Ok, it seems from the general consensus that chapter 8 was better. I'm glad to hear it and hopefully this one will as good as the last. Ok, now here is some bad news…some very bad news…I am just a chapter away from doing something that will make you all sharpen your pitchforks and hunt me down like the animal I am. So…um…are you feeling merciful? Should I risk it?

Hollywoodstarsandeyes: Yay! I'm glad that it please you! I bite my nails, but only when I'm nervous or stressed. LOL blueberry waffles are kucky…at least the ones I've tried…hmmm…you will most likely find out next chapter. Well, I suppose simply because (in my mind) Raven has probably pulled this kind of stunt before, and she is a lot more to her self…well, so is Robin now, but all his issues make them immediately be more worried about him than Raven, though they are worried about her too….basically they are floundering without a leader to guide them. Yeah…he was impatient, which is fairly unusual for him. When he gets sick of it, he will stoop to the lowest and oldest tricks in the book to get the job done. He was tired of being thwarted by Robin…Like, if you have read the Harry Potter books, at first Voldemort was oh so precise and calculating and slow about things, then when Harry escapes in the fourth book, he gets angry. So when they meet in the fifth book, he is just plain done, and decides to just dispose of Harry in the simplest way possible. LOL happy to contribute to the suffering students everywhere. Lol it was really no problem, it was good, I liked it! Hmm…as far as I know, being hard on myself is basically ingrained in my character…lol it's the first thing you'd notice if you ever met me in person. I'll keep my whining to a bare minimum though, for your sake.  Warm fuzzies all around! Thanks, it means a lot.

Ravenrocs4eva: LOL I'm amazed…thank you all the same.

Dark-Magic67: -blinks- Thanks, yeah I hate Slade too. Uh…thanks so much 

Dominic Monaghan is mine: LOL I think we can all agree with that statement.

CloudsHalo: Whoa…well I'm glad you are pleased once again. LOL more like a ditch than a snag, but I get your point. You will soon see. You will probably find out in the next chapter. Hope this one is good as well…

Lady briallen: Uh… -gulp- yeah about that…

CelticHeiressFiona: LOL lets all kill Slade and Cyborg.

KatieMichelleBell: Ok. I'll keep writing as long as you guys still like it.

Aeris-Raven: Ok, I changed it, and now it is Insanity 101 s you can see. It's what I wanted originally but it wouldn't let me have the numbers. Um…if you hate him now… Uh, you're going to find out soon. LOL you're doing your own theme music? …sorry, couldn't resist an Emperors New Groove quote… LOL.

Mystyre: Yeah I like them, especially Artemis Fowl…those books are so dang cool. If I could find a decent idea I'd write and AF fic. LOL yeah…same here. My mind doesn't have many tracks, and Robin has one all to himself, if you get the picture. I'm really glad you like my stuff…I write it because it's basically the outlet for all my Teen Titans obsessing…if I can make something decent at the same time, wonderful. LOL don't mind me, I just have some confidence issues…you'd think they'd be easy to get rid of, but they're not.

AnnFaithDarknessGoddess: Nah it's fine, I understand getting busy. Glad you liked them. Yeah, obvious is my middle name. Yeah, he has been a crappy one so far. Thanks!

Raven of the night 676: Well, I was going to, but think about it. All Slade would have to do is push a few buttons, find out the name was fake, then come back and most likely kill Raven out of rage. Robin just wasn't willing to take that risk…not to mention his mind being screwed up from the drugs and the fact that he had (literally) five seconds to make a decision. Other than those reasons, it was necessary to the plot line. Glad you liked it.

Mystic water goddess: -sigh- You know, there's a reason why I state the story pairing in the story summary: so that if you don't like that pairing, you will go find a sappy star/rob story to occupy your time with. Now, I won't come into your territory and bad mouth your pairing, so please, show the same consideration for me.

Aimlessshadow: Lol sorry, it was a particularly nasty one eh? I think this one is even worse though…

Tinkerbellx2: Lol it's fine. Yeah, it's kinda funny watching them all hyperventilate…It was a joke, people. Just a joke. Thanks!

Chica De Los Ojos Café: LOL exactly, that is exactly the way Slade set it up. Don't we all?

Raeandrob4eva:0 I do believe that is the first time I have ever seen someone use the words Slade and beautiful in the same sentence. If I can make him beautiful, I think I can do just about anything. LOL!

The Wings of a Raven:  Muchos gracias…lol I don't even know if I spelled that right… -sigh-

Furubafun24: -blush- Thanks! LOL it's one of life's hard questions. 

