Disclaimer: Characters really don't belong to me, and it really kinda sucks, 'cause I can't make anyone animate Star and Rob kissies.
Author's Notes: Wow, thanks everyone for all the great reviews! I hope you keep on reading and enjoying and all that. It tickles me:)
Flying Home
by Kristen Elizabeth
"Stately Wayne Manor."
Dying leaves crunched under Robin's feet as he walked up the long, curved driveway that led to Bruce's ridiculously oversized house. Clutching the mail he'd been sent to get in his hand, he kicked a small pile. This was what his days had come to. Literally watching the leaves change colors.
Stately Wayne Manor was damn boring.
After punching in the security code, Robin let himself into the foyer and closed the door behind him. More a museum than a home, the large room that greeted visitors spread out around him, cold marble, rich rugs and gleaming crystal. A grand staircase started at the far side and led up the other three floors of empty bedrooms and silent ballrooms. His own room was on the second floor at the very end, but despite being outfitted with everything from personal weights to the latest video game equipment, he had no desire to retreat to it.
Robin set the mail down on the hall table and unwound his scarf as he considered the possibilities of what to do with the rest of the afternoon. Alfred was taking a much-needed nap; the beloved butler had aged so much since Robin had left to join the Titans. He knew that Bruce was relying on him to take care of the elderly man in his absence, and that at least gave him some sense of purpose. But not much.
Since returning to the Manor two weeks earlier, he had only seen his mentor once, immediately upon his arrival. In fact, as Robin was coming in the door, Bruce was getting ready to leave on a business trip. At least, that's what the public story was; the truth lay in an emergency mission with the Justice League. They'd barely been able to say more than "hello" and "goodbye." There hadn't even been time for Robin to get ready to go along with him.
So, what was he doing there? He'd asked himself that many times. Wasn't his entire reasoning behind abandoning his friends that Batman needed Robin to back him up? If he was just going to sit around and do nothing…well, he could have done that just as well at Titan Tower.
And at least there he'd never have been bored. Or alone.
"Dick."
He almost didn't reply to his real name. He hadn't heard it in so long. But instinct compelled him to look up at the stairs. Bruce stood there, looking quite comfortable amidst his wealthy surroundings. The lord of the manor, Robin thought, wryly. Only a bandaged cut on his cheek marred the perfect picture of a millionaire playboy without a care in the world.
"It's just Robin now," he replied.
Bruce nodded. "Robin, then."
He shrugged out of his brown corduroy jacket and hung it on the antique coat rack. "I didn't realize you were back."
"I came in through the cave." The older man descended the stairs. "How are you settling back in?"
"Fine, I guess. Everything's pretty much the same."
Bruce reached the bottom; his footsteps across the marble floor echoed off the walls. "Not much changes in this house. It could stand a little life breathed into it."
Robin raised his shoulders, dismissively. "It's peaceful."
"I'm sure that it's a big adjustment after living with four other teenagers."
"Oh yeah. A clean, well-stocked kitchen…no one hogging the bathroom…no screaming matches over tofu versus meat…" His tone was sardonic. "It's an adjustment I can easily make."
Bruce studied him. The younger man's sarcasm was too forced to be real. If anything, his words created a mental image of a life his protégé had been reluctant to leave. And one he definitely missed already.
"Perhaps," he began. "I could extend an invitation to the Titans for a long weekend visit sometime soon."
Robin shook his head. "Thanks, but I don't think that'd be a good idea."
A silent moment dragged by. "If there is something you want to tell me, now would be a good time to do it."
"There's nothing," Robin said. Quickly, he changed the subject. "I don't want to be a pain, but I do kind of need a place to store my uniform. It doesn't take up a lot of space, so…"
The older man nodded. "Of course. Actually, there's something in the cave that I'd like you to see."
They each took separate hidden ways into the Batcave, but managed to arrive at the same time. Once inside, a shiver ran down Robin's spine. If possible, the cavernous depths where Bruce became Batman were darker than ever. Could it merely be due to the passage of time, or was his mentor secluding himself even more from the outside world? He knew from Alfred that there was no woman in Bruce's life at the moment, nor had there been for awhile.
Robin swallowed. Was this his destiny, this life of dank loneliness?
