September 24th arrived earlier than anyone had expected and guests, superhero and civilian alike, had started showing up without warning. Cain was groggily greeting the guests as they entered the living room from the elevator. It had taken more of Abel's threats to break him; no one knew what these were, but Cain always left their meeting area with a deathly pale face. Cain's façade was so convincing he even found himself enjoying the gathering; the food was exceptionally better than anything he had had back home and the beverages were much like some he had in Zynthos. He looked at the green bottle in his hand and took another drink. He looked around and found the other residents of the tower talking with other guests as well. The Tamaranian Starfire was fraternizing with one called Aqualad while his twin brother watched from where he talked with a civilian girl. The blonde girl, Terra, sat with the obnoxious green one, Beast Boy while he attempted to woo her with an annoying accent. His antics made her giggle and slap at him playfully. Cain searched the room for his sister and her lover and found them in the middle of the room on the dance-floor the one called Cyborg had set up. They were currently performing a dance called the Tango. Cain watched as they moved about the floor in unison, smiling at each other. He looked up at Cyborg selecting large black discs at a table of some sort surrounded by large boxes from which the music originated. Cain once again sought his brother out. He found him sitting on the couch with the red-haired girl and another girl sitting next to him, talking to them, trying hard to keep his eyes away from Starfire. Cain made his way through the crowd and plopped down in front of the trio. He held up his promise and attempted to sound as if he had been here for the past two years.

"Great party, no?" said as he plastered on a smile and held up his beverage. They all stared at him. "What?" he said and belched.

"Last I checked you just turned fifteen. Not twenty-one." Abel said.

"Excuse me?" he said.

"How many of those have you had?" Abel pointed at the bottle in his hand. Cain squinted at the label that read 'Heineken'.

"I lost count around five… Why?"

"That's alcohol. We neglected mentioning that, obviously. You're a few years under the drinking age. I don't even want to know how we got them."

"How long has he been here?" The black haired one asked.

"A month or so."

"And you never mentioned alcohol to him?"

"Well, he doesn't get out much. Occasional patrol is all the time he's had outside." Abel replied nonchalantly.

"Why?" the other girl asked.

"He's agoraphobic. He's really not much of a people person. Unless he's drunk obviously." The two girls laughed at this and Cain wondered if these two entirely sane.

"What are the effects of this alcohol?" Cain asked, suddenly interested.

"Grogginess, vomiting, fatigue…" he paused as he tried to think of something else. "A sudden urge to be stupid…" the girls laughed at this. "And given our increased constitution, five beers isn't enough to get you drunk." He said pointedly.

'Drunk?' Cain inquired telepathically.

'Intoxicated. The state of the side effects I mentioned.'

'Ah! You mean traxis!'

'Sure.'

"Bah. I said I lost count at five," Cain stated, "not interest." He began to take another drink but felt the bottle pulled from his grasp. He looked up at Abel as he downed the remainder of the drink and set the bottle on the table.

"Don't make it a habit." He said as he relaxed in the couch. Cain produced a package from his pocket and held it up.

"And what are these?" he asked.

"Cigarettes. Where the hell did you get those?" Abel replied as he relinquished Cain of the package.

"Some boy that dressed in black. He had a skull on his shirt. What do these things do?"

"Kill you very slowly." He said seriously. The girls still laughed. Now, Cain was sure they were 'drunk'.

"How do they work?"

"You light them, stick them in your mouth, breathe in, and kill yourself." He said in disgust. He watched as the drunken women collapsed on the floor in hysterics.

"They are like the ceremonial pipes of Zynthos?" Cain said as he watched the girls writhe on the floor in inappropriate mirth.

"If you say so…" Abel said with a sigh and his eyes drifted around the room, searching for Starfire. Cain sighed as the emotions washed over him.

"I know how you feel." He said with uncharacteristic softness. Abel looked at him with hooded eyes.

"Oh?" he replied with interest.

"I can feel the emotion pouring off of you like the waterfalls of Mizar. I don't sympathize, but I know what you are feeling. You did what was necessary to protect this girl's sanity. Even if it cost you your claims on her." Cain said.

"You really are drunk, aren't you?" Abel said with a smirk. Cain burst out laughing and doubled over. Abel laughed as he watched his drunken brother collapse with the girls that had been flirting with him.

"What is going on?"

Still laughing, Abel looked at his sister and Robin.

"He's drunk!" he exclaimed and fell on his side laughing.

"Are you?" Robin asked. Abel shook his head and tried to calm down.

"He came over here with a pack of cigarettes and a beer and I explained to him what they were-" he laughed. "Then these two started laughing. Then he started laughing. Now- I can't stop!" he held his stomach and doubled over. Raven watched them frowning in thought.

"Abel, hey, listen to me. Abel!" she slapped him. He blinked and looked at her.