Majestical: Well I meant my name…sorry didn't specify. Think the name of the story is pretty much fixed.

Devon Masterson-Bond: LOL yeah I know it's messed up….messed up is my writing style.

Umbro Draco: LOL yeah I seem to go around dropping loose strings, then I try to tie them all into the plot in the last chapter. Encouraging words…but I have tried my best and failed many times. Thank you…I'm sorry. Pay no mind to my whining…LOL interesting…

Ok so here goes nothing. On With The Story!

-

Slade dragged her down the hallway, lit every few feet by a dim light bulb. She could hear Robin screaming, his voice echoing eerily in the old, empty building. "Let…me…GO!"

"If you don't stop struggling, I'll 'let you go' off a very tall building." He stopped for a moment, listening to Robin's shrieks with a smirk on his lips. All this effort, all this failure, attempt after attempt to bend this boy to his will, and now, here he was, giving in, broken, willing to do whatever he was told. So simple, the boy's weakness…why hadn't he seen it before?

"RAVEN!"

Her blood chilled, a shiver ran up her spine…his voice was enough to bring tears to her eyes. He was terrified, desperate, full of hatred for himself…he was calling for her, begging for her. And she could not go! "Haven't you done enough to him? Aren't you satisfied yet? Why can't you just leave him alone?"

Slade merely chuckled, and suddenly veered to the left, shoving open a door and pulling Raven inside. The room most likely had the best lighting in the entire building. There was a small, threadbare couch, a straight-backed chair, and a thin, semi clean mattress in the corner. "I hope you like it, because this is going to be your home for a very long time." He turned to leave, then called back over his shoulder, "Oh, and if you could scream in agony every now and then, I would greatly appreciate it."

"Would you like some coffee, Master Wayne?"

Bruce glanced up from the photo in his hands. "Oh…yes…thank you, Alfred."

Alfred's eyes swept over his face, taking in his slightly ruffled hair and the frown on his lips. "Something troubling you, Sir?"

Bruce's eyes wandered back to the picture, lingering on the young boy's face. He was smiling, his eyes scrunched up and twinkling as he held up his new skateboard proudly. Whatever happened to him?

A gusty sigh ruffled the papers on his desk as he tore his eyes away and looked up at Alfred. "Nothing serious, it's just…" He rubbed his eyes, trying to put the feeling into words. "I'm worried about Dick. He hasn't called in two weeks, and…I just have a bad feeling."

Alfred nodded solemnly. "Would you care to phone him, Sir?"

Bruce sighed again. "I would, but…every time I try to check on him, he gets offended. I suppose he thinks I don't trust him."

"Does he have reason to, Sir?"

Bruce frowned. "How can he expect me to trust him, when every time I've tried to, he gets himself in trouble! He's fifteen, Alfred! He's not old enough to look after himself!"

"How old were you, Master Bruce?"

He froze as Alfred's words hit home. "That's hardly the same. I didn't have a choice, he has me."

"Does he know that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Master Dick needs to know that you are behind him, Sir. He needs your trust, but not just that." Alfred's knowing eyes stared into Wayne's. "He needs your love. He needs to know that he is more than just Batman's sidekick, but also Bruce Wayne's son."

Bruce blinked, shocked at the truth in Alfred's words. "You're right…" He chuckled. "How do you do it?"

Alfred cracked a smile. "Practice, Sir. Practice."

Bruce nodded, then abruptly returned to his professional manner. "Hold all my calls please, Alfred."

"Very good, Sir."

Bruce took a deep breath, swiveling in his chair and staring at the phone. He had spent so much time learning to suppress his emotions that showing them at all was nearly impossible. There was no doubt in his mind that he loved Dick like his own son…he just didn't show it much. Pulling on his mask, he picked up the phone, pushed a single button, and fixed his eyes on the screen. Before long, the half-robot, Cyborg, appeared. "What do you—" He stopped abruptly, staring at Batman with wide eyes.

"Well, it's nice to see you, too. I need to speak with Robin." Batman frowned as Cyborg turned green. "He is there, isn't he?"

Cyborg finally managed to speak. "Uh…well…he's not here, uh, right now."

Batman's stomach clenched, and his voice became anything but pleasant. "Where is he?"

Cyborg looked at the ground. "I don't know where he is, but I'm sure he's fine."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Because he left! Took off! Last I checked, I wasn't Robin's babysitter! That's your job!"

Batman glared. "Let me talk to Raven."

Cyborg remained silent.

