All right, here we are, chapter 12, all is good.
Lil' Snippet: Thanks...I usually pay close attention to the dialog, trying to make it flow and whatnot. LOL thanks; sounded like something that BB would do.
Rinagurl13: I'm glad you liked it :) and yeah, Beast Boy came to his senses...but he is still Beast Boy...
Lil' Snippet: I couldn't agree with you more.
DarkAngel2004: LOL it's fine...I think the f word just puts me in a foul mood...I'm glad you like my story, and I have no intention of killing Robin off...but of course intentions can change... :P
raeandrob4eva: Yes, it was a pretty cofusing/odd chapter. I hope this one makes it a little easier to understand...LOL yes your name is great. Love it, love it! And hey you should update your story! It's good!
nevermoretheraven: Yeah, I've run across very few fics that are as sad as raeandrob4eva's fics....Just thought I'd warn you that it could be a bit of a damper on your day...
Furubafun24: Good, I'm glad you're liking it. LOL you have no bananas! Teehee!
RavenRobin4ever: Thanks!
Estel-Elf-Lover: Aw...thanks! blushes
chiclet2021: LOL yeah...realizing that you have been a real jerk to someone that is dieing must really bite.Yes I know what you mean about Cy...I was worried that reviewers would take the Cy and Star thing wrong. To clarify, it was strictly big bro little sis stuff. I will try to work in more Cy stuff.
Unicorns-baby: I didn't mean to make you cry hides face in shame Most likely. I will try not to. Very possible. Again, most likely. All signs point to "yes". Anything is possible. Now that one is definately a "yes". Ok, I will :)
Strixvaria: I'm glad you liked the new chapter. That's a bummer that you couldn't see the new episode.
Crazyspam: Thanks, that is what I was going for. Arg, I had a feeling that was wrong; thanks for helping me out.
tinkerbellx2: Thanks :) Too bad you can't watch the episode (with sound). Can't wait for the two-part finale!
Niki Dee: LOL I am evil, what can I say? LOL if one of your friends was talking to themselves and getting themselves injured, starving themselves, etc., would you try to get them help? Sure Cyborg is a bad judge of character, but he was doing what he thought was best. I know...it was quite mean cries and weeps in sadness True, and the ironic thing is that his worst fears came true because of him, or rather, because of the voice. I know...and honestly I felt quite mean... What, did you think I'd leave him in an asylum for more than a day? That would be cruel! LOL what ever you say, deary. NOW there's a scary thought! LOL I didn't call him Bird Boy, Cy did...there's a difference. Starfire calls him "my boy" in Date With Destiny, so it should sound like her. LOL not that I hope to plz the Star lover. Please NO! I'll get rabies! LOL j/k.
Niki Dee: Okey day! Sounds good! :)
marronedpirate11: LOL yes there you go: batman to the rescue!...er wait that's a superman thing huh? Nope, I have no intention of killing Robin. Nope nope nope.
CloudsHalo: That is good to know. Wow, thanks! blushes I know...I wasn't going to, but I have a friend who knows quite a bit about batman and she has been educating me on the subject, so I felt confident enough to bring him in. I'm not all that sure yet, but his part could end up being quite big...I mean he's not likely to walk off once he figures out what's going on. I'm so excited about the season 3 finale and I'm really hoping we'll get some good Robin episodes in season 4, even though it is a Raven season...Checked out ur episode list...looks wicked cool! Can't wait!
RobinLover: Aw, man! You stole my name...that I would have thought of...eventually...LOL! Sweet, I've found a kindred spirit! Robin is the best! I'm glad you like my story...even though it is kind of mean to Robin...I honestly don't know why I write things out so mean for him...I don't want to hurt him, really! LOL!
Hmmm....so there it is....and now.....On with the story!
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Batman was the first to come back to Earth. If he wanted Robin to be alive for much longer, several things had to happen. "He needs a blood transfusion. O."
Raven revved into action. Now that she had him back, there was nothing that could make her give up on him.
Once Robin's heartbeat was somewhat stable and the massive amount of lost blood had been partially replenished, Batman began to examine him for a more acurate estimate of damage. Robin had several severe cuts on his face, arms, and legs; most looked fairly new but others appeared to be at least a day old. He had, what felt like, three broken ribs and two that seemed to have minor fractures. His nose was broken, and so was his leg, in at least five places. Other than that, massive bruising on just about every part of his body, and some strange scorch marks on his chest and back. Batman recoginized them; it was the result you got when hit with laser beams.
He frowned and let out a low hiss of breath. "Looks like you've been a busy boy", he muttered, before instructing Raven to get him bandages and disinfectants. He struggled to remember everything his godson had told him about the titans. "You have healing powers, correct?"
Raven nodded, digging through a cupboard for the needed materials.
"Well, I hope you're feeling energized."