He followed Bruce into the chamber in which he stored his uniforms. Phantom images of Batman lined the walls, faceless and eerie, just waiting to be donned for another night of vigilante justice.
They stopped in front of one display case. Robin frowned as he peered through the glass. The uniform inside looked nothing like Batman's, save for the fact that it was also black. It was lined in navy blue and seemed sleeker, if not slimmer than the others on display. Also, there was no hood, just a black mask hanging over the collar.
Robin looked at his mentor. "Is this for me?"
"You've outgrown the primary colors, wouldn't you say?" Bruce opened the glass door. "I just need your final approval on the design." He watched as Robin reached out and touched the uniform's rubber breastplate. It was blank, with no symbols or significant letters. "I didn't know what you would want there. An 'R?' A bird?"
"Neither." Robin picked up the black mask. "Just wings."
"Wings."
Slipping a mask back on felt almost comfortable after going without one for two weeks. He secured it into place and looked at Bruce. "From now on, you can call me Nightwing."
"Star, look out!!"
Cyborg's warning came just in time for the Tamaranian girl to dodge an electric bolt. She missed it by inches and turned in mid-air to look back at their current opponent. Her eyes burned with green fury.
"Quick on your toes, I see," the villain who called himself Pathos sneered at her. "Come back down and give me a fair fight, girly."
"Do not call me 'girly,' please." Starfire's hands lit up with energy. "It is not my name."
Pathos grinned, revealing a mouth of broken teeth. "Pretty little girly." He threw another bolt. "Let's play."
It hit the side of the building Starfire hovered next to, causing a massive explosion. On the ground, the other Titans watched as their friend disappeared into the cloud of smoke and fire.
"Star!!" Beast Boy cried out.
Cyborg's eye narrowed. "Oh…that's it. This guy is toast. Raven, do it!"
"Azarath, metrion, zinthos!" The words, and the power of her will, levitated the nearest street lamp. It shot towards Pathos, wrapping around him like a snake until his hands were immobilized.
"What?" he cried. "No! Damn you, childish meddlers!"
As Beast Boy ran past him, he changed into a horse for a brief second, and gave Pathos a direct kick with his hind leg. "Shut up!"
Cyborg passed by him next. "If anything's happened to Star, I'm not gonna bother giving you to the police."
Raven approached their restrained foe with silent steps. "You picked the wrong team to mess with." With a mere blink of her eye, the street lamp-turned-rope tightened enough to make Pathos wince.
When she reached the pile of rubble, Cyborg was already throwing huge pieces of concrete aside. "Star, can you hear me?! Talk to me, darlin."
Beast Boy gave up after a moment and morphed into a rat. He disappeared through a crack in the wreckage and reappeared a moment later. "A little to the left," he instructed, morphing back into his true form.
With those directions, it only took another minute of searching before they reached Starfire's limp body. "Is she all right?" Cyborg asked.
Raven examined their friend. "I think she's just been knocked out. Let's get her back to the Tower."
"Should we move her?" Beast Boy scratched his head. "And what about that idiot?" He looked back at Pathos with a glare.
"I'll take care of him."
"No, Cyborg. We'll take Star back. Beast Boy, you stay here and wait for the authorities."
The green Titan stared at Raven. "What? You're putting me in charge of the bad guy?" He blinked. "Aren't you afraid I'll screw it up?"
Raven arched an eyebrow. "I trust you." She looked at Cyborg as he gingerly lifted Starfire up and out of the rubble. "Let's go."
When they were gone, Beast Boy grinned. "Oh yeah…she wants me."
Starfire woke up to darkness and silence. Her head throbbed, but other than that, she seemed to be in one piece as the human saying went. She remembered the explosion; beyond that, though, there was nothing.
"Am I home?" she wondered aloud.
The lamp next to her bed switched on and in the light, she could see the hulking figure of Cyborg sitting next to her bed. "Safe and sound," he told her. "Except for what's gonna be the mother of all bumps on your head."
"We were triumphant?"
Cyborg smiled. "Yeah, we were."
"Excellent." The smile she returned was weak and withered away all too quickly. "It is becoming more difficult to win, is it not?"
