Title: Mind's Obsession
Author: Blair Lebeau, SocialButterfli
Summary: SEQUEL TO HEART'S DESIRE; The Titans are looking for Terra and Terran, and when they find someone who knows where they are, their partnership with this person results in more than they could have imagined. RobStar BBRae CyOC (finally)
Disclaimer: Obviously, I still don't own the Teen Titans. Why would I be writing a fan fic if I did?
Chapter 2 – Car Trouble
"Robin, come on, dude, would you get in the car already?" Beast Boy asked impatiently. Robin sighed and took one last look at the giant T that was his current home, all the while preparing himself to face the mansion that was his first real home.
Of all the people who kept a lock on the twins, it had to be him, Robin thought grimly. Of course it would be him, after all, he was Batman, a superhero, and a superhero always had to be on the lookout for danger. It had been a mistake to tell Bruce about Slade, Terra, and later on Terran in one of his many letters he sent out secretly to his father figure. Though Robin would never admit it, he still felt a sense of need for the first person to ever care for him, and though he was on his own now, Bruce Wayne would never completely be out of his life.
But Bruce Wayne and the Teen Titans were different aspects of his life that needed to be kept separate, and now they were being brought together in a head-on collision. Robin knew that Bruce was having this meeting on purpose; in his letters he had always expressed an interest in meeting the Teen Titans. Bruce knew that Robin would never willingly let his past and present collide. He also knew that there was no way Robin could pass up a chance to bring down evil. Robin had no choice but to let two parts of his life meet.
After giving Cyborg directions to Wayne Manor, Beast Boy broke into song.
"Who found the lead? BB found the lead! Who's the man? BB's the man! Say what? You heard me! Say what? You know it's true! Who's the man? Beast Boy's the man! Go Beast Boy! Go Beast Boy! Get brilliant! Get brilliant! Yeah Beast Boy!"
His song was interrupted by Raven clapping a hand over his mouth.
"It's times like these that make me wonder what I've gotten into," she said as Beast Boy sweat dropped. Cyborg snickered.
"I wonder how well these leather seats will fare against sharpened claws," Beast Boy threatened playfully as he morphed into a cat.
"DON'T YOU TOUCH THOSE SEATS!" Cyborg yelled, swiveling around.
"EEP!" Starfire shrieked as the T Car swerved dangerously on the road. In attempt to help, she began to press the many buttons that had been forbidden to her touch since the first time she had ridden in the T Car. Suddenly deafeningly loud rock music filled the vehicle, making everyone scream. Beast Boy's chair folded up so that he was stuck facedown in Raven's lap. The soda machine nozzle appeared out of the dashboard and squirted Cyborg in the face.
"Aahh! I can't see! I can't see! Starfire, stop! Ahhh!" Everyone continued screaming as the T Car rampaged on, not even on the road anymore. Panicked, Starfire slammed her hands down onto two more buttons. Luckily, one was the emergency stop button. Unluckily, the other was the left backseat ejector button. Robin went flying as the car screeched to a halt. Starfire covered her mouth with her hands as a sticky and drenched Cyborg glared.
"A little help here?" Raven asked, trapped between her seat and her boyfriend hanging upside down from his seat into her lap. It didn't help that Beast Boy was complaining, muffled, right into her legs. It was really a nonsexual situation as it was very uncomfortable, but Raven couldn't help but get butterflies in her stomach when she felt BB's lips move against her bare legs. The soda machine nozzle squirted some more liquid in Cyborg's face again, only this time done by Raven's powers, not Starfire's button-pressing. Raven quickly took a deep breath and got back into control. Luckily, after he got done spluttering, Cyborg glared once again at Star, not realizing Raven was at fault.
"Where is Robin?" Starfire asked, suddenly realizing her boyfriend was gone. Cyborg looked back and noticed the seat was gone.
"Oh, no, Star, you pressed the seat ejector seat. He's going to be pissed. Now where'd he fly off to?"
"Robin can fly?" Starfire asked, confused, but Cyborg ignored her, getting out of the car to look for his masked friend. Star followed.
"Oh-kay," Raven said as any possibility of help left them. "This could be a problem."
