Hello everybody...nice day, eh?

Aeris-Raven: LOL well, I guess I just have good taste...I've always loved that song, and it just inspired me in a new way one day, and there you have it. I get what you mean...there's endless possibilities. At first, I was going for hazel, but then alot of people had them as just blue, and I liked that one too...then somebody said they were amber...it's all good. Lol here, blabbering is good. Thanks!

Majestical: Thanks ma...er...thanks. :)

CelticHeiressFiona: Your wish is my command.

jambey: I know...I can't believe I wrote it...all the sudden I'm a sentimental romantic... -sigh- No kidding. I said to myself, "Self, you are going to write a story in which Robin is not being tortured, tormented, or in any way harmed." and my self agreed, so there you have it.

raeandrob4eva: Thanks...all right, if you insist... :)

Snowfeather: Hmm...so, by my reasoning and with my interpretation, I would presume that your review was intended to be a flame? Interesting... -scribbles on notepad-

Dannonspring: What are you, kissing happy? LOL! Hope it didn't do too much to your attention span...Glad you like it.

Tecna: How about...now? Thanks:)

VerticallyxChallenged: All right, all right, if you insist. Yeah...the new ratings are gay. LOL I remember those days, too. It's because of all those lovely little one-shots I wrote, to rid my brain of some of the annoying ideas that go constantly swirling around in there. Yes, it does sound a lot like him...love the song, it's beautiful. I've never heard Before the Dawn. Yes, five...I happen to be the lucky number six. Yes, lol 12 and a half...one is on the way, and I'm so darn excited:) Yes, overrated indeed. Silly boy.

Mystyre: Hmm...hopefully you'll like this one as well. Thanks:)

Chica De Los Ojos Cafe: LOL. Yes sir, or madam, as the case may be.

Furubafun24: I have that habit also...either man or dude, never babe or chick...I nearly tear my friend's head off when she calls me either of those...they worry for my sanity. LOL I enjoyed that bit, too. Kinda nice to show Robin, cool, collected, perfectly-time-the-eggs-to-land-on-the-plate-just-as-the-ham-is-done Boy Wonder, make a complete fool of himself. Aw, the things we do for love...not that I would know of course. Thanks:)

YoukaiTenshi: Hmmm...would now be convenient for you?

Aimlessshadow: Yeah, what with Birthmark and all, I'm really hoping the show will go in that direction. Thanks, I'm glad you like it!

Tifereth Kantrishakrim: Of course I mentioned you! You are, quite possibly, my favorite author on the entire site! And I'm honored that you like this, since your one-shots are so amazing. Nah, it's ok...I assumed you were busy working on the sequel to One Last Dance -hint hint nudge nudge- LOL as is yours on mine:) Ah, mutual friendship...you gotta love it. What do you mean, I was prophetic? Oh crap, you gonna make him a mute or something? I'm apprehensive, what with all your forbidding hints, but still incredibly anxious to see the sequel! Hurry, hurry! Before I lose what's left of my mind!

So here goes...I DO NOT OWN THE SONG TRUE, BY RYAN CABRERA. Couple days to a week after the last chapter.

Robin froze, his eyes widening in shock as small, unmistakable sounds crept out from under the door marked "RAVEN". A horrible sinking feeling seemed to drag his heart into his shoes, the sound ripping him up inside. What would make his Raven cry? He hesitated for a moment, staring uncertainly at the metal door, as though hoping it would tell him the answer to all his questions. When it remained stubbornly silent, however, he knew that he would just have to try. No matter how much the thought of going in that room terrified-yes, terrified-him, not going, not being there for her when she needed him...someone, was unimaginable.

So, with a deep breath, with a sigh of resignation to chaos, Robin tapped ever so lightly on Raven's door.

I won't talk
I won't breathe
I won't move till you finally see
That you belong with me

The soft sobs disappeared, leaving an echoing silence in their wake. At that point, Robin almost lost his nerve. What if she didn't want him there? What if she didn't want to talk to him? What if she ha- No. She needed someone, and that someone would be him. "Rae...Raven?", he whispered, almost afraid to break the silence of the dark midnight corridor. Robin was not afraid of the dark, he was not afraid of Plasmus, Overload, or Cinderblock, he was not even afraid of Slade, but somehow, that moment struck fear in his heart...though it refused to be analyzed or defined. The familiar little voice was back, already beginning the nagging chant in the back of his mind: do it now, do it now, do it now.

You might think I don't look
But deep inside the corner of my mind
I'm attatched to you

Silence, then the smallest of rustling noises, as quiet as silk rasping against silk...the door slid open, and Robin cringed internally, the familiar sickening and exhilarating surge of emotion screaming inside him...but no one was in sight. Nothing but darkness, utter and undisturbed. She was in there somewhere, though the sheer invisibility of anything comforting or reassuring daunted him momentarily. Raven needed someone...maybe he could make her need him.

I'm weak, it's true
Cause I'm afraid to know the answer
Do you want me too?
Cause my heart keeps falling faster

Breathless, uncertain, Robin stepped across the threshold, freezing as though expecting to be yelled at, thrown backwards, chastized for intruding on her privacy...but when nothing happened, not a sound breaking the silence, some semblance of courage returned to his body, and he took another step, and another...why on Earth did he feel like he was marching to death? Was it really that hard? That horrible? As his nerves crackled and his stomach performed amazing acrobatic feats, he came to his conclusion: yes.

"Raven?" he whispered again, praying that she would answer. Worry was twisting his stomach into knots; what was wrong? Why was she crying? Raven never cried, ever! Something must be horribly wrong.

