Hello all, yes an update, just for you! Well, actually I suppose it's kinda for me too, since I can't seem to function if I'm not writing…well anyway, hope you enjoy!

Shadow creature: LOL I don't need fancy words, really…if you liked it, I'm happy! Here, have a virtual hug! By the way, nice job on He's Back…getting more and more interesting with every chapter!

Aeris-Raven: LOL well, I don't know about anyone else, but for my purposes, Slade tells everyone that it is all according to plan, because, of course, the first rule about winning anything is to make sure you have the upper hand, and if you don't, pretend you do. Also, it increases the feeling of helplessness, because if it's all been planned out, and you've been playing into his hands all along, why try anymore? Personally, I think Robin has thrown him off more than once in his "master plan", like with the bomb in Aftereffects. True, Slade was expecting something, but Robin sacrificing himself for someone else was totally unexpected to our resident Satan-worshipper. Villains like him just can't grasp sacrificing for the love of someone else…love is just not in Slade's vocabulary, I doubt it ever has been. Um…if Cyborg is making you mad now, I think it's gonna get worse in a minute here…LOL yeah Cyborg is a sucky leader…

Tinkerbellx2: LOL year…decade…century…one of those. LOL no offense, but you are short! I'm 5'7.5"…last I checked. Had a major growth spurt in sixth grade…I swear my skirts were a little shorter every day…Sweet, now I understand your nickname! Nah, I don't mind hearing about stuff…just cuz it's a review doesn't mean you have to stick strictly to story related themes…glad you like it!

Furubafun24: LOL yeah that seems to be one of his talents…lol yeah I've been piling on the tension…I think…who knows, I've written stuff that I thought was royally depressing and had someone find it extremely amusing…so who knows? Who knows anything? LMAO! Yeah for a sec I just stared at the TV in shock, then I felt embarrassed to be watching it…I was kinda prepared tho cuz BB ones are almost always stupid…Thanks!

CloudsHalo: Yeah, I appreciate your input…and well, I believe in giving credit where credit is due. –jaw drops to the ground- WILDABEAST IS SLADE'S SON? WHOA…HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? UGH…I feel sorry for the mother, not only because Slade is the dad but because…well uh yeah. Yeah, it is pretty much inevitable when Slade is involved…I was basically trying to build up the tension until –dun dun dun- there's Slade, "back from the dead". Thanks! LOL who knows? Maybe one of these days I will get you to shed a tear…Don't worry, I'm just kidding. LOL oh yeah…don't worry though, they will most likely not play a huge part in the story…LOL of the characters that are mine, one was an evil, cowardly psychiatrist, two were evil and stupid…not a good combination, and then I have one character that I am actually proud to claim…Oh well…You will soon see…

Strixvaria: Hmm…-looks waaaaaaay down the road to a shiny little sign marked "The End"-…Nah, too far away to tell…

Chica De Ojos Café: ...-inhales, exhales- There are no gay pairings in this story, nor will there be any gay pairings in any story written by me ever ever ever. Out of all the gay pairings that I have heard of, even including Robin/BB, Slade/Robin takes the cake for the most foul, disgusting, and downright terrifying couple ever to be created! If you see any of that implied, it is all in your interpretation…I'll be more careful with my wording from now on. When I said he wanted Robin mind, body, and soul, I simply meant that he wanted to have him fully converted and devoted to his master…not that he wanted to…ugh! No that is not what I was saying…sorry that that is what you heard…Sorry if I am overreacting…Thanks for reading, I'm glad you liked it.

Majestical: ...-bows-…er I mean…–curtsies- Glad you liked it.

Jambey: LOL true, I reserve the Satan nicknames for Slade. LOL yes, it is my way of working myself into my story…I need a bit of fame too you know, what with Robin always getting all the attention. Yeah…the inspiration fairy just visited me…Yeah, she was a rat…Signed, although I take both…what's your username?

The Wings of a Raven: Hmmm…we shall have to see.

AnnFaithDarknessGoddess: LOL I get a fresh supply of demonic story twists every night…Yes, I wanted to bring that into it, especially with the hint in Birthmark about their connection, partly caused by the mind meld…and it also has to do with her love for him of course…she can just sense him…Yes, what with all that's been happening: the team voting him off, all the issues with Slade, the tension between him and Cyborg, she wanted to make sure he knew that she wasn't going anywhere. Yes, he is just plain immortal apparently…if I had pretended that the bomb could take him out that easily, you would have all been skeptical, so that is why I brought him back. Thanks so much for reading!

Spooke: thanks:)

Dark-Magic67: Yeah, that was the idea of bringing Mina into it. Read on, and you shall see!

SOVEREIGN LORD OF CHAOS: Nah, it's no problem. I understand being busy. Thanks for reading!

Umbro Draco: Yeah…I figured it was inevitable, because the bomb just couldn't have killed him, and if he didn't die there's no way he would just live out his life peacefully without bothering the Titans…Well, truthfully, she isn't actually going to do anything…Oh well, you will see in the next chapter most likely. LOL I actually have suffered from writer's block quite a bit lately, mostly with my story Shadow Creature…hopefully the inspiration for this story will keep on flowing. Read on, you will see.

