"Robin?"

He made a noise, somewhere between a grunt and a throat-clear. She took that to mean he was listening.

"Would you care to go to the park with me?" She didn't really want to, but if it could get Robin out of his room, she was willing to frolic around the park until she puked.

"No thanks. I'm kinda' busy right now."

She felt like she was about to cry. You're always busy! She yelled silently. Instead, she nodded, excepting the inevitable.

"I'm sorry I bothered you." In all that time, he hadn't even bothered to turn around. He didn't even respond as she let herself out of the room.

She wiped the tears from her eyes, almost laughing at herself. You knew what he was going to say! Why torture yourself?

OOOOO

Robin looked up when Star left, the door closing behind her, enclosing him in darkness once again.

You could have said yes. He chided himself, slumping over his desk. Or at least pretended you were paying attention to what she was saying.

With a weary sigh, he rubbed his gloved hands over his face. How had this happened? The team was falling apart at his feet. But for some reason he couldn't summon the energy to care.

It's taken us two years to get where we are. I don't think I could stop it if I wanted to. What had happened to him?

Maybe it was those nagging snatches of memory at the back of his mind. Or the fact that he couldn't remember what happened to him during the hours Slade had control over him.

Unconsciously, he rubbed the small scar on the back of his neck. That may have been the biggest mystery of all. He couldn't remember where he had gotten it. During the battle, or after?

Shuddering slightly now, he eyed the doorway. Maybe he should go out for a bit. He was kind of hungry. His computer beeped and he turned back to eye the information scrolling across the screen.

Maybe he would, right after he finished this.

Turning back to the computer screen he immersed himself in the data once again.

OOOOO

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The unfamiliar sound roused Raven from her trance. She glanced around for a moment, confused. What was-?

Her communicator! The thought hit her as she recognized the shrill beep. She grabbed the device off her bed.

"What?" She snapped into it.

"We have an emergency," Beast Boy's voice chirped, "It's Slade."