WHACK! CRASH!

Barbara froze in the hallway. She didn't like the noises coming from the kitchen. Was Dick really mad enough to be breaking things?

"Dick, calm down. I mean what did that glass ever do you?" Bruce's voice drifted out of the kitchen. Barbara let out a sigh of relief; Bruce wasn't having to defend himself from Dick.

"She's so much younger than you! She's my age!"

"If that's all you've got to argue with, you haven't got anything."

"But-"

"What about this bothers you so much? Don't you think I'm old enough to make my own decisions and move on in life?"

"ARE YOU MAKING FUN OF ME?"

"Perhaps. Do you think I am?"

"Arg! Would you stop playing and talk to me like I'm an adult?"

"If I do, will you act like one?"

Barbara sat there and listened to the silence, she couldn't believe that Bruce had been right, he was being so childish.

"BUT SHE'S MY AGE!"

"Would you stop with that?" Barbara winced. Bruce was getting angry. This couldn't end well.

"NO!"

"Do you have any problems with the marriage besides our age difference?"

"No, yes, no, er! You are way too old for her!"

"See Barbara. He's impossible!"

Barbara entered, "You do have a point, and all along we thought my father would be the problem. When I told him, he was ready to drive me to the church."

Dick flushed seeing her, he couldn't believe Bruce had let her eavesdrop. After all, it was a private conversation. Bruce had known the whole time, no wonder he had kept so calm. He was trying to make Dick look bad. Dick was sure of it.

Barbara saw Dick's bright red face, taking it for anger she hurriedly said, "I'd love to stay and chat but I-er-promised my dad I'd eat dinner with him tonight." A quick peck on the cheek for Bruce and she was out the door.

Dick balled his fists in anger, "She's MY age."

"You're starting up with that again?" Bruce paused and went pale, "You do like her . . . ick."

"No . . . no . . . " Robin's ears went scarlet. "I just . . . think it's wrong for someone old enough to be my dad to be marrying a girl my age."

"Well get use to the idea. I'm not arguing with you about this any longer. You can get over your problems and join us at the wedding to celebrate, or you can go hole yourself back in that tower with your friends and your two girlfriends." Bruce said hotly, the idea of Dick liking Barbara made him extremely uncomfortable.

Dick's jaw dropped, "You're kicking me out of your house 'cause I don't think you two getting married is a good idea?"

Bruce gave Dick a look that plainly said, "No you retard," but his words were somewhat kinder, "I'm not that pathetic. I simply meant that if you aren't going to be happy for us then you are not welcome at the wedding, however, you will always be welcome in my home."

Dick walked out of the room with Bruce following. "So are you coming to my wedding or do I need to find someone else to be my best man?"

"Find someone else," Dick spat.

"All right. I take it you're leaving?"

"Yeah, I'll be at the tower if you need me, but please, unless it's an emergency don't call before eight."

"A.M. or P.M.?" Bruce asked.

"Why are you in such a good mood all of the sudden?"

"Because I'm getting married to a beautiful, young lady," Bruce taunted, finding new pleasure in Dick's distaste.

Dick stormed out of the house and flew off on his motorcycle.

"Friend Robin, you have returned." Star squealed as Robin entered the tower.

Robin stormed through the building to his room, glaring at Star on his way. Star shrunk back as though she had been snapped at by an alligator, her eyes filling with tears. "Robin hates me!" she wailed, "Have I grown horns once more? Am I too ugly to be in his presence?"

Raven groaned.

"What'd you say Rae?" Cyborg asked.

Did she really groan loudly enough for Cyborg to hear her over his video games? She'd have to watch that. "I just said I was going to meditate; I'll be on the roof."

Raven walked down the hallway toward the door to the roof. She passed Robin's room and heard a series of loud thuds.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Go away."

"Are you all right?"

"GO AWAY!"

"Are you okay?"

Robin sighed, it was no use, Raven wouldn't leave until he talked to her. He opened his door, "I'm fine," and went to close it.

Raven placed her hand in the way, "Are you sure? You look like a wreck."

"What do you mean by that!"

She looked at him; something was different. Raven went to look at his eyes, knowing they'd be covered by his emotionless mask, and found herself gazing into blue eyes. "Your mask!" she gasped. "You aren't wearing your costume."

Robin usually would have laughed, but after his incident with Bruce he just couldn't, "When did you start making jokes?"

"I'm not. I'm serious, your eyes . . . er . . . you aren't wearing your mask, and you look like you're wearing a giant's clothing."

"I never changed out of Bruce's clothes!" he slammed his head into the wall. As soon as he had lifted his head he went pale, Raven stood ready to catch him if he fainted.

"Did I just say-" he cut off and quickly shut the door.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

"Robin, what's going on? You look sick."

