Hmmm....Chapter 13...sorry to those who think this story is too long...and I'm afraid it is still far from over, so if you are bored with it, I won't be offended if you go find something better to do with your time.
Crazyspam: Batman was supposed to be a bit scary; inspires respect, you know. Thank you, and yes he is not exactly at his best what with all the problems with Robin and the fact that he is blaming himself for them.
nevermoretheraven: I'm glad you liked it, and it's cool that you saw Haunted. Now things will be a bit less confusing.
CloudsHalo: Yeah I didn't expect anyone to jump up and cheer for this one; it was one of the emotional chapters, rather than action. LOL you want him to leave and get even more hurt? What are you thinking? LOL. Yeah that's what I was thinking...if I'm going to write Slade I'm going to make him convincing.
kiddette: It's ok, I understand computer issues. YAY I always wanted to get somewhere...LOL.
Furubafun24: I'm glad you think I'm doing him justice...LOL hey I want some pizza!
raeandrob4eva: Oh, ok. No I didn't think you were flaming, don't worry. Wow thanks, I'm glad I'm doing well. Yes, it was terribly sad...I didn't cry, but that is just cuz I never cry. I came pretty darn close, though. Aw....beams.
Rinagurl13: I'm delighted to hear that you like it! LOL sorry, trying to think of different ways to say thank you, but yes I really appreciate your reviews.
the fonix freeke: I'm glad you liked it, but f.y.i., that was NOT meant in a perverted way! That is just plain nasty blushes I'm glad you're liking it, though.
frosty1567: I figured that if he was finding out all the stuff with Robin and Slade at once he might show a bit of anger...shrug glad you liked it.
maroonedpirate11: LOL Wow I can tell...just curious, but if you had to choose your favorite, would it be Robin or Batman? I'm sorry...no I will not kill Robin...at least I'm almost possitive I won't...lets just say the ending is still open for discussion.
Dark-Angels-Tears: LOL yup it's intentional. LOL I will gladly turn up the cynicism...And I am trying to make BB as nice as possible.
Yaw Dapaah: I'm glad you like it, despite the lack of cheeriness. LOL your wish is my command. You are very welcome! :)
AnnFaithDarknessGoddess: I'm glad that you like it...even though it is quite mean...LOL yeah it seems that there alot of Batman supporters out there. That's good...I was a bit worried...didn't want to aggravate anyone by messing up his character.
Saiya Woods: LOL I'm guessing you still like it, then? :)
Strixvaria: I'm glad it was good, and here it is: more story!
Estel-Elf-Lover: Wow, I'm glad you liked it...I was worried that it would bore you (my reviewers).
Tinkerbellx2: LOL yeah I've had a streak of inspiration lately...People are getting really sick of my notebook; the silly things think I should actually acknowledge their existence! Can you imagine? YAY today is finally the day of the first part of the season finale...anyone else wondering why they put the first episode of season four in between the two parts of Titans East? No I haven't seen The Lost Episode, what was it about?
Fugie: Thanks for sharing.
Unicorns-baby: LOL you really think so? blushes I certainly hope so. Wouldn't that be wonderful? I don't think there is anyway that Robin could get of scot free from this one. Most likely, when he finds out that it is not his fault...but he will probably give him a lifetime's worth of lectures for allowing it to happen. Eventually he probably will. Hmmm...it depends on who gets to Slade first, really. Pretty much. Trust me, I don't want to kill anyone, cept Slade...but I can't promise that it won't happen....
So here we are again. Just want to say that I really appreciate all of your reviews :) They make my life bright and sunny....LOL well they do help, at least. Oh, and so you know, I didn't know the names of Robin's parents, so I made them up. LOL now you are all wondering "what do Robin's parents have to do with anything?" Well you will shortly find out. Well....(entire cast, including Slade and Dr. Mathews, intone) On with the story!
