Merry Christmas The Darkest Half! You wanted an extension of "For worse"… do the rest of you remember that drabble? It was a dark end to "For better and for worse", and it ended with Red X and Robin being injected with a mind-altering drug by Slade, making them adore their new Master… And Slade very happy… -grin-

Genre: slightly dark and angsty, with a bit of fun mixed in… I hope it appeals to you! It has no mentioning of Christmas, though… It's not that kind of story… ;o)

To Honor and Obey.

Slade watched the boy's sleep, tangled up like a pair of kittens. It was near impossible to see where one boy began and the other ended. They usually slept like that, and it wasn't a sexual thing, really. Maybe they were unconsciously seeking comfort from each other, sensing, in their sleep, that something was terribly wrong. He had entered their room quietly to check on them, and was now quite unable to leave.

His boys.

His rewards.

He had, after some thought, decided to keep Red as well, and he hadn't regretted it. The boys were very different. Red was a happy-go-lucky puppy-dog, always eager to please. Robin was just as eager, but he also tried to prove himself in areas outside the bed… he craved to know everything Slade knew, hanging on every word. He had also improved his fighting skills until it excelled even Slade's own expectations.

It had taken a mind altering drug to get the boy to listen to him, but when he finally did…

Speaking of which, Slade's eye narrowed as he saw Robin twitch slightly in his sleep. The boy's nightmares were back. Robin had complained about them some nights before, worried that he would upset Slade, and he had, although the mercenary hadn't shown it. The drug wasn't working properly. Robin's mind was fighting back. Slade decided he only had one choice: let the drug disappear from the boy's system completely and redo the whole procedure. It would be hell. For Robin.

When Robin woke in the morning he had a small headache. Damn dreams! Why wouldn't they leave him alone? He turned around and spotted Slade standing above the bed. Dreams instantly forgotten, Robin smiled with pleasure and reached for the man.

"Master! Red! Master's here!" the boy squealed with joy.

The older boy blinked sleepily and then grinned as well.

"I have come to tell you something quite serious." Slade said, sitting down on the bed and immediately he had two boys curled up on either side of him, trying to gently persuade him to lie down with them. Slade wouldn't let himself be swayed this time, though. "Robin, it's about your dreams…"

The boy went still, and his eyes turned sad.

"I have decided not to give you any more drugs for a while."

"Wh-what? Why?" the boy asked, now looking hurt as well.

"They are not working. But I have something new on the way and that will work. Permanently."

"It will? No more shots? No more bad dreams?" Robin's eyes lit up.

"Good." Red muttered. "You kick when you dream…"

Robin gave him a playful shove and they laughed.

"No, but as the drug disappears from you system, I am afraid you will have a hard time. You will loose you grasp on reality, and you might say and do things you do not really mean. This is important for you to remember, Red. Robin will not be himself for a while, but I don't want you to be angry with him… but you shouldn't listen to what he might say either. Robin, you might even start to hate me…"

"No! No, never! I could never hate you, Master!" Robin cried and flung himself around Slade's neck. "Please give me more drugs instead? Please!"

"He will be more emo then usual? Oh, that's just great… what's for breakfast?" Red, the ever caring boy, asked.

A day later Robin sat on the floor, clutching his stomach as Slade walked in.

The boy looked up, expecting to feel happy as he saw the man, but instead his throat tightened and his heart began pounding harder. As Slade came closer, Robin started crawling back.

"What's wrong, boy? Come to me."

"N-no! I… Please, Master, I don't want to!"

"Why?" The man very well knew why. He had given Robin a remedy that would flush the drug out of his system quicker and it had started to take affect.

"I… I don't know… I… help me!"

"I think it's time to move you. Come here."

"No!"

Slade took a few quick steps and grabbed the boy's arm. Robin yelled and kicked out at the man, fighting him off in a pure panic. Slade had to slam the boy into the wall to calm him down, holding his body there with his own. Feeling the boy's struggles stirred something deep inside Slade and he grinned.

"Red! Come here!" He called and the older boy popped his head around the door, chewing on something.

"Yes Master?"

Slade took half a step back and Robin darted away, straight into Red's arms, hugging him tightly.

"Hey, what's up, kid?" Red hugged the lean boy back and kissed the top of his head. "Are you afraid, toffee treat?"

"Y-yes… please help me, Red? Please?"