"I don't know if I'd say that. We're just settling into our new groove and it'll take time to…" He stopped. "Okay, yeah. It is."
Starfire sat up a bit to see him better. "The four of us are very strong, but I do not believe we are strong enough."
"What do you want to do? Get down on our knees and beg Robin to come back?" Cyborg stood up and paced for a moment. "He's gone and that's it. End of story."
"You are angry with him. I understand this. But I do not share your anger, my friend. I am sorry."
"Don't be. Anger doesn't suit you, Star."
She sniffed softly. "I miss him very much. But I was not going to suggest that we ask him to resume his place. We need another Titan, yes?"
"Sure. Okay. But it's not like superheroes are a dime a dozen." His eye grew wide. "Wait, are you thinking we could have, like, auditions or something? American Superhero. Yeah…I could get into that. I'm the jerk judge!"
"It is an admirable idea, but I believe there may be a more simple way."
"What's that?"
"Searching for another person with powers would be very time consuming," she began.
Cyborg caught on quick. "And why go through that…when we already know a couple of 'em." He stood up. "Hang tight, Star. I'll go make some calls." He paused at the door. "What do you think about the Young Adult Titans for a new name?" After short consideration, he made a face. "We'll take a vote."
Once he was gone, Star put a hand to her aching head. "Oh, Robin, I am sorry. But if you truly are not coming back, we must go on." She closed her eyes. "Without you."
"You did well tonight." Bruce came out of the cave's changing area, still buttoning up the starched shirt he'd been wearing when the Batsignal had been activated, alerting them to an attempted bank robbery. He looked at his partner's profile; Robin was sitting in the large chair in front of the computer console area, staring at one screen. His black uniform had been peeled down to his toned waist in order for Alfred to patch up a nasty abrasion on his ribcage. His mask was still in place, hiding his expression. If not for the hard set line of his mouth, Bruce wouldn't have been able to read him at all.
"Did you hear me?"
Robin turned the chair around to see the older man better. "Yeah. Thanks."
"You know…I noticed something tonight. You're less impulsive than you used to be. More restrained."
"Comes from leading a team, I guess. Always had to think of them first." Robin returned his attention to the flat screen computer panel.
Bruce came up behind him. "Do you miss it?"
"It's only been three months."
"That wasn't my question."
"Do I miss the responsibility of being in charge all the time? The answer is a really big 'no.'"
The older man looked at the screen for the first time. It was a frozen image from a newscast. Behind the reporter were four vaguely familiar faces, one green, one pale, one metallic and one smiling sweetly. "The Titans," he said.
"My friends." Robin snapped out of his trance. "They brought down a major crime syndicate."
"All on their own," Bruce said, approvingly.
"No. Not all on their own." Robin reached out and pressed a button. The image unfroze and the reporter continued with her recorded speech.
"…wouldn't have been possible without a new addition to the team. With the recent departure of the Titans' leader, the mysterious Robin, there has been an empty place in our favorite group of young superheroes. Now, that position has been filled by a face not unfamiliar to this city. He calls himself Aqualad, but not much more is known about this amphibious hero. All we can say for now is that we'll all sleep sounder tonight knowing the Titans are, once again, a complete team. I'm Erin Capshaw, for…"
Robin paused the recording again. "Do you know what the worst thing in the world is?" He stood up and faced his mentor. "Feeling replaceable." A moment passed. "Do you need me for anything else tonight?"
"I think I've got it under control," Bruce replied, calmly. Robin moved past him, heading for the changing room. "Just one thing." The younger man turned around, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "Robin was a boy, but Nightwing is a man. And a man makes his own choices."
Robin waited patiently for him to go on.
"If being here isn't really your choice, you'll never be happy."
"This was my choice," Robin told him.
Bruce nodded. "All right then. Goodnight." He started up the stairs towards the entrance to the manor.
Robin walked back over to the control area and pressed a button to rewind the recording. He stopped when her face filled the screen. She was looking up at someone, giving that person her beautiful smile, sharing her warmth. The image began to move in slow motion, panning up to reveal the person standing next to her.
Aqualad looked back down at his Star; frame by frame, he watched the new Titan slip a hand around Starfire's waist.
Robin ripped off his mask and threw it down. "It was my choice," he repeated. "But that doesn't make it the right one."
