I posted this story somewhere else and alot of my readers didn't understand what was going on, so let me just say in advance that you're not supposed to. It only makes sense in Robin's mind until the entire plan unfurls, so just hang tight, okay?

dIsky: Thank you. I've always found fight scenes are harder than I imagined, especially when multiple people come into play.

TTfan: Well, I always figured Star would go biserk if Robin kept ignoring her...

me: Alright, I'm updating!

Keahi Spitfire: Yeah, I always thought that this ephisode needed to get more attention and last longer.

So, without further ado:

Chapter 16

She had heard the clanging sounds of metal on metal and heard the grunts and shouts that meant that there was a fight going on nearby. Motioning for Raven to follow her, they tried to follow the sound, but it stopped soon after, making it impossible for them to find Robin through hearing. They wandered the halls instead as Raven attempted to find them with her mind. Surely two guys fighting would be emitting billions of emotions. Sure enough, she found them when she started feeling many emotions of anger, contempt, disappointment, annoyance, and triumph. Those were boys' emotions, all right. Raven grabbed her arm and led her into the room.

The door was locked, but that was no problem for her people. Charging up a small starbolt, she knocked the lock off easily, giving them access to the room behind the metal door. They jumped inside, both assuming their fighting stances as they took in the scene before them. Both Slade and Robin had obviously taken many blows, and they were both facing each other. Robin had lowered his hands and Slade was holding some strange device in front of him, his finger just above the red button at the top.

Her eyes lit up in anger as she realized that she was witnessing the end of one of Robin's escape attempts. Although there was a mask in front of his eyes, she could see the anger, frustration, and disappointment in his face as Slade was no doubt threatening him with their lives. She gnashed her teeth; she hated to be used like that, to be made to be used as a way to keep her best friend away from her.

"What are you doing here!" he shouted at her, urgency in his voice and in his facial expression as he rushed forward to "greet" them.

"We thought you might appreciate a little assistance, but apparently you like it here, so we'll just be on our way," Raven replied sarcastically, a slight smile evident in her voice, though her eyes stayed their glowing white color.

"Yes, Robin, we have come to take you back!" Starfire said, her eyes still glowing green with anger while her mouth was twisted into a huge smile.

"But you have to get out of here! It's not safe for you, especially not here!" Apparently, he didn't much care that Slade was pretty ticked at him for talking to her, or that he was probably going to get in major trouble for telling her to leave in the first place.

"Robin, we are not going to go anywhere. You are going to come with us, and we are going to take you home to the place that you belong. With us, your friends. We will take you by force if neccessary, although I doubt that will be needed. Come with us, hurry!" she said, extending her hand toward his, but she was met by a sad face as a tall figure stepped behind him, pushing him away from her and standing in between them.

"I'm afraid not. You see, Robin is my apprentice, and I do believe he had an obligation to fight you?" When he said this, he gave Robin a pointed glance and purposefully brandished the trigger that would bring the tormenting pain, or so he thought. Neither knew that she and Raven were free, but then again, it would effect Beast Boy and Cyborg back in the tower, so it was probably best if they tried to draw this out as long as possible.

But Robin had already formed an idea, apparently. He rushed forward and grabbed Raven's arms, pulling them behind her back with a sudden and fierce movement. At first she was not sure what was going on, but she saw Robin's mouth moving next to Raven's ear and the girl was nodding slightly. Raven tore free of his grasp almost too easily and screamed, "Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"

Suddenly, they were inside a black force field and she saw him grinning crazily up at her. He mouthed the words: "starbolts, please" to her and, though she was confused, she began firing at him. For some strange reason, he was grinning as he dodged her, and she was starting to get a little bit irked at his behavior. Raven started chanting again, and the shield around them grew even more dark until she couldn't have imagined anything more black and dark.

"Can he hear anything anymore?" Robin whispered to Raven.

"Let's check," she whispered back, then yelled, "Slade, Robin says he hates your guts!" Sure, it was a bit immature for Raven, but if Slade could hear them, he would definitely have responded to it. Nothing happened.

"Can he see anything?" Robin asked.

"Look, if he could see anything, he'd be inside here. It's safe, okay?" she sighed.

"Good," he replied, dropping all pretenses and signalling to Starfire to stop attacking him. She did so, completely confused.

"Would somebody please explain to me what is the meaning of all of this?" she asked, still completely in the dark.

He smiled at her, a true genuine smile, one that she had missed so for the long period of time that was a year. "Sorry to keep you in the dark, Star, but it was kind of neccessary. I had Raven create a force field to make it look like she was trying to seperate me and Slade, then I had you throw starbolts at me while Slade could still see us so that it looked like you guys were still trying to fight me. This way, we can have a nice conversation without being interrupted. So, I believe you have some explaining to do."

"Um?" she bit her lip, wondering what she would be able to tell him. Taking a deep breath, she decided to tell him everything. "After your betrayal, I was determined to find out the reason that you had left us. I finally found the probes after much searching, and Cyborg and I have been working on a way to get rid of them. We finally figured out a way to get rid of them and Raven and I were freed. We have come for you now, for we do not wish to be forced to fight you anymore."

He nodded in agreement, then asked, "What about Cyborg and Beast Boy?"

She blow out her breath in frustration. Always business before pleasure with him, wasn't it? Oh well. "They are undergoing the operation as we speak. Cyborg estimates that they will be finished within the hour."

"Within the hour? Starfire, that means that they're still at Slade's mercy! How could you have endangered them like that, coming here for me? I can hold my own, you know that. You shouldn't take risks like that for...for...something you're...obsessed...with...oops." He blushed when he realized that he was scolding her for the very thing that had gotten him into this whole mess.

"It is okay, Robin. We forgive you for your past mistake. Now we need only for you to return," she smiled, taking his hand in hers and holding it firmly, though not crushing it as she had done so many times before by accident.

"Um, I hate to spoil the moment, but it's kind of hard to keep up a force field with a gazillion discs and explosives being tossed at it, especially one this size. Just to warn you, I'm going to have to drop a couple layers. In a few seconds, he's going to be able to see and hear us, so any more talking should probably stop now," Raven grunted, and they both noticed that the force field was wavering and that her face was contorted in concentration.

"Gotcha," Robin said, assuming a fighting position. "Sorry, Star, but as long as we keep up this charade, the others aren't in any danger."

"My apologies as well, Robin. Let us hope that Terra has completed the operation at this point," she replied, charging up her starbolts.

As the wall fell, the Titans saw Slade, standing and waiting, holding the trigger to the probes in his hand. He had merely been waiting for them, waiting to push the button so that he might see their suffering when he pushed the button, and probably also so that he might enjoy the emotional pain Robin would endure from watching it. Without hesitation, the gloved finger pushed the red button.

This time, there was no strange sensation, and she and Raven just stood there, looking at him in annoyance. Suddenly, she heard the familiar sound of a communicator beep and picked up to see a scared and confused Terra rushing around smoking machines and an angry Cyborg greeted her.

"Cyborg?" Raven croaked, confused.

"Yeah, I got finished faster than Beast Boy. My advanced cybernetic programming helped speed it along. BB, on the other hand..."

Starfire flinched as she heard Beast Boy's groans and screams. Not good.