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Robin smiled proudly; his parents' tightrope act was always amazing. The blaring circus music and flashing lights pumped up the crowd as Anetta and Jonathon appeared on the opposite sides of the rope, taking a bow to acknowledge the uproarious cheers. They cartwheeled along the rope towards eachother, making the audience go wild. They simultaneously pushed up with their hands, springing into the air and landing on their feet. Robin grinned in anticipation: this was the good part. The drum roll started, and the crowd leaned forward in their seats, anxious to see what was coming next. Anetta smiled and blew a kiss in Robin's direction, and he returned it happily. Jonathon made a step with his hands, and Anetta placed her foot daintily on it, stepping onto his hands so that he held one of her feet in each. Jonathon slowly raised her into the air, thoroughly enjoying the gasps and cheers of the crowd. As the music reached a crescendo, he raised her high above his head, as though she was lighter than a feather. Anetta smiled, lifting her arms in triumph...
It was then that everything went wrong. No one heard the snap, like that of a giant guitar string, over their own cheers and whistles. The smile was not quite gone from Robin's face when they fell, tumbling through the air towards the brightly colored stage, Jonathon holding Anetta protectively in his arms. The net...They would land in the net and everything would be all right...Robin knew there was no net; there was never a net used in their special performances. It was all over in a matter of seconds, but for Robin, the moment stretched for an eternity, a vast darkness filled with the unknown and the horrible...He didn't cry; his young, maskless eyes were not given that relief. This couldn't be happening, there were never accidents, his parents always checked and double checked every aspect of the every act, until they were positive that everything was safe...His mother beamed at him, tweaking a lock of his wild black hair, his father tossed him high into the air, catching him again and kissing his forehead tenderly...Crushed. Gone. Dead.
"NOOO!!!"
"Robin! Wake up!"
Robin was thrashing and yelling, twisting against the leather straps. Pain seared through his body as the restraints dug into his arms, legs, and chest. So she really was gone. She had deserted him again. He cursed loudly. "NO! Get me out of here! Raven!"
"Robin! Calm down, it's me!" Robin's eyesight began to clear, and he could see a shadowy face above his. He felt a hand on his forehead as pain shot through his head, making him cry out.
"That's what happens when you struggle against restraints that are there for a good reason." The hand was gone.
"Wh-What happened?", Robin asked, teeth clenched against the aching. "Where am I?"
"One, I was hoping you could tell me, and two, you are in Titans Tower's medical laboratory."
"How long have I-"
"This is the eighth day now. You have had a nice long nap." Batman smiled slightly, reaching out and gently pinching one of Robin's toes. "Can you feel that?"
Robin nodded, but stopped as it made his head spin. His next thought was of Raven. The last thing he could remember was the...Had that really happened? "Where is she?"
Batman raised an eyebrow. "Who?"
"Raven. Where's Raven?", he asked anxiously.
"Oh, Raven. I see. She's hardly left your side for days. I believe she is resting at the moment." He smiled again, fiddling with the various machines that were bleeping and whirring non-stop.
Robin was too dazed to notice the teasing. The pain was slowly dying down, and his brain was functioning a little better now. "But...I still don't understand what happened. The last thing I remember is-" He stopped abruptly. Telling Batman about...that place would not be a good idea.
"You can stop covering up now. Raven told me", Batman said lightly, checking Robin's vital signs.
"What did she tell you?", Robin asked suspiciously.
"Just about everything, but there are some blanks I would like you to fill in for me." His voice was still fairly pleasant, by his standards, but Robin cringed all the same. He didn't think he was up to an interrogation; his brain jus wasn't working well enough to formulate convincing lies quickly.
"First off, I would just like to say that drugs will not solve your problems."
Robin blinked, wondering if he had heard correctly. "What?"
Batman sighed. "Why am I always right?" To Robin, he said, "I knew you weren't ready to be on your own. The second you are unsupervised, you go around making as many poor choices as humanly possible."