To Be Continued
Author's Notes: Wow, thanks everyone for all the great reviews! I hope you keep on reading and enjoying and all that. It tickles me:)
Flying Home
by Kristen Elizabeth
"Stately Wayne Manor."
Dying leaves crunched under Robin's feet as he walked up the long, curved driveway that led to Bruce's ridiculously oversized house. Clutching the mail he'd been sent to get in his hand, he kicked a small pile. This was what his days had come to. Literally watching the leaves change colors.
Stately Wayne Manor was damn boring.
After punching in the security code, Robin let himself into the foyer and closed the door behind him. More a museum than a home, the large room that greeted visitors spread out around him, cold marble, rich rugs and gleaming crystal. A grand staircase started at the far side and led up the other three floors of empty bedrooms and silent ballrooms. His own room was on the second floor at the very end, but despite being outfitted with everything from personal weights to the latest video game equipment, he had no desire to retreat to it.
Robin set the mail down on the hall table and unwound his scarf as he considered the possibilities of what to do with the rest of the afternoon. Alfred was taking a much-needed nap; the beloved butler had aged so much since Robin had left to join the Titans. He knew that Bruce was relying on him to take care of the elderly man in his absence, and that at least gave him some sense of purpose. But not much.
Since returning to the Manor two weeks earlier, he had only seen his mentor once, immediately upon his arrival. In fact, as Robin was coming in the door, Bruce was getting ready to leave on a business trip. At least, that's what the public story was; the truth lay in an emergency mission with the Justice League. They'd barely been able to say more than "hello" and "goodbye." There hadn't even been time for Robin to get ready to go along with him.
So, what was he doing there? He'd asked himself that many times. Wasn't his entire reasoning behind abandoning his friends that Batman needed Robin to back him up? If he was just going to sit around and do nothing…well, he could have done that just as well at Titan Tower.
And at least there he'd never have been bored. Or alone.
"Dick."
He almost didn't reply to his real name. He hadn't heard it in so long. But instinct compelled him to look up at the stairs. Bruce stood there, looking quite comfortable amidst his wealthy surroundings. The lord of the manor, Robin thought, wryly. Only a bandaged cut on his cheek marred the perfect picture of a millionaire playboy without a care in the world.
"It's just Robin now," he replied.
Bruce nodded. "Robin, then."
He shrugged out of his brown corduroy jacket and hung it on the antique coat rack. "I didn't realize you were back."
"I came in through the cave." The older man descended the stairs. "How are you settling back in?"
"Fine, I guess. Everything's pretty much the same."
Bruce reached the bottom; his footsteps across the marble floor echoed off the walls. "Not much changes in this house. It could stand a little life breathed into it."
Robin raised his shoulders, dismissively. "It's peaceful."
"I'm sure that it's a big adjustment after living with four other teenagers."
"Oh yeah. A clean, well-stocked kitchen…no one hogging the bathroom…no screaming matches over tofu versus meat…" His tone was sardonic. "It's an adjustment I can easily make."
Bruce studied him. The younger man's sarcasm was too forced to be real. If anything, his words created a mental image of a life his protégé had been reluctant to leave. And one he definitely missed already.
"Perhaps," he began. "I could extend an invitation to the Titans for a long weekend visit sometime soon."
Robin shook his head. "Thanks, but I don't think that'd be a good idea."
A silent moment dragged by. "If there is something you want to tell me, now would be a good time to do it."
"There's nothing," Robin said. Quickly, he changed the subject. "I don't want to be a pain, but I do kind of need a place to store my uniform. It doesn't take up a lot of space, so…"
The older man nodded. "Of course. Actually, there's something in the cave that I'd like you to see."
They each took separate hidden ways into the Batcave, but managed to arrive at the same time. Once inside, a shiver ran down Robin's spine. If possible, the cavernous depths where Bruce became Batman were darker than ever. Could it merely be due to the passage of time, or was his mentor secluding himself even more from the outside world? He knew from Alfred that there was no woman in Bruce's life at the moment, nor had there been for awhile.
Robin swallowed. Was this his destiny, this life of dank loneliness?
