I'm back. Ooh… this is gonna be a sad, strange chapter. I hope you like it! And... uhm... yeah...
Red-Handed
Robin is found dead, but is he really gone? Not even over his dead body! He aint going NOWHERE.
Rated PG.
Disclaimer: I only own Red. Hehe. I own an evil murder dude…
Red-Handed
Starfire woke the next morning with a yawn. She looked around, stretching, and slowly got up. She glanced at her dresser, where a picture of Robin, Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Red, and herself stood. She smiled at it, anticipating their happy faces when she got to the living room.
She flew down to the living room, and saw Beast Boy and Cyborg in the kitchen. "Hello, friends!" she said happily.
"Shh," said Beast Boy. "Robin's asleep over there."
Starfire looked, and, indeed, she saw the slightest sign of his messy black hair poking up from behind the couch. She smiled. "He should not be asleep!" she exclaimed. "He should be up with us!" She flew over and shook him. He didn't wake. "Robin! Robin, come eat with us!"
He didn't even stir.
She shook him harder. "ROBIN!" she shouted in his ear.
Nothing.
She stepped back, puzzled. Cyborg came over. "Something wrong?"
"He will not wake, Cyborg," she explained, stepping back.
"Yo, Robin! Time to wake up!" Cyborg shouted, picking Robin up by the shoulders and shaking him. His head lolled about with the force of the shake, and he never even stirred. Cyborg blinked. "Wow. Heavy sleeper."
Starfire leaned over him and put a hand on his forehead. She withdrew instantly. "He is ice cold!" she exclaimed.
"Odd," said Cyborg. He scanned Robin. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. He gave a horrified scream and scrambled away as fast as he could. "DEAR GOD!"
"What's wrong?" Beast Boy called, coming over.
Cyborg was shaking, staring with utter terror at Robin's limp form.
"Cyborg, what is the matter?"
Cyborg shook his head, trying to talk. Nothing came out. He struggled a moment, then finally Cyborg found his voice. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
"Why?" Starfire asked, stepping away.
"Because Robin's not sleeping," Cyborg groaned.
"What? He's unconscious?" Beast Boy asked, also stepping away.
"No," Cyborg said, sobbing. He looked up, eyes full of disbelief. "He's dead."
Whoa. This feels weird. Where am I? More importantly, what just happened? Did I, like, have a seizure or something? Robin looked around. He was sitting on the couch in the living room, like he had been when he passed out. His body felt numb, and there was utter silence. The sun was barely over the horizon, so Robin guessed none of the Titans were up yet. He wasn't breathing – he felt no need to. Robin stood up and looked out the window a moment, before turning and looking at the couch on which he had sat. He let out a shout of surprise and stumbled back. Lying on that couch, fast asleep, was him.
"Wait a minute. Is that me, or is this me?" Robin questioned no one in particular. He went over and peered closely into the face of himself. "That sure looks like me." He looked down at himself a moment, then began pacing. He was confused. What was going on? He'd just passed out, and now he was here not breathing and seeing himself on the couch asleep. Was this some sort of Slade trick? To create a clone of him or something?
Before Robin had time to think about it, the door whooshed open and Cyborg and Beast Boy strode into the room. The looked around, and saw the other Robin lying on the couch. Beast Boy came over and looked at him.
"He's asleep," Beast Boy reported. "Should I wake him?"
"Nah, let him sleep," Cyborg said. "Come on, we can make breakfast together. I'll let you make your tofu stuff, if you let me make my meat."
Beast Boy agreed, smiling, and the two boys began.
Robin watched. "Hello? You guys? What about me?" he called. "I'm not asleep! I'm over here!"
The boys froze, and slowly turned around. They eyed the Robin on the couch unsurely. "Dude, did you just talk?" Beast Boy asked.
No response from the Clone Robin.
"That was weird," said Cyborg.
"OVER HERE!" Robin shouted angrily.
They stared. "I think I'm hearing things," Cyborg stammered.
Robin fell silent, eyes wide. They can't see me, he thought. He looked down at his Clone Self, and suddenly felt a bubble of dread. What if that really WAS him? Only… only…
Red had poisoned him!
Robin felt furious. But then that fury died down to confusion and disbelief. Had he DIED? Seriously? That would be hard to swallow… And if he HAD died, why would Red want him dead? And, if he HAD died, why was he still there? It made Robin's head spin – if he had a head, that is. He hovered by his body and waited for people to figure it out.
The door whooshed open again and Starfire flew into the room. "Hello, friends!" she said happily.
"Shh," Beast Boy said, "Robin's asleep over there."
Ha, thought Robin.
Starfire looked around and saw Clone Robin on the couch. She smiled. "Robin should not be asleep! He must be up with us!" She flew over and shook Clone Robin. "Robin! Robin, come eat with us!"
Clone Robin did not wake.
She shook him again. "ROBIN!" she bellowed in his ear.
Once again, Clone Robin did nothing.
She stepped back, puzzled. Cyborg came over. "Something wrong?"
"He will not wake, Cyborg," she explained, stepping back.
"Yo, Robin! Time to wake up!" Cyborg shouted, picking Clone Robin up by the shoulders and shaking him. His head lolled about with the force of the shake, and he never even stirred. Cyborg blinked. "Wow. Heavy sleeper."
Starfire leaned over him and put a hand on his forehead. She withdrew instantly. "He is ice cold!" she exclaimed.
"Odd," said Cyborg. He scanned Clone Robin. His eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. He gave a horrified scream and scrambled away as fast as he could. "DEAR GOD!"
Robin's eyes widened and he sat up straight. Something's very, very wrong, he thought to himself with dread.
"What's wrong?" Beast Boy called, coming over.
Cyborg was shaking, staring with utter terror at Clone Robin.
"Cyborg, what is the matter?"
