A/N: Chapter 4 and this is one was honestly a strange one for me to write. On a personal note, I don't particularly like Robin. However, I am not dense enough to think that Robin would do something like kick BB off the team without a valid reason (or whatever a valid reason is in his mind) so because of that, this chapter came into being. Time for Robin to do some explaining.
Respond to Reviewers
Raidersrule76 - Hmmmm...depends on the mood I'm in when I write the end. Probably not, but hey...ya never know.
LadyMaundrell - Heh...I do that a lot in my writing. However, it doesn't stay that way. Read and find out why.
GIRL IN STORY - You liked the way I portrayed Raven's feelings? Jeez...I thought it was overdone, the whole 'what the hell is wrong with me?' thing kind of bugged me when I wrote it, but I guess it wasn't so bad. Oh and thanks!
John Steppenwolf - What's scary is I think the same way about Robin.
iamhollywood - No worries, next chapter is dedicated to Cyborg and you'll find out stuff that have been brought up in this chapter and the last one.
keri2004 - Nope, not going to happen. I know it'd seem very likely, but I have something else in mind for BB.
lovex3spell - Nope, dont have to wait that long for this chapter. Actually I kind of wanted to get this one out pretty quick because I felt everyone deserves an explanation for Robin's actions.
Me! - I dont quite consider Robin an ass, but he does hold some qualities to make me not like the guy.
dragonlore - Yeah, it did suck, and yes it did make me feel better. Thank you very much.
Disclaimer - Don't own it and have almost gotten over that fact.
Chapter 4 ------ It Was For The Team
An hour after Beast Boy left
Whereas Cyborg and Raven seemed almost dead after Beast Boy left, Robin was completely active. Yet he did not use that energy in a way one would normally expect of the Boy Wonder. Train, train, and then train some more would be his normal routine, but in this case all he did…was pace. Pace and think, pace and think. It was like he was stuck in a loop. His thoughts wouldn't leave the situation at hand and no matter how he tried to justify it, a new argument would pop up in his head to have justified not forcing Beast Boy off the team.
'He was dangerous, it had to be done.'
'But he has been trying to keep himself under control ever since the incident.'
'What if he still changed and ended up attacking an innocent person?'
'He has shown very few signs of not being in control.'
'But still. Because of that…thing…he was a danger to everyone around him.'
'Raven has the same problem yet you've never gotten onto her case about it.'
'That's different though. Raven can control it. Beast Boy…'
Robin's thoughts were interrupted by a light knock on his door. "Robin…open up. We need to talk." 'Great…why is Cyborg here?' Although Robin was loathe to admit it, he was almost glad that someone had ended his train of thought before it made him doubt what he had done. "Come on man…open the door." Once again, lost in his own thoughts, Robin had completely forgotten to open the door. Without wasting anymore time, Robin slid the door open.
"What is it Cyborg? I'm really busy and…"
"Why did you do it?"
Robin was surprised by the directness of Cyborg's question. That and the fact that he was interrupted really annoyed the Boy Wonder. "If you're referring to kicking Beast Boy off the team then we already went over that after the fight with Cinderblock. He always gets hurt in fights, he can never pay attention to anything other than video games and whatever he is eating, plus the fact that he could go mental on us and transform into the beast at any given moment." Robin spoke in a very no-nonsense tone. He believed in everything he was saying and his resolve wouldn't be shaken. 'Why is Cyborg bringing this up anyway? He didn't argue with me before about it.'
"All of those problems could have been fixed by just working at it. You didn't have to kick him off the team!" Robin silently thanked that he kept his mask on at all times because at that moment his eyes were wide eyed with astonishment and a hint of fear. When Robin had brought up the topic earlier, Cyborg had not put up much resistance to the idea. Sure he didn't endorse it, but he never really fought against it either. 'Wait a minute…that's right he didn't fight back before.'
"Hang on Cyborg. You didn't seem to care when I told you about this before so why now?"
"I didn't think you'd actually do it! How was I supposed to know that you'd actually kick him off the team?"
"I said I'd do it unless you had any objections and you didn't say a thing! What did you think I was going to do?"
A silence drifted between the two as Cyborg thought of an answer for Robin's question. 'Hah! I knew that'd work.' He was expecting Cyborg to back down and give up. He was expecting Cyborg to do anything other than what he did. Robin didn't even comprehend what Cyborg had done until he was flat on his back, on the far side of his room. Cyborg had punched him across the room.
"He was my friend Robin! He was all of ours friends, but you could never see that. You could never see past that one single event that happened with those damn chemicals. Ever since that day you've completely forgotten the Boy part of his name. You said you did this for the team, but you're just lying to yourself. All you're doing is trying to prove yourself right because all he has done is prove you wrong." Without another word Cyborg left the room. Not so silent curses directed at Robin could be heard growing softer and softer as Cyborg finally disappeared down the corner.
And through it all Robin stayed where he was, absorbing everything that Cyborg was saying and trying his hardest to prove him wrong. It was as if a light bulb had clicked in Robin's head and a wave of guilt crashed into him as he slowly started to realize what he had done was wrong. Yet Robin is a stubborn one and admitting defeat is something that doesn't come naturally to him.
"It was for the team…it was…for the team…it…was…for…the…team." He continued to say it over and over, but the conviction seemed to slowly die away with each time he said it until there was nothing left but his own guilt. "It was…for me."
Admitting defeat was always hard for someone like Robin, but there is something much harder than that. Dealing with the consequences of ones actions. Unfortunately, the consequences of this action affect much more than just himself. He had told himself that it was for the team, but in the end his actions to help the team only hurt it much more deeply than he could have imagined.