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Cyborg gently laid Starfire on the sofa, relieved that she had finally fallen asleep. He sighed, rubbing his human eye and staring blankly at the sleeping Tamaranian. He absently wiped tears off her cheeks and brushed her firey red hair off her forehead. His brain felt waterlogged; there were too many facts, too many changes...His best friend was acting completely insane, Raven was too blinded to see what was best for him, and now his removal from the asylum had resulted in all this mess. "But he wouldn't have disappeared if you had been watching." He sighed again, this time out frustration. Over the past couple weeks, he had felt more and more like Robin's babysitter. "What the heck is going on?"
That question had been swirling around in his head for quite some time now.
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Raven's legs wobbled, and she clutched the wall for support. Batman hurried over and helped her over to an armchair, easing her down on it and looking at her with an expression that might have been concern.
Raven breathed raggedly for a moment, slumping weakly in the chair. Sleep deprivation had done a number on her abilities, and her wild emotions were making it very difficult to keep from blowing Robin to bits. She had made hardly any headway on his multiple injuries, and yet she was completely exhausted.
"You should rest. You need to regain your strength." She marveled at the complete lack of emotion in his voice. Even she, who prided herself on cool detachment, was shaken right now. Robin had almost...no, not almost; he had died. How could Batman be so calm and unfeeling? "I'm fine." She flinched slightly. That was Robin's trade mark...what an incredible lie it had been.
Batman raised an eyebrow. He was beginning to wonder if all teenagers were so confouded stubborn. "You won't be any help to him in your current condition. If you really want to help him, you'll take care of yourself." He firmly took her by the shoulders and escorted her out of the room, despite her protests. "Sleep!", he ordered, shutting the door in her face.
Raven was pushed right into Beast Boy, who let out a high-pitched scream of surprise. Raven raised her eyebrow. "What are you doing here? I thought you didn't want anything to do with 'psycho Robin'?"
Her words stung, but he knew he deserved them. Beast Boy stared at his shoes, at a loss for words. "I...I, uh...", he stuttered, rubbing the back of his head.
Raven was slightly surprised; was Beast Boy actually sorry for acting like a total jerk?
"How is he?", he finally managed to ask, voice low and eyes still fixed on the ground.
"Let's think about this for a second. He spent an entire night out in the rain with multiple injuries and open wounds. How do you think he is?", she asked coldy, brushing past him and continuing on to her bedroom.
Beast Boy turned back to the window, staring in at Robin's motionless form. Somehow his brain just wasn't accepting the facts. This was Robin! Their fearless, bossy, obsessive leader who never lost, never backed down, never asked for help. How was this possible? Everything he had seen in Robin lately contradicted with everything he knew about Boy Wonder.
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Batman's mouth was frozen in a permanent frown. All possible explanations were racing through his mind, although none of them appealed to him. If Robin stole Project X, then where was it? Had someone brutalized him to get their hands on the device? But then there was the problem of motive: why in the free world would Robin steal Project X? Why would he steal at all? None of this made sense. The fact that some of Robin's injuries were relatively old gave rise to a whole new wave of questions. What was going on? Was Robin, once again, meddling in things too big for him?
Batman finished bandagings Robin's wounds and set his leg to the best of his ability. The rest would have to wait for Raven. Thinking that Robin was as "all right" as he was likely to get, he left in search of the titans, hoping they could throw some light on the situation.
He nearly collided with the wimpy little green elf. Judging from what Robin had told him, this one was not to be trusted; he could see it plainly from the mischievous glint in his eye. "Can I help you?"
Beast Boy couldn't seem to form a complete sentence. Batman glared coldly at him, making him even more nervous. Being in the presence of Batman, the Dark Knight, the shadowy protector of justice, was incredibly intimidating.
Batman raised an eyebrow and pushed past the annoying little time-waster. He turned back and said, very slowly and clearly, "Where are..." What were their names again? "Cyborg and Stardust?"
"Starfire", Beast Boy mumbled automatically.
Batman narrowed his eyes and ignored the correction. He stood waiting for String Bean to get up the brain power to answer the question.
"Dude! Why is he looking at me like that?", he wondered. Then it dawned on him. "Oh! Er...I don't know..."
Batman struggled to control himself. "Take a wild guess."
Beast Boy was having a hard time thinking, what with Batman's cold stare burning holes in him. "Er...they might be in the kitchen, or the living room, or the ba-"
"Take me to the kitchen", Batman ordered, wondering how Robin could stand associating with this....unique individual on a day-to-day basis.
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Cyborg looked up in surprise as Beast Boy walked in, closely followed by Batman. His heart dropped out of his chest as he saw the sober looks on their faces. "No...Please say he's not..."
"Robin is alive", Batman said quickly. "But for how long..." His voice trailed off as he glanced at the girl sitting cross-legged on the couch; she was the one that fainted.
"Tell me what has been going on", he said, in a tone that suggested he was used to having his orders followed promptly without question.
They were all silent; Starfire because she didn't understand the question, Beast Boy because he didn't know the answer, and Cyborg because he was thinking of all the things Robin would do to him if he ever found out that he, Cyborg, had been tattling to his mentor. But then again, Robin was in no condition to do anything to anyone right now...
