Old memories surfaced, seemingly consuming Richard Grayson as his masked eyes gazed at the familiar walls of the Batcave. Everything was just as he remembered it. The occasional chirp of a nearby bat brought comfort to him in the cold, the beeping of security sensors beat out a warming song; as his gaze shifted to his previous master, the young boy was slightly shocked to see what the man was standing before.
Robin pushed himself off the bed he had been placed in and walked slowly toward the dark knight. Old arguments flashed before his eyes, the sound of their voices merging into a raving shout as their differences broke free. The Titan blinked rapidly to erase the tarnished memories before turning his gaze to the glass case next to his old partner.
It was his Robin suit.
"You still have that old thing?" the boy whispered without gazing at the man next to him.
"Consider it a sort of memorial, a tribute to you to commemorate the justice we brought to Gotham together."
Robin laughed. Batman hadn't changed a bit, he still had a hint of philosophy behind his words, his voice was still dark and intimidating, and he was still the same old packrat when it came to memories of the past.
"Haven't found a new sidekick yet?" Robin spoke as his voice took a hint of mockery.
"I work with the Justice League," the man solemnly murmured. "For now, there is no need for a Robin in Gotham City."
A knot formed in the raven-haired teen as Batman's words sunk in. Though the comment was only meant to state a fact, Robin couldn't help but feel as if his pride was being torn apart. The sensations of being unneeded, inadequate, and undermined were all too familiar to him. He had to find some way of diverting to flow of their conversation.
"Where is Starfire?" the boy muttered coldly.
Batman sighed before turning and walking away, his black cape flowing behind him. Robin followed the man's path with his eyes and soon realized the knight was aiming to sit before his main computer system. Insignificant. Unwanted. That was all Robin could feel as Batman took a seat with his back to the boy.
"I had Alfred take care of her once your condition worsened," the dark warrior's voice resonated. "She hasn't regained consciousness, but her wounds are healing nicely. She should make a full recovery in a few days. She's in the first room on the left side of the hall."
Robin didn't even say a word before allowing his steel-toed boots to carry him down the corridors of the cave. The familiarity of the walls blanketed him once more as the sound of the bats stabbed at his heart. No matter how much he tried to deny it once he had left, the boy truly had missed this place. Taking a deep breath, the memory-stricken boy opened the door to where Starfire was said to be.
"Master Grayson, it has been awhile. How are you?" a soothing voice sounded.
Robin smiled; he had always been fond of Alfred and the old man's kindness. The butler had been a good friend to him, one who held the compassion Bruce Wayne had seemingly lost, and thus, Alfred had become a sort of grandfather figure in the teen's life. He was certainly one of the reasons Robin missed Gotham so much.
"I've been better, Alfred," Robin laughed as he approached the bed, his eyes gazing at Starfire's sleeping form. "How is she?"
The old man sighed, his eyes wrinkling in sadness before he spoke. "She was quite a mess when Master Wayne brought you here. It took a good few hours to get her all patched up, but we still don't know when she'll be regaining consciousness. I guess that's up to her."
"How long have I been out?"
"Almost two days," a deep voice spoke in the darkness.
Robin turned to see Batman in the door way; the white slits of makeshift eyes in the dark mask gazed intensely into the boy's shielded orbs. Batman's choice of costume had always given Robin a case of the chills, especially when the man became angry. The deep contrast of the white eyes and black face was enough to quicken his breath.
Suddenly a thought came to his mind. What had happened to his attacker? All he remembered seeing with his blurred vision was Red X arch backward before falling to the ground and then, to his left, was Batman's ominous silhouette painted against the rising sun. What had Batman done?
"You're wondering about your little opponent, aren't you?"
Robin let out a slight huff. "Your foresight hasn't changed a bit. What happened to Red X?"
Batman remained silent. The echoing stillness brought the Titan to fear the worst about the battle, knowing full well his old friend never cared to discuss matters of death. No. Robin refused to believe it. Red X would see them again, he was sure of it. It was ridiculous to assume the cloaked pawn has been crushed, that their only means of locating Slade had been torn apart. Batman would know better, wouldn't he? Then again, the shadowy hero didn't know anything about Slade or Red X, did he?
"You…you killed him, didn't you?"
"Master Grayson, why don't we step outside? You've just woken up from quite a beating; there's no need to get your mind all worked up so soon," Alfred said quickly, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder in an attempt to persuade him to leave Bruce be and possibly destroy the tension that was building dangerously in the room.
"Answer me, Bruce!"
"He had a batarang lodged in is spine when I left him on the streets," Bruce muttered softly as he turned to leave the room. "I didn't kill him, but that doesn't mean I saved him."
