Oh. My. God.

It's been a whole MONTH since I last updated!!?? OMG OMG OMG I am sooooooooooo sorry!!!!!!!! Gosh, I've been bouncing all over the place lately... ah PSATs, Chem tests, Trig tests, I've got a MAJOR World History test this week, I am SO going to fail... (and the sad part is that it's on Ancient Greece and Rome, and I'm in Latin so I should know all about that!!)... AND I have a huge violin concert in a few days, and I still stink at my part (GAH sooo many sixteenth notes, they just all blur in front of my eyes...)...

So yeah obviously I've been a little stressed lately... and if my schedule keeps up this pace, it might actually be another month till I update again... ugh I'm sooo sorry!!!! Ah and I've missed writing for fun, too, so right now I'm just goin' to sit back, forget about my schedule, and write the chapter.

Okay well I guess that's it... hmm I wonder where Amethyst Eyes and Peppermint Dream have gone off to... ah, but that's okay! Hehe I've been away for an entire month, so I shouldn't complain! :) Well here's the chapter!

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The Jump City Power Plant, 11:34 p.m.

"And now, introducing our very own trapeze family, the awesome, amazing, FLYING GRAYSONS!!!"

Dick climbed up to his perch on the trapeze platform. He grinned as hundreds of people below him clapped and cheered for him and his parents, who were in their positions on the opposite side of the circus tent. He gripped his trapeze and took a deep breath. The rich smells of popcorn and cotton candy filled his nose as he stepped forward to the edge of the platform. It was showtime.

When the music cued him on, Dick pushed himself off of the safety of the platform and swung through the air. The adrenaline rush was so exhilarating. As he got close to his parents, who were gliding towards him on a larger trapeze, he took a deep breath, and daringly let go of the bar. He did a double front-flip in midair, and grabbed a hold of his mother's outstretched hands. Dick smiled again as the crowd broke into applause.

The three of them glided lazily over to the opposite platform, and Dick jumped onto it. His parents swung back into the center to do their own routine. He would come back on later.

Dick watched his mother and father swing back and forth, doing all kinds of flips in the air. His eyes floated down to the crowd. Everyone, young and old, were staring up in awe at the two adult Graysons. Dick grinned from ear to ear. He was so proud of his talented parents.

Dick lazily scanned the crowd. It was about time for him to go back on. He grabbed a hold of his trapeze, and was about to leap off the platform again when a man down on the ground caught his eye. Dick frowned. Why was he wearing a black mask like that? I don't recognize him from the circus, Dick thought. The man fumbled around in his coat pocket for something. One of Dick's greatest fears was realized when the man pulled out a pocketknife and began to hack at his parent's ropes. Dick's heart skipped a beat. "NOOO!! MOM! DAD! LOOK OUT!" the young boy screamed. But it was too late. Dick's parents fell, with a sickening thud, to the ground.

Robin opened his eyes and shook his head. That one scene kept playing over and over in his head. Why couldn't he have saved them??? It would have been so easy for him to just swing over and rescue them. He would still have a Mom and Dad! He could have had a normal life! He wouldn't have to juggle school and the mask! Robin felt tears welling up in his eyes, threatening to spill over. Why did it have to be this way??? Xathaiel had said that joining the dark side could give Robin everything he had ever wanted. The only thing Robin wanted was his parents back. Could the devil-boy give that to him? If so, maybe he should join...

NO! said a voice in Robin's head. What about all that you've fought for over the years? What about all the innocent people you've saved? Was that all for nothing? Are you going to abandon everything for this? NO! What about your friends? What about Caela? Are you going to abandon her?

Robin looked over towards the angel. Her wings were slightly open, ready for battle, and her white hair cascaded over her shoulders. A small unruly wisp of it fell over her ice-blue eyes. She was glaring at Xathaiel with a horrified look on her face. Obviously she was deathly afraid that the devil-boy had gained control of Robin and his friends.

No matter how much Robin wanted to, he just couldn't bring himself to give up on Caela. Already she meant so much to him. There was such a strong connection between them. It felt unbreakable.

Robin shakily walked over to the angel. She turned and looked at him, a glimmer of relief on her face. "No, Xathaiel. Your cheap tricks won't fool us," Robin declared. "We will never come to your side."