Dannonspring: She would, if he would admit that he needed it or accept it from her… -nervous laugh- Um…that is about to get worse…yeah that was a buttly thing to do. Thanks for reading! I'm really glad you like it!

Elf Fanatic Lark: I hate Slade too, with a vengeance. Yeah it bites that he is immortal…LOL thanks, I like to think of tension as my specialty…Thanks so much for reading!

On with the story!

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Robin woke to the sledgehammer pounding in his head. His body felt water logged, his hand was too heavy to lift for more than a few seconds. He was happy merely to lay still and breathe slowly, hoping to ease the pain in his head. Where he was, what had happened, and how he was going to handle it seemed utterly irrelevant at the moment. As long as no one tried to make him move, he didn't care what happened.

"Oh, don't worry. You don't have to move at all for my purposes. In fact, it's much better this way."

The voice cut through the fog in his brain like a hot knife through butter. He swore, then tried to scream, but all that came out was a muffled groan. His eyes darted around the room, every failure to move bringing terror crashing down around him.

"We can't have you getting upset, Robin. You could hurt yourself."

Robin gasped as he felt his heart instantly slow, an overwhelming wave of nothingness engulfing him. He floated meaninglessly, Slade's voice drifting through his paralyzed mind… "Now just relax. This will be painless."

Raven pounded her fist into the ground, achieving nothing but sore knuckles. There was no way to tell how much time had passed, or even if it was day or night. Slade had decided to leave her in this spacious, dark room, chained to the floor and devoid of her abilities. There had been no sight of Robin, not since he was dragged through that door. She tried not to let herself imagine what was happening to him, but she couldn't keep painful images from flashing before her eyes every now and then. She had never been this helpless before in her life. Robin was at the mercy of Slade, the Titans had turned their backs on him, and there was absolutely nothing she could do to save him…or herself. It was quite difficult to think of how things could possibly be worse…

Raven groaned. She couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it sooner! She dug for her communicator, praying that Slade had left it with her… "Yes! That's the first thing that's gone right in weeks!", she murmured, calling her friends.

"Cyborg here. What's the scoop?" There was a hushed silence on his end, then he muttered, "Raven? Where have you been? Where are you?"

"I don't have time to explain. Trace the signal. Get here as soon as you can. When you get in, try to find Robin!" She stopped as static crackled through the still air.

"What?…can't hear…where…" Nothing but static.

She swore, slamming her communicator into the concrete. That was her last hope. Her only link to the outside world, cut.

Dim light flooded the room, and she squinted towards it to see that the door had opened. She held her breath, tension building as someone or somethingshe couldn't quite see entered the room. There was a muffled thump, then the thing turned and left, taking the scarce light with it.

Raven stared uncertainly into the darkness. "Robin?", she whispered. When there was no response, she took a deep breath, and tried again. "Robin? Is that you?"

There was a muffled groan from somewhere in the shadows. "Ugh…Raven?" His voice was strangely slow and garbled, like a recording being played below normal speed.

She exhaled in relief. "I'm here. What happened? Are you all right?"

"I…I don't…know…", he mumbled.

Raven frowned. "What do you mean you don't know? What did he do? What happened?" Raven tried to crawl towards his voice, but the chain stopped her progress. When he didn't respond, her anxiety grew. "Robin! What happened?"

"I…I'm so…tired…where are you? Where are you, Raven?"

"I'm right here! Follow my voice!" Her heart was thumping uncomfortably in her chest. There was a scratching noise, like cloth on concrete, then a quiet moan. "I'm tired, Raven…"

"What happened? What did he do?" The panic coursing through would normally have caused an impressive explosion, but not now. Without her powers, she was both free and imprisoned. "Robin, say something! Just let me know you're all right!"

"Helped me build the R-cycle…took it out for the first time…turned too fast…flipped…broke my arm…"

Raven stared into the darkness that Robin's voice permeated from. "What?"

"Raven…tried to talk to her…stayed in her room for weeks…Malchior…hurt her…wasn't there…why wasn't I there?"

Her confusion increased ten fold. These must be random memories from Robin's past…but…why was he telling her this? Something was very wrong. "Robin, can you move? Try to crawl towards me."

"It's so…so mixed up. I didn't want to tell him, Raven…I didn't want to tell him…"

"Tell him?" She could almost feel her blood chilling. The same question kept spinning around and around in her mind. "What did he do?"

"Hurt…it hurt so bad…Raven…she came for me…and we…we…Raven?"

"What the…" What was going on? What did Slade do to him?

"I feel so weird…It's dark…", he said, as though he had just noticed. "Why is it so dark? Where are you?"

Raven swore under her breath. She crawled forward, stretching as far as she could towards his voice. "Robin, just crawl towards me! It's not far, just follow my voice!" She felt around in the dark, desperate for something solid to prove that he was all right. Her fingertips grazed cloth, and she gritted her teeth, ignoring the pain in her ankle as she stretched even more, grabbing a handful of his shirt. "Come on, just crawl this way." He almost seemed…drugged. Her stomach cringed in fear.