He followed Bruce into the chamber in which he stored his uniforms. Phantom images of Batman lined the walls, faceless and eerie, just waiting to be donned for another night of vigilante justice.
They stopped in front of one display case. Robin frowned as he peered through the glass. The uniform inside looked nothing like Batman's, save for the fact that it was also black. It was lined in navy blue and seemed sleeker, if not slimmer than the others on display. Also, there was no hood, just a black mask hanging over the collar.
Robin looked at his mentor. "Is this for me?"
"You've outgrown the primary colors, wouldn't you say?" Bruce opened the glass door. "I just need your final approval on the design." He watched as Robin reached out and touched the uniform's rubber breastplate. It was blank, with no symbols or significant letters. "I didn't know what you would want there. An 'R?' A bird?"
"Neither." Robin picked up the black mask. "Just wings."
"Wings."
Slipping a mask back on felt almost comfortable after going without one for two weeks. He secured it into place and looked at Bruce. "From now on, you can call me Nightwing."
"Star, look out!!"
Cyborg's warning came just in time for the Tamaranian girl to dodge an electric bolt. She missed it by inches and turned in mid-air to look back at their current opponent. Her eyes burned with green fury.
"Quick on your toes, I see," the villain who called himself Pathos sneered at her. "Come back down and give me a fair fight, girly."
"Do not call me 'girly,' please." Starfire's hands lit up with energy. "It is not my name."
Pathos grinned, revealing a mouth of broken teeth. "Pretty little girly." He threw another bolt. "Let's play."
It hit the side of the building Starfire hovered next to, causing a massive explosion. On the ground, the other Titans watched as their friend disappeared into the cloud of smoke and fire.
"Star!!" Beast Boy cried out.
Cyborg's eye narrowed. "Oh…that's it. This guy is toast. Raven, do it!"
"Azarath, metrion, zinthos!" The words, and the power of her will, levitated the nearest street lamp. It shot towards Pathos, wrapping around him like a snake until his hands were immobilized.
"What?" he cried. "No! Damn you, childish meddlers!"
As Beast Boy ran past him, he changed into a horse for a brief second, and gave Pathos a direct kick with his hind leg. "Shut up!"
Cyborg passed by him next. "If anything's happened to Star, I'm not gonna bother giving you to the police."
Raven approached their restrained foe with silent steps. "You picked the wrong team to mess with." With a mere blink of her eye, the street lamp-turned-rope tightened enough to make Pathos wince.
When she reached the pile of rubble, Cyborg was already throwing huge pieces of concrete aside. "Star, can you hear me?! Talk to me, darlin."
Beast Boy gave up after a moment and morphed into a rat. He disappeared through a crack in the wreckage and reappeared a moment later. "A little to the left," he instructed, morphing back into his true form.
With those directions, it only took another minute of searching before they reached Starfire's limp body. "Is she all right?" Cyborg asked.
Raven examined their friend. "I think she's just been knocked out. Let's get her back to the Tower."
"Should we move her?" Beast Boy scratched his head. "And what about that idiot?" He looked back at Pathos with a glare.
"I'll take care of him."
"No, Cyborg. We'll take Star back. Beast Boy, you stay here and wait for the authorities."
The green Titan stared at Raven. "What? You're putting me in charge of the bad guy?" He blinked. "Aren't you afraid I'll screw it up?"
Raven arched an eyebrow. "I trust you." She looked at Cyborg as he gingerly lifted Starfire up and out of the rubble. "Let's go."
When they were gone, Beast Boy grinned. "Oh yeah…she wants me."
Starfire woke up to darkness and silence. Her head throbbed, but other than that, she seemed to be in one piece as the human saying went. She remembered the explosion; beyond that, though, there was nothing.
"Am I home?" she wondered aloud.
The lamp next to her bed switched on and in the light, she could see the hulking figure of Cyborg sitting next to her bed. "Safe and sound," he told her. "Except for what's gonna be the mother of all bumps on your head."
"We were triumphant?"
Cyborg smiled. "Yeah, we were."
"Excellent." The smile she returned was weak and withered away all too quickly. "It is becoming more difficult to win, is it not?"
"I don't know if I'd say that. We're just settling into our new groove and it'll take time to…" He stopped. "Okay, yeah. It is."