Robin's eyes grew wide. Their only chance was now left for dead. Everything he and Starfire had traveled for, had fought for, was wasted. Even though Batman had said Red X had not died instantly from the impact, there was no doubt in the Titan's mind that his enemy was surely dead by now. Battered, bloody, and left to die in the streets had been Red X's timeless end.
"You killed him!" the boy shouted as he dashed after Batman, ignoring Alfred's voice as the butler tired to call him back. "Dammit, Batman! Why did you do it? Why did you kill him?"
Bruce stopped walking as the shouts echoed in his mind. Robin was still so naïve, even after so many years of being a partner and then his own leader. Yet, there was still a spark of curiosity in Batman's thoughts as there must surely be a reason for Robin's desperation.
"He was ready to finish you off, I simply stopped him before-" Batman's attention was caught by the sound of swift feet behind him. Turning quickly, the masked man reached out and grabbed a glove fist as it neared his face. Looking down at his would-be attacker, Bruce was not surprised to see a familiar green glove caged in his tight grip.
"You didn't have to kill him!" Robin spat through clenched teeth.
"And what would you have had me do? Let him kill you? You're being arrogant, Robin, think before you lash out with your loose fists. This Red X of yours wasn't going to hold back! You know that! I saved your life and all you have to say is a series of thickheaded complaints. I guess being the leader of your own team has taught you nothing in the long run."
The black haired boy was thrown to the ground violently at the end of Batman's speech. Tears threatened to seep past the edges of Robin's mask as the images of his friends and enemies haunted his mind in the rhythm of Batman's retreating steps. Red X was gone, Slade was now even further from his reach, Starfire was badly hurt, and now, despite how much he longed to continue hoping, he had seemingly lost his way of helping Raven.
"I'm sorry," his voice cracked. "God…I'm sorry….Raven."
Batman froze. He was not sure whether it had been Robin's unusual display of defeat or the mentioning of a recognizable name that had stalled his feet. He turned slowly to face his fallen protégée, only to find himself being watched by Alfred's warning eyes.
"The young Miss is awake, Master Bruce."
The dark knight nodded his head in understanding, keeping his eyes fixed on Robin's form as it rose from its pitiful state on the floor. Flashes of young girl flew before the man's eyes as he followed the Teen Titan into Starfire's room. Flares of blue, purple, and grey clouded his vision as the memories came flooding back to him in the portrait of the cloaked girl he had bmet so long ago. He not only knew this girl Robin had mentioned; he could never forget her.
Seemingly oblivious to the warm sounds of greeting between Robin and Starfire, Batman walked toward his butler. Alfred had a warm smile stretched across his face as he watched the young ones embrace and exchange words of relief, but his happy demeanor soon fell as he noticed the lost expression plaguing Bruce's visible features.
"Alfred, I need you to contact the Justice League. Tell them I'll be bringing two guests."
The old man nodded. "Consider it done, sir," he whispered before exiting the room rather quickly.
The dark man took in a deep breath before turning his attention to the Titans in front of him. He took a few steps forward, pressing his feet loudly against the stone floor in order to make the teens aware of his presence. Once he had acquired their attention, he focused his gaze on his old partner.
"Robin, I don't know why you're back in Gotham, but if it has something to do with Raven, then I suggest you come with me to see the Justice League. They can help you more than I can."
The boy played with his mask, his gloved fingertips caressing the outer edges as his gaze was firmly planted on Batman. In contrast to Starfire's confusion, Robin appeared calm and content with his master's statement. He would have to explain to his companion the bond between the dark fighters of Jump City and Gotham.
"We're after a crazed psychopath who ravaged Jump City a few years ago." Robin's voice was steady as he spoke, his eyes never leaving their target even as he helped Starfire out of bed. "He's your basic criminal mastermind, plans the assaults, has his own army to do the dirty work for him; but things are different now. We saw him fall into a pit of lava two years ago, but somehow, he survived. He goes by the name of Slade."
Batman seemed lost in thought for a moment as he searched through the recesses of his mind for possible familiarity. None was found. He had no idea who this Slade character was. Hearing Robin clear his throat, the dark knight looked down, his eyes coming into view with a video tape in the boy's outstretched hand. Taking hold of it, the bat walked out of the room with the Titans close behind him.
"This is the Batman?" Starfire's quiet curiosity reached out as they continued their walk through the damp cave.
"Yes. If Slade's been in Gotham, Batman would be the first to know. Don't ask me how; just trust me on that one." For the first time since he had awoken from his injured state, Robin's voice held no anger as he spoke of the dark man before him. Rather than allowing poison to seep into his speech, a light of reverence took flight. Despite their difference, Robin knew a part of him still admired Bruce Wayne for all he could do.