Cyborg shook his head, trying to talk. Nothing game out. He struggled a moment, then finally Cyborg found his voice. "GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
"Why?" Starfire asked, stepping away.
"Because Robin's not sleeping," Cyborg groaned.
"What? He's unconscious?" Beast Boy asked, also stepping away.
"No," Cyborg said, sobbing. He looked up, eyes full of disbelief. "He's dead."
Robin's jaw dropped. "Oh my God," he whispered. "I'm DEAD!"
Starfire fell to the floor with a thud, her face pale and eyes wide with disbelief. Those same eyes began to fill with tears. "No," she breathed.
Cyborg swallowed, shaking his head and fighting back tears himself.
Beast Boy sighed, flopping back on the floor. He had fainted.
"No! NO! This cannot be real!" Starfire screamed, her eyes glowing green. "Robin is NOT DEAD! He cannot be dead! He cannot!" She grabbed Clone Robin and shook him hard, tears streaming down her cheeks. "ROBIN! ROBIN, WAKE UP!"
"Get away from him," Cyborg choked, grabbing Starfire by her arm and dragging her away. She fought him, but was nonetheless dragged away from the body.
Red and Raven entered the room. They took one look and frowned.
"What's going on here?" Raven demanded.
"ROBIN! NO!" screamed Starfire thrashing madly in Cyborg's grasp. He finally let her go, and she hit the floor with a thud. She sobbed into her hands, taking great shuddering gasps. Robin wanted so badly to comfort her, but he thought better of it.
Raven looked at Cyborg questioningly.
Cyborg took a deep breath, choked, then began again, "Robin's… dead."
"What? No!" Raven breathed, eyes wide. The lamps and the microwave exploded. Red gaped, eyes wide.
Murderer, Robin thought venomously.
"No!" Red cried. "He can't be! No way!"
Red's a good actor, Robin thought to himself bitterly.
Starfire shook her head, sobbing.
Raven sank to her knees, shocked. "But how…?" she squeaked, blinded by tears.
"RED KILLED ME! RED MURDERED ME! HE POISONED ME! HE'S A SPINELESS KILLER!" screamed Robin instantly, furious.
Everyone looked around, then stared at Red.
Red shook his head. "I-I don't believe this…" he stammered.
"Did you hear that?" Raven asked, looking around.
"I did," said Cyborg. Starfire gave a feeble nod, still sobbing.
"No," said Red, sounding puzzled. "Hear what?"
"There was a voice…" Raven began, then shook her head.
"I do not understand!" Starfire sobbed. "I thought humans did not die so early!"
"They don't," Raven said.
"I wonder…" said Cyborg thoughtfully. Red smirked fleetingly, but then it was gone. Cyborg scanned Robin's body. "I can't get a trace on what he died of. It's like his heart just stopped working…"
Robin was stunned, he sat down. That MONSTER! He used untraceable poison!
"What do we do?" Raven whispered.
"LEAVE HIM!" Starfire screamed. "HE IS NOT DEAD, DO YOU HEAR!? HE IS NOT DEAD!"
"Starfire, he's gone, we…" Cyborg began.
"NO! HE IS NOT GONE!"
"No, I'm not," Robin whispered. "I'll never leave you. Not with Red. Never."
Red looked right at him, and Robin thought for a moment he'd heard him. But then Red looked away and continued to pretend as if he was shocked and upset.
I'm going to get you for this, Red, Robin thought darkly. You'll see. And you'll be sorry.
Robin watched as Raven dialed 911 and explained what had happened. He could bear to watch what they would do to him, so he floated along the hallway until he reached his room. What he saw there startled him.
Starfire lay on his bed, sobbing and hugging his pillow tight. All around her were scattered pictures of him, some of both him and her, and a few of the entire team. Robin's heart softened, and he silently glided over.
"Oh, Robin, why did you leave us?" she sobbed into the pillow. Robin knelt beside her.
"Star, I didn't leave you," he said. "I would never leave you."
Starfire's head snapped up and she looked all around. "Robin?" She took a deep, shuddering gasp, the tears started again, and she threw her face back in the pillow.
Robin wanted to reach out to her so much, it hurt. He moved to touch her cheek, but his hand went right through her. He sighed sadly and curled up beside her. What was the point of still being here if he couldn't touch anything?
She looked around again, eyes full of tears.
There was a soft knock on the door.
Robin braced himself as Starfire slowly got to her feet and dragged herself to the door. She opened it, head hung. Red stood in the doorway, eyes flickering with satisfaction despite his sympathetic expression.
"Starfire, I'm really sorry. This must be really hard on you," he said gently, putting a large hand on her shoulder.
"Drop dead," Robin hissed.
Red blinked and his eyes flickered over to where Robin hovered, but then he glanced back to Starfire.
"I am fine," Starfire sighed, slowly floating back towards the bed. She curled up on the sheets and stared at Red through narrowed eyes.
Red stepped into the room. "Starfire…"
"Robin would not like you in his room," Starfire said softly, her voice heavy with pain.
Red stared a moment, surprised.
Robin smirked and hovered over Red's shoulder. "She's dead right you know," he whispered in Red's ear.
Red's eyes widened. He looked around, a mixed look of fear and confusion on his face.
Robin hovered close again. He put a hand on Red's shoulder, and amazingly it didn't sink through. "Do you believe in ghosts, Red? I do. I really do…"
Red bit back a scream and his eyes darted back to Starfire. "I have to go," he mumbled quickly, and scrambled out of the room.
Robin grinned after him. "You can run, but you can't hide," he called in a sing-song voice, and slowly went back to Starfire's side.
Author's Notes: Boo. Hehe. What do you think? For some reason I cracked up when I wrote that… [shrugs] Anyway, please tell me what you think! Thank you!