Now that made sense, given that Raven had spilled, but what was that about drugs??? "What are you talking about?"
"I heard about your hallucinations. You can't deny it.", he said, voice becoming less and less pleasant.
It all made sense now. Raven had told Batman about the voice, and his mentor assumed that he was on drugs. Brilliant. "I know what you're thinking, but it's not the truth!"
"By all means, enlighten me. What is the truth?", Batman asked sarcastically.
"You could at least let me tell my side of the story!", Robin yelled in frustration. He instantly wished he hadn't as his head started throbbing again.
"Oh, so now the truth has different sides! That explains a lot. Please don't let me stop you from telling your well-rehearsed side of the story."
Robin fumed silently, knowing that whatever he said would just dig him a deeper hole. "I am not on drugs!"
"Oh? Then how do you explain your strange behavoir? Or do you normally converse with invisible people?" Batman didn't believe a word that came out of Robin's mouth. This was just one of his famous evasive maneuvers, and he wasn't going to get away with it. Not this time.
"I don't know, ok?", Robin yelled, eyes squeezed shut against his splitting headache. He breathed deeply for a moment, trying to control his anger. "I've been thinking maybe Slade..." He stopped, lost in thought.
Batman was also slightly calmer. "Maybe Slade what?", he asked gently, hoping to get Robin to tell him without really knowing he had.
"Maybe Slade...I was unconscious, after all...It would have been easy and he had all the time in the world..." Robin continued to mumble like this, eyes turned inwards.
Batman listened for a while, but when absolutely none of it made any sense, he said irritably, "So what's the verdict?"
Robin jumped, snapping out of his trance. "What?"
"What is your conclusion? Or were you just trying to distract me?"
Robin shook his head. "I don't know what happened, but I do know that I am not on drugs!"
"Ok. We'll go with that for now, but don't think that means you're off the hook!" Noticing that Robin was in pain, Batman walked over to his IV and gave him a light shot of morphine. He pulled up a chair, sitting next to the bed. "You need to tell me everything you can remember about your time with Slade."
Robin thought hard, trying to clear the fog swirling in his brain...
"You look as if you had a rough night, Robin. Anything I can do to help?"
A fist colliding with his face, pain so horrible he couldn't see...
"Robin?" Batman was leaning over him, worry in his eyes.
"I don't know...", Robin whispered. He was shocked; if he just thought hard enough, looked at it from enough different angles, the answer was always there. At least, that's how it used to be. Now, everytime he tried to put everything together he ended up with yet another piece that would not fit in. "I don't know anything anymore..."
Batman's concern deepened. Robin just didn't say things like that, ever. Something was definately wrong; now he just had to figure out what it was.
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"Azarath Metrion Zinthos...Azarath Metrion Zinthos..."
Raven was in the middle of the best meditation period she had achieved in weeks. Somehow, she was able to keep thoughts of Robin at bay and truly... Raven's eyes flew open, and she fell back to Earth with a bump. She could feel him, feel his pain, feel his misery... "It's probably just another nightmare..." All the same, she grabbed her cloak and, literally, flew out of the room. As she neared the med lab, Robin's emotions switched from sadness to confusion, and now she could feel anger and hurt coming off him in waves...Some sort of arguement?
Raven found that her suspicions were correct as she stopped just outside the door, keeping out of sight. She hadn't expected Batman to bombard Robin with questions when he was still so weak... Maybe she shouldn't have told him so much. "Batman is not an easy person to lie to", she thought, attempting to dispell the guilt that just would not go away. She had a bad feeling that Robin was not going to like being tattled on, as he would see it, but if Batman could help him, Raven would take whatever was coming; it would be worth it.
She stood outside the door, watching Robin yell in frustration and Batman continue to push him. Finally her curiousity got the better of her, and she opened a tiny hole in the wall, through which she could hear everything that was said in the room.
"I am not on drugs!", Robin yelled, groaning and screwing up his eyes.