Only Raven looked up at Robin. She, also, walked over to him. "What you're doing won't work on me, Xathaiel!" she said defiantly. "I'm half demon. You can't control me with your mind." Her indigo eyes locked onto him.

Xathaiel glared back at them, a small smile creeping up at the corner of his lips. "Oh, really? What do you have to say about that, my Titans?" he said, looking over to Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Starfire.

What happened next shook Robin to his bones. The other three Titans looked up at him with blood red eyes and snarled. Xathaiel laughed haughtily. "It seems your 'friends' just couldn't resist me!" He extended his hand to the three he had converted. "Go, my Titans, and ATTACK!"

In a split second Robin found himself trying to do hand-to-hand combat with Beast Boy in the form of a rhino. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see blue and green beams, Cyborg and Starfire's attacks, assaulting Raven. The goth summoned a black shield around her, obviously as bewildered as Robin was. How could Xathaiel control their friends so easily?

"Robin! Raven!"

Robin looked up and saw Caela, flying high above the battle, calling them. "We must retreat! Xathaiel is calling his army!" The boy wonder glanced over and saw Xathaiel muttering a summoning spell. The air around him began to glow red.

Raven formed a black platform for Robin to step onto. "Come on, Robin!" she called.

"But what about the others?" Robin yelled. He jumped to dodge an attack from Beast Boy.

"We'll come back for them later! We have to go!" Raven's usually monotone voice had a touch of fear. Robin knew they were in trouble now. He paused for a moment, glancing over at his friends, and jumped onto the platform. As the three flew off, Robin stared down at Xathaiel. He was summoning villains from all over the world to help with his cause. Robin was able to pick out some of their enemies from the crowd, including Slade, and Terra. Her normally deep blue eyes were also glowing red.

We'll help you, guys, Robin thought to his friends. We'll bring you back from the evil side. I promise...

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The Jump City Rooftops, 12:02 a.m.

"I just don't understand it." Robin paced back and forth. "How could this happen? How could Xathaiel control them so easily?" he asked no one in particular. Tensions were high. Caela, Robin, and Raven were camping out on a rooftop, trying to come up with a plan, but they weren't having much success.

Raven walked over to him. "Robin, calm down," she said, and sat him down next to her and Caela. "We have to come up with a plan. You worrying and pacing won't help anything." She stared at him emotionlessly, but Robin knew that deep down she was just as worried as he was.

"Satan is relatively famous for being able to persuade people to do his bidding," Caela tried to reassure him. "Remember the story of Adam and Eve? After all the miracles that they had witnessed, and all the faith they had in God, the serpent was still able to get them to eat the forbidden fruit. Xathaiel was able to turn your friends over to his side by using the same techniques." She sighed. "I don't know why I didn't warn you all about it sooner. I could have prevented all this."

Robin sighed as well. "It's not your fault, Caela. I'm sorry I'm getting so worked up about this. I'm just upset because they're my best friends. I thought we all had a relationship that could withstand anything." Raven nodded in silent agreement, but kept her eyes down.

"I understand," Caela said softly. "I promise that I will do everything in my power to get your friends back. Even if I need to call on St. Michael himself, I will not hesitate to."

The three sat on the rooftop for a few minutes, all preoccupied with their thoughts. Raven finally broke the silence. "Well what are we waiting for? We need a plan..."

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Ah yay I'm done! :) Hmmm... is it just me, or is this chappie shorter than the others? (uses Word Count) Yep it is shorter, only 1,805 words this time. Subtract my author notes and you have probably about 1,650 words. Usually I do about 2,000 word chappies... eh, but you guys'll survive, right? :)

Again, I CANNOT stress this enough... PLEASE SUGGEST STUFF!!!! I could really use the help! I've got the next two chapters planned out, but after that, it'll be time to end the story. Sorry, but I have truly gotten all the ideas squeezed out of me. If you want more chapters, GIVE ME IDEAS!!! Oh, and I wouldn't mind more reviews on my other TT story, 'Normal.' That is, if you haven't read it already and want to. It'd be nice, if ya know what I mean... Well anywhos, I'll see ya next chapter, and hopefully sooner than in a month!!! LOL!

-clouded leopard :)