"MMBFFF!!!" Beast Boy mumbled. He suddenly turned into a small cat and slid out of the seat belt, landing once again on Raven's lap, this time right side up. He nuzzled her side lightly, and she petted him. He purred and licked her hand, then turned back to human form and gave her a small kiss on the lips before opening the door and getting out.
"Thanks for the help, guys!" he yelled after his two friends who were helping Robin out of the ejected seat.
"Robin, I am so sorry!" Starfire gasped when he was on his feet. She touched his shoulder, but he shrugged her off.
"Get off," he barked sharply, surprising both Star and Cyborg. Star clutched her rejected hand in sorrow, confusion, and a bit of fear.
"Robin?" she called out as he began to walk away.
"Hey, man, what's wrong with you?" Cyborg asked, but Robin paid no attention as he drew closer to the looming black gates with B scripted on one side and W on the other. Going off road had given them a shortcut to Wayne Manor, and they were here.
Robin looked beyond the gates to his first ever real home. He sighed, not feeling an exact fear of what was to come, just regret. It wasn't going to be a fun day, but it was inevitable. If he tried to postpone it or cancel it altogether, it would be too suspicious. The Titans knew he wanted to find Terra and Terran, and this was their only lead. If he gave it up, there was something wrong there. Even Starfire could figure that out. Robin just had to go in there, not say anything more than necessary, and act totally nonchalant. Everyone knew that before the Teen Titans he worked with Batman. They didn't know that Batman was Bruce Wayne. And Bruce liked it that way, so he wouldn't go off telling everyone who he was. There was nothing to worry about, right?
Robin opened the black metal box that contained the alarm pad. All he had to do was enter in the code, and....
"Which button do you press to ask them to open these gates?" Cyborg asked. Robin froze. He hadn't realized that the robotic teen had come up behind him. If he had punched in the correct code, that would have been beyond suspicious. That was a close one.
"The big one, I guess," Robin answered, pressing the big red button that he knew rung up Alfred, the butler, to let visitors in. Although this meeting was bound to be a disaster, Robin couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of excitement to see Alfred and Bruce again. It had been a long time, and they were the only real family he had. Besides Starfire, and the rest of the Titans. But could the mostly irresponsible teenagers be considered a real family?
"Hello?" Alfred's voice came over the speaker box.
"It's Robin....and the Teen Titans," he added on quickly. He had to stop being so familiar with this place. He needed to act like a stranger. A loud buzzing noise sounded, and the large black gates opened slowly. The Titans entered, Starfire hanging back a little, afraid to be too close to Robin. He was back in his scary-obsessed mode, and she remembered the last time he had been like that to her. It was when Slade was "back", but only in Robin's mind, and he had grabbed her arm roughly and been angered when she wasn't able to see him. And now he had snapped at her again. She didn't like him when he was like this.
Robin noticed the distance between them, and felt a small sense of sadness. He had been a bit brutal to her back there, and he regretted it. Especially now, facing his past, he needed someone and the only someone for him was Starfire. He let Cyborg, Beast Boy and Raven pass him until Starfire came up. She looked at him uncertainly, but he smiled at her and put his hand through hers. She looked from him to their linked hands then back to him, broke their grip and threw her arms around his neck. Though he had to go a few seconds without oxygen, for him, it was worth it, and he hugged her back. They linked hands again and followed the rest of the Titans up the steps of the giant mansion. The front door opened to reveal an older man with white hair. Alfred.
"Welcome, Teen Titans, to Wayne Manor. Come in." After ushering them in, he showed them to the living room. "Master Wayne will be with you in a moment. May I offer you refreshments?" To Raven's delight there was herbal tea, and to everyone else's delight there were cookies. As Alfred passed Robin, he gave him an uncharacteristic wink that Robin hoped no one else noticed. They didn't, as the dwindling cookie amount was of more importance. For a second, Robin relaxed in one of the many comfortable antique chairs that graced the room, and took in the hominess of it all. But the tension soon returned as he heard a low voice that was all too familiar.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting." The man took a seat across from Robin. "My name is Bruce Wayne, and welcome to my home."
Well that was fun. Good old T Car, it had to have its shining moment before it's replaced by a new character who will capture Cyborg's heart, soon to come.
Sneak Peak: The Teen Titans have a sit-down with Bruce Wayne.
Review por favor!
Blair