"Ow." He said.

"You need to sober him up. Take him into the bathroom and- don't start again- take him into the bathroom use this." She waved her hand and a vial of green liquid appeared. Abel nodded, took the vial, and hefted his brother up. He left the room and turned the corner. Raven watched him disappear then turned to Robin. "I'm worried about him."

"He said he wasn't drunk." Robin replied with a shrug.

"Not that. I'm talking about the thing with Starfire. I don't think he's handling it very well."

"You and I both know he wouldn't openly admit that.

"I know… I just wish there was something we could do for him…"

"We just need to give him some time." Robin pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead.

TT

Abel examined the liquid and glanced at his brother sitting on the toilet. He shrugged and removed the cork. The powerful fumes escaped and brought tears to his eyes. Abel held the vial under Cain's nose and waved it. Cain jolted and looked around frantically.

"What the Cruxid have you done to me?" he asked blearily. Abel replaced the cork and tucked the vial in the roll of his sleeve.

"How's your head?" Abel asked, ignoring the question.

"I am fine." Cain replied irritably. "What about the… party, correct?"

"Everything's fine."

"But, you are not."

"No." Abel sighed and looked down at the floor.

"Do you wish to discuss it?" Abel looked up at his brother suspiciously.

"Are you still drunk?"

"No. Do not think that this is an act of kindness. I am tired and wish to retire, but I cannot do so with your emotions so unstable. Now, speak."

"I don't know where to start…" Abel said with a sigh.

"Do you regret it?" Cain stood from the toilet and floated with his legs crossed.

"Regret it? No. I just… I just can't help but think how she would react if she ever found out the truth…"

"You are absolutely certain of your decision?" Though he would deny it, Abel felt a twinge of concern from his brother.

"Yeah. I'd rather she were sane and not mine than insane and not mine. I mean, it's not like I'd abandon her if she ever went off the deep end… I just don't know if I could bear to see her like that…" Abel looked into the mirror and stared into it, unseeing.

"You are calm now. I am going to my bed." Cain said and drifted toward the door. Abel looked at his brother's retreating form and sighed.

"Thanks, for listening…" he said in a tone that suggested that he knew his brother had not been listening.

"It was no trouble." He replied and continued.

"You were listening?"

"Yes, brother, I was." Without another word Cain left Abel alone in the bathroom. Abel smiled and walked to the toilet to relieve himself.

TT

"Where are Cain and Abel?" Beast Boy asked as he and Terra approached Robin and Raven.

"I was wondering that myself." Said a deep voice to their left. The four of them turned toward the ominous form of Batman. "Where are the Birthday Boys?" Robin stood and smiled at him.

"Batman." Batman smiled a tight unpracticed smile.

"Richard." Beast Boy furrowed his eyebrows.

"Richard?" he asked. Robin looked at him with concern.

"I don't think he stuttered. Did you stutter?" he asked Batman.

"I don't believed I did." He replied seriously. Beast Boy snapped into a stiff position and saluted.

"No, Batman, sir. I wasn't suggesting you did. Robin's never told us his real name."

"You've never told them your name?"

"She knows." He said pointing at Raven. Something in his stomach told him he shouldn't have said that.

"Oh? And why is it that she knows and the others don't?" Batman asked calmly.

"I was going to tell them… I just never came around to it." Robin replied just as calmly. Batman raised an eyebrow in amusement.

"You've grown up." As he said this, a boy with spiked black hair, wearing a red, yellow, and black costume showed up with a soda and a bag of chips. "This is Timothy. Tim, Richard. Richard, Tim." Richard held his hand out to the other boy. Tim fumbled with his bag and can and managed to extend his own hand.

"Richard." He said through a mouthful of chips.

"Tim." Richard replied with a smirk.

"Tim." Tim turned around as Abel walked up to them.

"This is Abel," Raven said. "Where's Cain?"

"Bed." Tim held out his hand.

"Abel."

"Tim. Batman."

"Abel."

"Cyborg."

"Hey, guys. What's up? Holy crap…" Cyborg said as he saw Batman. Batman nodded curtly.

"Great party, huh?" Abel said exuberantly. Raven looked at him with concern.

"Abel, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. I was just talking with Cain before he went to bed. Then as I was walking back, I saw Starfire and Aqualad going at it in the hallway. They make such a cute couple don't you think?" He replied with an incredibly large smile.

"Is he okay?" Tim asked.

"He's fine. He gets like this when he's had too much sugar." Robin replied quickly. "He just needs to get some rest." He said pointedly. Abel nodded and turned around.

"Sleep, right. I'll go to sleep. Maybe I'll see Aqualad on the way and I can give him a good kick in the teeth." he mumbled as he walked away.

"So… who wants cake?" Beast Boy asked.