Starfire sat up a bit to see him better. "The four of us are very strong, but I do not believe we are strong enough."
"What do you want to do? Get down on our knees and beg Robin to come back?" Cyborg stood up and paced for a moment. "He's gone and that's it. End of story."
"You are angry with him. I understand this. But I do not share your anger, my friend. I am sorry."
"Don't be. Anger doesn't suit you, Star."
She sniffed softly. "I miss him very much. But I was not going to suggest that we ask him to resume his place. We need another Titan, yes?"
"Sure. Okay. But it's not like superheroes are a dime a dozen." His eye grew wide. "Wait, are you thinking we could have, like, auditions or something? American Superhero. Yeah…I could get into that. I'm the jerk judge!"
"It is an admirable idea, but I believe there may be a more simple way."
"What's that?"
"Searching for another person with powers would be very time consuming," she began.
Cyborg caught on quick. "And why go through that…when we already know a couple of 'em." He stood up. "Hang tight, Star. I'll go make some calls." He paused at the door. "What do you think about the Young Adult Titans for a new name?" After short consideration, he made a face. "We'll take a vote."
Once he was gone, Star put a hand to her aching head. "Oh, Robin, I am sorry. But if you truly are not coming back, we must go on." She closed her eyes. "Without you."
"You did well tonight." Bruce came out of the cave's changing area, still buttoning up the starched shirt he'd been wearing when the Batsignal had been activated, alerting them to an attempted bank robbery. He looked at his partner's profile; Robin was sitting in the large chair in front of the computer console area, staring at one screen. His black uniform had been peeled down to his toned waist in order for Alfred to patch up a nasty abrasion on his ribcage. His mask was still in place, hiding his expression. If not for the hard set line of his mouth, Bruce wouldn't have been able to read him at all.
"Did you hear me?"
Robin turned the chair around to see the older man better. "Yeah. Thanks."
"You know…I noticed something tonight. You're less impulsive than you used to be. More restrained."
"Comes from leading a team, I guess. Always had to think of them first." Robin returned his attention to the flat screen computer panel.
Bruce came up behind him. "Do you miss it?"
"It's only been three months."
"That wasn't my question."
"Do I miss the responsibility of being in charge all the time? The answer is a really big 'no.'"
The older man looked at the screen for the first time. It was a frozen image from a newscast. Behind the reporter were four vaguely familiar faces, one green, one pale, one metallic and one smiling sweetly. "The Titans," he said.
"My friends." Robin snapped out of his trance. "They brought down a major crime syndicate."
"All on their own," Bruce said, approvingly.
"No. Not all on their own." Robin reached out and pressed a button. The image unfroze and the reporter continued with her recorded speech.
"…wouldn't have been possible without a new addition to the team. With the recent departure of the Titans' leader, the mysterious Robin, there has been an empty place in our favorite group of young superheroes. Now, that position has been filled by a face not unfamiliar to this city. He calls himself Aqualad, but not much more is known about this amphibious hero. All we can say for now is that we'll all sleep sounder tonight knowing the Titans are, once again, a complete team. I'm Erin Capshaw, for…"
Robin paused the recording again. "Do you know what the worst thing in the world is?" He stood up and faced his mentor. "Feeling replaceable." A moment passed. "Do you need me for anything else tonight?"
"I think I've got it under control," Bruce replied, calmly. Robin moved past him, heading for the changing room. "Just one thing." The younger man turned around, crossing his arms over his bare chest. "Robin was a boy, but Nightwing is a man. And a man makes his own choices."
Robin waited patiently for him to go on.
"If being here isn't really your choice, you'll never be happy."
"This was my choice," Robin told him.
Bruce nodded. "All right then. Goodnight." He started up the stairs towards the entrance to the manor.
Robin walked back over to the control area and pressed a button to rewind the recording. He stopped when her face filled the screen. She was looking up at someone, giving that person her beautiful smile, sharing her warmth. The image began to move in slow motion, panning up to reveal the person standing next to her.
Aqualad looked back down at his Star; frame by frame, he watched the new Titan slip a hand around Starfire's waist.
Robin ripped off his mask and threw it down. "It was my choice," he repeated. "But that doesn't make it the right one."
To Be Continued