Batman glared. "If you expect me to help your friend, I must have all the cards on the table."
"Well...uh, I really don't know all that much about it. Raven has been around him most and I think you could get your answers from her..." Cyborg tensed, wondering if Batman would go for this...There was no way in heck that he would be the one to tell Batman about Robin's...issues.
Batman was getting sick of this little game. Robin was his godson, and he had every right to know why he was lying in a ditch half-dead. However, talking to Raven would most likely be his best option; from what Robin had told him, she was quite gifted and highly intelligent. "Take me to her room", he said to the titans in general.
Since Starfire looked terrified and BB seemed to be in a stupor, Cyborg stepped forward to lead him to The Dark One's room...
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Raven's concentration, already fragile, shattered at the knock on her door. She wasn't inclined to be irritated, however, given the recent events. She opened the door to see Batman, grim-faced as always. "I thought you wanted me to sleep", she said, eyebrow raised.
Batman ignored the statement. "I have some questions, and your friends seem to think that you have the answers."
Raven groaned internally. She knew exaclty what kind of questions Batman had to ask, and they were all messy and uncomfortable. "How nice of them to send you to me", she said, a hint of irritation escaping through her viouce. She comforted herself with the thought of dangly Beast Boy and Cyborg from the ceiling for a while as punishment. "What do you want to know?"
"Simple. Robin has obviously been in some very sticky situations lately. Exaclty what has been going on?"
Raven sighed. The things that she knew for certain about Robin could fit in a thimble. "Honestly, I know very litte about it..."
Batman let out a groan of frustration. "What can you tell me?", he asked, exasperation clear in his tone.
"I can tell you what I have seen from the outside, but not what Robin has been experiencing on the inside."
"That will be fine as a starting point. What exactly have you 'seen from the outside'?"
Raven sighed again. This was going to be long and strenuous. "Well, about two weeks ago, Slade-"
Batman snapped to attention. "What do you know about Slade?", he asked suspiciously.
"He's a dangerous psychopath. For more than that, you would have to ask Robin."
"What does Slade have to do with Robin?" Batman's eyes narrowed.
Raven was slightly surprised. Had Robin told Batman nothing about Slade? "Robin has been fighting Slade for months now. He's something like his nemesis."
Batman growled low. "So that's where that creep crawled off to. He disappeared from the Gotham streets a few monts ago, and I've been trying to track him down ever since." He clenched his fist. "Teenagers fighting Slade! What was he thinking?"
"Hey", Raven said in protest. "We can handle ourselves."
"Oh yes, of course you can! That's why Robin is in such good condition right now!", he said, oozing sarcasm.
Raven made no response. She couldn't argue with the sheer facts. Instead she said, somewhat harshly, "So do you want to hear the story or not?"
Batman was silent for a moment. "Please continue", he said in a forced calm voice.
Raven took a deep breath, and laid out the incredibly long history of Slade and Robin, including Robin's little Red X shinanigan and his period as Slade's apprentice. Batman sometimes interejected with a threatening growl or a difficult question about details, motives, etc., but for the most part, he sat quietly listening. When she reached the part about the dust and Robin's near-death experience at the hands of someone who wasn't even there, Batman was slightly surprised. Then he glared fiercely at the wall of Raven's bedroom, as though this was all its fault. When Raven saw the look in his eyes, she began to fully realize how dangerous this man was. She shivered slightly.
"Well, that explains Robin's condition. But if you knew about this, why were you so shocked when I brought him in? And why was he outside in the first place?", he asked once he regained control of himself.
"Not so fast. That happened about two weeks ago. There's more."
"More?" His surprise quickly disappeared, however, and he listened to the rest of the "story", soon realizing that Raven was telling the truth when she said she didn't know much about recent events. When Raven reached the part about Robin's fits and the asylum, a deep, worried frown fixed itself to Batman's face.
"Yesterday, shortly after I brought him back to the tower, he disappeared without a trace", Raven continued.
"And you say he was injured at this time?", asked Batman gravely.
"Yes. I have no idea how he could have just gotten up and walked away in his condition." Raven sighed ocne again, rubbing her forehead. "And that's all I know. Robin wouldn't tell me anything about what happened while he was in Slade's lair."
Batman nodded knowingly. "You have powers of telepathy, correct?"
"Yes, but exploring Robin's mind while he is in this questionable condition could be...dangerous."
"You are afraid for yourself?", he asked lightly.
She was slightly angered by Batman's question. "Not at all, but if...something was to break through my defenses, I would be useless to him."
He chuckled quietly. "It seems that quite a lot has happened since Robin left", he mused, almost to himself.
Raven blushed, knowing that he wasn't talking about battles with Slade.
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Well there you have it; Chapter 12. Mostly recapping and explanation (hence the name), but it was necessary. I appologize if Batman seems OoC...I'm still trying to get used to him, with the help of my friend Rusty. Peace everybody! -Dusty