"Ok…", he mumbled, as he slowly began to inch forward. She kept a firm hold on his shirt, guiding him through the darkness until he was beside her.

"Do you know what happened?", Raven asked, her voice calm and steady.

"I…I'm not sure." His words were becoming less slurred and more understandable. "Slade…he must have…" He turned towards Raven, his mask glowing eerily in the darkness. "Why are you here? You should be with the Titans."

Raven sighed. "I didn't really have much of a choice. Slade…he's found a way to suppress my powers. Without them, there's not much I can do, at least not when I'm chained to the floor."

Robin tensed. "He brought you here because of me, didn't he?" Raven didn't have to answer, he already knew. "Once again, Robin is a failure. Dragging his friends into danger. Being caught and toyed with by Slade over and over again. Losing, again and again. I'm a crappy leader…Oh wait, I'm not even that anymore."

Raven frowned at the tone of his voice. He didn't sound like Robin anymore, at least, not the Robin she knew. "What's gotten into you? Don't you realize, Slade isn't doing this to you, you're doing it to yourself! Every time you admit defeat, he wins! Can't you see that?"

Robin's mask glared at her through the shadows. "Whether I admit it or not, Slade always wins. I've tried, Raven, don't you get that? I've tried so hard, I've done everything I can think of, and he still wins! I'm tired, Raven! I can't try anymore!"

Slade's words echoed through her mind… "However, such a great goal must be accomplished in small steps. Those steps have been carried out, one by one, each successful in its own way. Just a little farther, Raven, and he shall be mine." She tilted his head upwards, a bit awkwardly due to her cuffed hands, until their eyes met. "Robin, I will not let you give up. When I thought it was too hard, when I felt defeated, who was there to pull me up again? Who was there telling me to keep going, no matter what? Consider this as returning the favor."

Robin was silent, his eyes fixed on Raven's. Her words were strangely comforting, and he felt a new strength flowing through his veins. He couldn't give up, he wouldn't leave Raven alone again. "You've done so much for me. What have I ever done for you? What have I ever done to deserve you?"

Raven smiled in the dark, her thumb stroking his cheek absently. "You don't have to do anything, Robin." She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head on his shoulder and sighing contentedly. It felt so good to be near him again, to feel his arms around her, after so many hours of fearand uncertainty. In this moment, she didn't care where she was or what Slade had in store for her, if she could just be near him for one more moment…

Robin was almost afraid to hold her this close. He was fooling himself, chasing a dream that could never be, not while Slade drew breath. If he ever found out about their…feelings, the consequences were too horrible to even imagine. The more he loved her, the more he endangered her. "If I really love her, I'll leave her alone…" But then he heard Raven's small contented sigh, and all resistance left him. He kissed the top of her head, leaned back against the wall, and held her close to his heart. Tomorrow would take care of itself. Now, there was only tonight.

0

Cyborg carefully snipped the wire.

"What? Raven, I can't hear you! Where are you?" Cyborg had a strange smile on his lips. "Hello? Woops, looks like I lost her. Oh well, I'm sure "Rae" and "Wonder Boy" can figure it out on their own." He carelessly tossed the ruined communicator, turning towards his bedroom door. "I'm starving! Hey, B, wanna have some waffles?"

0

Mina tried to scream for help, but the gag in her mouth stood in the way. Luckily, that was not her only escape plan.

While the goons were tying her bonds, she had tensed her arms, holding her fists as far apart as she could without being noticed. This was a little trick she had learned from a fellow street rat; you couldn't survive on the streets without knowing a little self-defense. She relaxed her arms, feeling the rope go slack. Slowly, she slipped one of her small wrists out of the loop of rope, and the other soon followed. Mina was free in no time.

She stood there, eyes turned inward, rubbing her wrists subconsciously. All the emotions and questions running through her mind were turning her brain to mush. Who were those guys? What did they want with him? Where were they taking him? Could this have anything to do with that guy he had mentioned…S something? And, most of all, how was she going to help him? For she couldn't just forget about him, abandon him to whatever fate those bruisers had in store for him. She didn't really know why, but…she cared about him somehow.

With that thought, Mina raced for the door, knowing they would be long gone by now. She had no idea where they were going or what they were doing to him, and she had to admit that things looked pretty bleak.

"Come on! Think, who can you go to for help?" Not the police, that was for sure. Even if they did ignore her ragged clothes and listen to her story, they would never believe it, much less send out a search party to look for some "criminal". In this city, being an orphaned teenager was punishable by law. But then, who could she go to?

Mina smacked her forehead in exasperation. "Duh! You'd think their theme song would be enough to get the point across!" She needed the Titans, surely they could help her! They never turned away a plea for help, never left a crime uninvestigated. If anyone could do anything for her now, it would be them. "Better get a move on, it's gonna take you a while to get there in this storm!"

Yeah, I know that was a bit short…review, please! I'll try to update very soon!

-Lord of the Dust