Raven's eyes widened in shock; that's what Batman got from their discussion? She had considered the possibility of Slade causing Robin's problems, she had even considered the possibility that he was...not all there upstairs, but she had never thought that Robin was doing it all to himself. Somehow it just didn't seem like something he would do...But then again, Batman had known Robin much longer than she had; maybe there was something in his history that he had never shared with her...
There was an unsettled silence in the room; Robin was staring blankly at the wall and Batman was staring at Robin with a worried frown on his lips. Raven decided that it was now safe to enter. "So you've finally decided to join the living", she said, announcing her presence.
"Raven!" Robin jumped in surprise.
Batman wasn't shocked at all. "I'm assuming you heard everything?", he asked calmly.
Raven blinked for a moment. If she didn't know any better, she would say that Batman possessed powers like her own. "Not all of it, but I got the basic idea."
"And do you believe him?", Batman asked.
Raven looked uncertainly at Robin, asking a question with her eyes. He shook his head vigorously, but stopped immediately, wincing. "Yes, I believe him", she answered, looking Batman in the eyes.
He nodded. "All right then. We'll take your word for it, but if I ever find-"
"I know", said Robin wearily. "You won't."
"Good, but now there is still the problem of what is happening. I understand you spent some time in a mental ward?"
Robin's face instantly hardened, becoming an impenetrable fortress. He refused to look at either of them, but stared at the ceiling with a stubborn set to his mouth. He would never talk about that place. How could Raven have let them take him?
Batman saw the look, and sighed. "If you ever want to get this resolved, you have to tell me everything you remember. Even the smallest detail could be important."
Robin's jaw and fist were clenched, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. "Get away from me", he growled in a voice not his own.
Batman's eyes were wide with shock. "Robin-"
"Shut up! You say you want to help me, but you lie! Where were you when I needed you? Where?", Robin yelled, breathing hard and glaring at the man he had once called father. Batman recoiled, staring at his godson in disbelief.
Raven attempted to calm him down. "Robin, this will not solve anything. Batman is-"
Robin's fierce glare was now turned on her. "You! You knew it wasn't right, but you let them take me! You told them to take me! You betrayed me!!!" He was shaking and groaning in pain, as though every word hurt tremendously.
All the guilt that Raven had been feeling welled up ten-fold in her chest. "Robin...", she pleaded, hoping that somehow he would forgive her.
"No! I'm sick of your lies! I trusted you and you stabbed me in the back! You..." His voice died suddenly, but his body continued to convulse, chest heaving. He started mumbling to himself, eyes darting around the room as though looking for someone. "I don't like being alone...hate it...Hate it! No! I...I don't believe you...Stop!" He thrashed against the restraints, hot tears making their way down his cheeks. "Shut up...Shut UP!!!", he screamed, mouth twisted in a grimace of pain, tensed and shaking wildly...Suddenly his body relaxed, going limp and sobbing weakly, apparently unaware of the two witnesses.
Batman and Raven could only stare in horror, both struck dumb. Batman was stunned; he had no idea what to do, what to think...
Robin's sobs died out slowly, and his heartrate eventually slowed, but he kept his eyes tightly closed, as though hiding from the world. The line between reality and the voice was becoming harder to find in the darkness and fog.
Batman gently touched Raven's shoulder, nodding towards the door. Raven followed him shakily, stepping into the hallway and waiting for him to reveal his plan, to tell her what was happening and how it could be treated, to make all the problems disappear.
Batman watched her gravely, a strange look in his dark it be fear? "This has changed everything...I'm taking him to the Batcaves."
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Arg, this chapter made me sad while I was writing it. Arg I just watched the new Teen Titans episode....and I'm going to KILL Cyborg!!!! How could he just desert the team like that???? What the heck was he thinking???? Has he lost his mind????
....Ok, I feel a bit better now. Seeya next time! -Dusty