"GO AWAY!" Robin leaned against the door. How could he have done that? He thought of all the people who could have seen him, and even worse, he'd said Bruce's name. Raven wasn't stupid, he knew that. It was only a matter of time until she figured it out. Especially since she'd seen his face. He slumped to the floor and threw his head back into the wall. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," he muttered, crashing his head into the wall with each word.

"Robin, I'm not leaving until you answer me."

"Raven, GO AWAY! I'm fine."

"If I leave will you stop your acts of self destruction?"

"Sure, whatever, just leave."

"Okay, I'm leaving."

Robin sighed with relief, he had gotten her to leave. He had been the one to hold out longer this time. Had the circumstances been different he may have even celebrated at the sound of her voice when she surrendered. One thing Robin was grateful for was that Raven wouldn't get her feelings hurt by being sent away. Or would she? After all, she was only trying to help him. Raven didn't show her feelings, hurt and what not, but it didn't mean she didn't have them, and that they didn't get hurt just like anyone else's would. What if inside she was crying? Would she be hurt by it? He had to know.

Boy Wonder rose quickly, making him dizzy. Not letting his quivering vision stall him, he opened the door, squeezing out before it was finished opening. He peered down the hall. A corner of fabric. Raven had just turned the corner, he ran after her, turning the corner-Whack!-he had turned a little too soon.

Robin slumped to he ground, the wall rebounding him like a backboard would a basket ball. He flopped to one side looking down the corridor to see Raven. She hadn't even paused as far as he could tell. If she had heard anything, she probably would have brushed it off as Robin throwing himself around in his room. He had to go after her, but his head was now starting to throb from all of its introductions to solid surfaces.

He forced himself to his feet as fast as he could. THUD! Raven heard a noise, the second that sounded as though it was right behind her. Was Robin really that angry? He had to be stopped, after all, if he continued he might bring the whole tower down, and then they'd have to watch him beat himself up for that too.

Raven turned around to retrace her way back to his room, "What's that?" she thought as she saw what looked like a pile of fabric. It wasn't there when she had come through. Raven approached it cautiously, suspecting it to be a joke that Beast Boy or Cyborg had set up.

"ROBIN!" she cried out. The pile of fabric she had seen was the crumpled form of Robin. She ran to him.

"Ooooh . . . " he moaned, he felt like his heart had moved into his head. Although Robin wanted to lie there in the hall, he had to go after Raven. Once again he rushed to his feet and threw himself down the hall.

WHACK!

Raven's mouth ached. Her neck felt the strain of her head being knocked back. She stumbled backwards from the blow and caught her balance. Robin was on the floor again. After approaching him again, more cautiously this time, she lowered herself to the ground. Counting the seconds, she counted his pulse, which ended up being fairly normal. From what she could see he didn't appear to have any wounds, but as he had fallen face first onto the ground it was rather hard to tell. Raven gently turned him over, finding herself fact to face with a mask-less Robin once more. A glance at his face showed her a goose egg with a dark bruise forming. Horror filled her mind, how could one hit themself in the head hard enough to form that?

What was he doing? Robin was sure it was important, but what? And why did his head hurt so badly? He forced one eye open; he saw purple. He closed his eye and shook his head, and opened his eyes. Purple. He tried to focus, hoping that would help, and a blurry figure began to come into view. Raven. His lips twitched into a small smile.

Whew! Raven released long held breath. Robin's eyes were open, a fairly good sign.

"Raven?" he croaked.

"Yes?" she answered, looking at his blue eyes.

"I'm sor-sorry." He choked out.

She was taken by surprise, "For what?"

He said something but she couldn't make it out. Robin sat up slowly.

"What did you say?" she asked, leaning in to hear him.

"For telling you to get lost. I know you were just trying to help," Robin whispered.

Did the blow she just received alter her hearing, or did Robin really just apologize? "You don't have to-"

"Really, I am. I didn't really want you to leave." What was he saying, this was Raven, not Starfire, she wouldn't take it like that. "Well, uh . . . I mean . . . I just wanted to make sure . . . " Raven's blank stare made him flush, he probably sounded like a babbling idiot.

"Robin, you should get some rest. You look like your head is going to burst." She stood up and extended a hand down to him.

Grasping it, he pulled himself up. "Thanks. Really sweet of you to say that." he said, giving her a grin.

"I contribute to the team what I can," she said grinning back. "Did you know that you STILL aren't wearing your mask?"

Robin slapped his head, 'Ow! Uh-I forgot-better go put it on."

Robin went to his room and shut the door. Entering the bathroom, he caught a look at himself in the mirror. His face had two colors, making him look almost as if he were wearing a light flesh colored masked. "No wonder Raven was staring at me," he thought. He pulled on a mask and returned to his bedroom. The idea of working crossed his mind, but because of a strong pain in his head he decided that some rest might not be such a bad idea.