"How does he know of Raven?"
Robin was jarred from his reflections as Starfire continued her constant inquiries. Though he had hoped her recent question would have been held off until later, he knew he could not deny her an explanation. Throughout the five years of being a team, neither Robin nor Raven had spoken the truth of their meeting. Each member only knew that it had been the two dark fighters who had brought about the team and that was enough to keep them satisfied. The new Titans had learned quickly never to delve into Raven's past or ask too many questions and that Robin would inform them of anything that was truly important; everything else was just unneeded information.
The dark teen was uncomfortable revealing anything about Raven without his companion bird's approval, but to gain full cooperation from the Tamaranian, Robin knew he had to bend the rules a bit.
"Raven came to Gotham City when she first arrived on Earth," he started. "That's where she met Batman. I'll…I'll tell you the rest a little bit later, okay?"
The alien nodded as she squinted her eyes, the powerful lights of Batman's computers too sudden a shift from darkness for her to handle. She was soon captivated by familiar scenes of Slade unleashing his electrical fury in the factory, causing every machine nearby to collapse. She was nearly lost to her memory before her mind was shaken by a sudden shout. At the sound of Robin's voice, Batman froze the tape on a clip of Slade's mask, his mysterious red mark in full view.
"I've never seen this man before," Bruce's voice echoed as he kept his back to them. "He's not in Gotham, I can assure you, but you're welcome to ask the JLA for advice. They might know where he is if he's not here. I suggest you get some rest, we'll be leaving early tomorrow."
Robin nodded before leading Starfire down a different corridor and toward the exit of the cave. Before they stepped into the elevator, the dark Titan paid one last glance at his old friend, letting the flashbacks of their battles with Gotham and each other sink fully into his mind. He sighed, content with his bitterness for the cloaked superhero finally fading completely into the back of his mind.
Alfred was waiting for them by the passage into the mansion, a gentle smile wrinkling the edges of his mouth. There was not a word spoken between the three as they journeyed up the extensive staircase to the bedchambers. The butler led the two young warriors to Robin's old room, its vast size suitable for at least two people.
Starfire quickly made herself at home as she took to throwing herself face first onto the soft cushioned mattress, a mountain of pillows falling over her in the process. Robin couldn't suppress a laugh as he watched the bubbly girl express her happiness to be out of the dark recesses of Batman's lair. He knew she would have rather stayed in Wayne Manor than the Batcave. Starfire was one who enjoyed the warmth of light; Raven, Robin reflected, would have been one to join him with his master.
"Will that be all, Master Grayson?" the butler's kind voice questioned.
"Yeah, thanks Alfred," Robin smiled as he tried in vain to subdue a yawn.
The old man chuckled lightheartedly at the boy's visible attempt to still act strong in time of weakness. The young sidekick had not changed one bit since he had last been in Gotham City so many years before.
"It's a pleasure to have you back home, young master."
Robin watched as Alfred retreated down the staircase on light feet. His eyes then took to staring at the intricate carvings that lined the walls and ceiling, the grand chandeliers that hung down in smooth curves of glistening light, the paintings the grazed the surface of nearly every room in sight. It was all so comforting to him.
"Home," he whispered. "I'm home."
A/N: I had fun writing a chapter about Batman and Alfred seeing as I just saw Batman Begins for the second time. I hope I kept them in character well enough. Ummm, before you any of you ask, I'm gonna explain how old the Titans are:
I see Raven as being 18 in this fanfic. I don't really care too much for the Sweet 16 Dooms Day idea, so Birthmark happened on her 18th B-Day in my mind. It works in the show for it being her 16th birthday since she doesn't look that much older than that age, but she acts older than that in my story. Robin is 19, Starfire is 17 since she acts younger than Raven, Cyborg would be around 20, and Beast Boy would be no younger than 16.
They've been a team for 5 years, so you can configure their ages back then. I presume Beast Boy and Terra were together for almost 1 year before she betrayed him, and I see the seasons as lasting about one year in length. Slade dies in Season 2 and this fanfic is in Season 4, so 2 years. I personally see Season 1 as being the second year the Titans were together so that's why I said they've been a team for 5 years, not 4.
I hope that makes sense...if you have a better vision of their ages, don't let my reasoning stop you. Next chapter will be centered around Robin, Starfire, and the JLA. BB, Rae, and Cy will get their fair share of scenes once Chapter 16 roles around most likely. Thanks for reading and comments are always appreciated!