"What do you need, Robin?" spoke a cool, collected voice from the shadows of the room. He felt a familiar heat rush into his face, but the darkness hid his humiliation. She didn't sound upset at all; except for maybe a hint of anger towards the person who had barged into her room at such an hour. But...he had heard her...There was something wrong, and he was not leaving until he found out what it was.

I've waited all my life to cross this line
To the only thing that's true
So I will not hide
It's time to try anything to be with you
All my life I've waited
This is true

"I...Raven, I heard...what's wrong, Raven?" he stuttered, eyes still searching for her in the pitch-black room. The door hissed shut behind him, sending a slight shiver up his spine. Not knowing where she was made him extremely uncomfortable.

A dry chuckle issued from the darkness somewhere to his left. "What's wrong..." the voice muttered, more to itself than to him. "Do you really want to know, Robin? Do you really want to hear the truth?"

You don't know what you do
Everytime you walk into the room
I'm afraid to move

"Of course. Just tell me, Raven." Trust me, Raven. Confide in me, Raven. Love me, Raven.

Robin jumped and whirled around as he felt her presence behind him. His eyes could barely make out the glint of deep purple orbs, the sheen of her silky purple hair...the surging, twisting, lifting feeling was back again, stealing the air from his lungs and leaving his mind a perfect blank. He tried to pull away from her eyes, but they seemed to pin him to the spot, holding him frozen in time. And the strange part was, most of him didn't want to move at all.

"What you would normally call 'wrong' is my everyday 'right', Robin. Things that would be a cause for fear or worry to you are normal to me. You can never understand, Robin. No one can." Her eyes were bitter, acusing, as though he had done something horribly wrong, as though this was all his fault.

A terrible aching spread through his chest, worse than the pain that filled him as he heard her quietly sobbing. He wanted to understand, he wanted it so badly. "Then make me understand, Raven! I want to help you, please let me help you!" He fell silent, realizing he was dangerously close to the edge as his voice filled with desperately suppressed emotion. He always stopped himself, even if he was mere inches from revealing the truth. Something always held him back.

I'm weak, it's true
I'm just scared to know the ending
Do you see me too?
Do you even know you met me?

"Make you understand? I can't 'make' you understand, Robin. You either do or you don't. Which is it?" Raven's eyes bored into him, making him feel as though he was standing beneath a hot light, rather than immersed in darkness.

"Maybe I would understand, if you would talk to me. Maybe you'd find out I know a lot more than you think." Idiot! What are you saying? She's your teammate, you're her leader! You can't tell her about that...you can't tell anyone about that.

Raven looked at him searchingly. "What exactly do you 'know', Robin?"

His mouth went dryer than sand, his heart skipped a beat. What on Earth had he gotten himself into? "I...I, uh..." Talk, idiot! Complete sentences, at least try to act like an intelligent human being!

Raven suddenly frowned, something that Robin took to be scorn playing about her lips. "Just as I thought. You expect me to confide in you, Robin, but you aren't willing to do the same. You're entitled to all the secrets you want, right down to your identity, but we are supposed to lay bare everything for you just because you're our 'leader'. What? Do you just like the control? Does it make you feel powerful, knowing that we have nothing on you? Are you protecting yourself from betrayal? You ask for our trust, and yet you refuse to give it in return."

Robin blinked, shocked at the unexpected attack that Raven had thrown at him. It took him a few minutes to soak it all in, and when he did, he was shocked at just how right she was. It was true, all of it. How could he ask of her what he wouldn't give himself? Shame burned in the pit of his stomach. What kind of a leader was he, to not even trust his own team? "You're right, Raven. About all of it. I was taught, from eight years on, to protect myself. To not trust anyone. To always be suspicious, guarded, ready for attack at any moment. I guess it kind of sticks with a person." He sighed, running his fingers through his hair in exasperatoin."I had no right to ask you for something I wasn't willing to give myself. I'll leave you alone now." He renched his eyes from hers, shoulders drooping slightly as he turned to leave, every particle of him screaming that he should stay.

I've waited all my life to cross this line
To the only thing thats true
So I will not hide
It's time to try anything to be with you
All my life I've waited
This is true

"Robin...wait."

He froze, then turned slowly to face her, shocked at what he had heard, or thought he heard, in her voice.

"It...it doesn't have to be that way. For you, or for me. Maybe we could..." Raven faltered, staring at the ground, or rather, Robin's shoes.

"...Talk?" suggested Robin, a tiny smile playing around his lips. Was it just him, or was this conversation turning around? The nervous feeling in his stomach released a little as he looked at Raven; was that a smile, or just the shadows playing on her face?

I know when I go
I'll be on my way to you
The way that's true

"...All right. So...I guess I'll start?" Raven asked, a little bit of nervousness escaping in her tone.

"Sure...if you want..." That was just fine with him. It would just put off the moment when he would have to spill. Robin realized suddenly that he did trust Raven...at least, if he trusted anyone it would be her. It was just...a bit frightening, telling her things that no one except Bruce and Alfred knew. Raven took his hand, leading him over to a dark corner that turned out to be where the bed was. He sat down nervously beside her, looking at the floor to make it less uncomfortable for her.

Raven took a deep breath, a tiny smile creeping onto her face as she watched him twiddle his thumbs, knowing he was trying to make her feel comfortable. And it just might be working.

I've waited all my life to cross this line
To the only thing thats true
So I will not hide
It's time to try anything to be with you
All my life I've waited

"I was born in a place called Azarath..."

This is true

Well, there it is. Chapter 3...if you guys liked this one, I'll be happy to write a fourth. Review to keep this story going, flame if you must, but expect to be scorned. Constructivecriticism is always welcome. Peace, ya'll! -Dusty