"Not there either?" He struggled to keep his voice calm. "Thank you for your time." Batman terminated the link without waiting for a response.

One side of his mind told him he was overreacting. For all he knew, the two lovebirds had simply gone out on a date, and Robin made Cyborg swear on pain of death to keep it quiet. Absolutely possible, even logical…so why did he still have that horrible feeling in his gut? "Maybe I'll just try back la—"

A loud crash drifted up from the first floor. Bruce was on his feet and racing down the hallway, his mind going a hundred miles per hour. Several possibilities ran through his mind, but none of them were even close to the truth.

Slade-bots were flooding the entrance hall, marching across what had been the huge double doors. A quick glance to his left revealed Alfred, picking off robots with a gun that looked much too big for him. He was down the marble staircase and in the fray in a matter of seconds. A spinning kick here, an uppercut there; sparks and spare parts flew through the air as he fell into the rhythm of a familiar routine, forgetting all else as he made short work of his unexpected visitors. He didn't stop until only one robot remained. He drew back his fist to finish it, but suddenly, it reached up and removed its faceplate, revealing a small screen. It flickered, then the cold, metal face of someone he hoped to never see again came into view.

"Ah, Batman. So nice to see you."

In one stride he was barely an inch from the screen. I wish I could say the same for you."

Slade chuckled coldly, his gray eye glinting with malice. "Glad to see you haven't lost your sense of humor since we last met. I really hate to be so blunt with you, Batman, but here are the facts. I have something of yours, and, if you ever want to see it again, you will follow my instructions to the letter."

His stomach clenched in dread, but he kept his face calm and unaffected. "Something of mine?"

Slade's eye narrowed. "See for yourself." His image disappeared, to be replaced with…Batman felt a wave of nausea sweep over him until he all but gagged. Robin…hunched over on the ground, maskless eyes wide with horror, hands gripping the sides of his head, knuckles bloody. He was gone, and Slade appeared once again.

"I can understand if you don't want him. He isn't in the best condition at the moment. I believe you pride yourself on perfection?"

Batman growled threateningly, a fierce glare fixed on Slade. "What have you done to him?"

"Enough", he smirked. "So, do you want him or not?"

Fury and fear raged through him, not to mention an extreme hatred for the miserable excuse for a human being before him. He had crossed the line this time! "Where is he?"

"I'll take that as a yes." He gave Batman quick directions to their meeting place. "Come alone, or Robin…well, you're an intelligent man. I'm sure you get the idea." The screen went black.

Batman smashed his fist through the robot before it could fall to the ground, his eyes narrowed in a glare. The image of Robin burned before his eyes as though he was still staring at it. The look on his face…what had Slade done to hurt him so badly? That stare…it was the look of defeat, surrender. Robin never gave up! He hated losing, even when it came to a peaceful game of Scrabble. What could have possibly broken him?

He almost instantly felt a wave of guilt. This was Dick! How could he be so calm about this? He was analyzing him as though he was just another project that needed work. "I believe you pride yourself on perfection?" "He needs to know that he is more than just Batman's sidekick, but also Bruce Wayne's son." Why hadn't he seen it before? Dick's pride wouldn't allow him to show his hurt, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. He had been blind, and now…now he might not get a chance to make it up to him.

"Something is down with Cyborg."

Beast Boy nodded. "Definitely…but I think you mean up."

Starfire blushed slightly. "Oh, yes…of course."

"He's been such a crab lately, ever since he became the new leader. Even Robin wasn't this bad!"

Star flinched at the mention of their lost friend. She was having almost nightly dreams about him, and none of them were good. "I have a strong feeling that the boy that girl described was indeed friend Robin."

Beast Boy nodded solemnly. "It must have been him…but why didn't Cyborg believe her? Why does he want to stop us from looking for him? Do you think those guys that came looking for him have anything to do with this?" A rare frown tugged at the corners of his mouth. "What if he's back in that…asylum?"

"I do not wish to think of such things." Star absentmindedly bit her lip, a worried frown fixed to her face. "We must find Robin, for he is surely in danger. He needs our help, and we shall give it, regardless of what friend Cyborg says!"

Starfire stared in confusion at the look of shock on Beast Boy's face. Then a cold metal hand clamped down on her shoulder, spinning her around until she was looking up into a cold, red eye.

"I hate to do this, guys, but you just can't seem to take a hint."

Horrible cliffhanger, I know. And I sincerely apologize. Um…so are you feeling merciful? Will you kill me if I do what I'm planning on doing? Let me know… -Dusty