Slade chuckled and came closer. "No, Red. Help me. Help me hold him down."

Robin cried out as he felt the gentle arms around him tighten.

Robin was alone. The room was small, bare and had only one exit: a steel door. Locked. He had thrown himself on it until his shoulders were a deep blue. He had kicked it, hit it, scratched it, and he had screamed. This was a nightmare, but he couldn't seem to wake up. What was happening? His beloved Master had… no! He hadn't! Robin loved it when Slade touched him, why…? Slade! The virus… he had stolen the… Red strapped down on that table… no… it didn't make sense! Slade would never…!"

He curled up into a corner and sobbed. His body was burning up. He closed his eyes. He was dying… he could feel it… and he didn't want to die without his Master…

As the boy woke up the real nightmare began. He remembered everything. Everything. So many people dead because of him, so few left fighting… the door opened and he flew to his feet, snarling.

"I see this morning finds you in a rather bad mood, my little toy." Slade chuckled.

Robin studied the now familiar unmasked face.

"You won't get away with this, Slade! Someone will stop you!"

"Perhaps. But it won't be you. Another day and you will be back purring in my bed, begging me to fuck you."

Robin flinched, remembering several occasions where he had done just that.

"No! I don't care what you give me, I will fight that drug too! You can't control me, Slade! Never!"

"Oh, but what do you have left to fight for, Robin? Your friends are either dead or will be very soon, and you precious young boyfriend is mine… The world you knew is gone, you have been out there, you have seen my world… you helped create it."

"Then I will help end it! And I will free Red! You will not win this time!"

"That's… ambitious of you, Robin… You better get started, then. All you have to do is get out of this room before I send for you. You have… oh… around twelve hours." Slade smirked and left the boy, hearing a fist crash into the door seconds after he closed it.

They came for him as Slade had said they would. At first he managed to fight them off. Slade had sent robots... robots! Robin was almost insulted. With his new fighting skills they were no more threatening than a few flies. Then Red came in. Robin stepped back. Red took a step forward. The former thief looked troubled, worried.

"Robin… Come on, butter cake? Please come with us? I want us to be together again… please?"

"Red… Red, I love you…" Robin was blinking away tears. "But… I need to fight… I'm trying to save you! I know you don't understand…"

"No, I don't! Master Slade loves us… he only wants you to be well again…" Red took a few more steps towards the hero.

"He drugged us, Red. It was the drugs that made us love him. It's not real…"

Robin moved back again, and too late he realized that this was what Red had wanted. One of the fallen Robots still functioned enough to close a hand around Robin's wrist, and as the boy tried to kick it off, Red attacked. Robin saw the light reflect off a needle half a second before he felt a stab of pain in his arm. He slowly fell to his knees, feeling Red's arms around him.

"Don't worry, pecan pie, it will be over soon."

Robin sobbed silently. Yes… it would all be over soon…

He never lost consciousness, but he was too weak to fight as a pair of bots walked in and picked him up by his arms. He was dragged down a corridor and into another bare room. Empty, except for a surgery table. And Slade.

"Took you some time. Did you put up a fight, Robin?" the man chuckled. Robin couldn't answer, he only growled.

"Place him on the table. Make sure the shackles are tight." Slade ordered and Robin felt himself being lifted. He tried to fight again, but it was useless. Soon cold metal engulfed his wrists, ankles and chest. Slade stood above him, holding a needle.

"This will hurt, even worse when the first time, I'm afraid. But when you wake up… everything will be fine again... doesn't that sound good?"

"Go to hell, Slade!" Robin managed to hiss.

"Been there, done that…" The man grinned. "Now it's your turn…"

Robin promised himself he wouldn't scream, but then the drug from the first syringe burned through his body that promise seemed impossible to keep.

The wonderful darkness slowly parted and Robin blinked.

"Robin? Are you awake?"

The man's face appeared above him and Robin smiled happily.

"Master…"

As his shackles were loosened, Robin threw his arms around the man and sighed blissfully.

"I love you, Master."

"I know you do, boy. Now… why don't the three of us go back to my bedroom and celebrate?" Slade chuckled, lifting the black-haired boy. Robin nuzzled closer to him and refused to let go, so the man simply decided to carry him.

"Great!" Red grinned. "Can I bring some custard?"

"Of course you can, boy… what is a celebration without dessert?" Slade said and Robin giggled.

As he was carried gently in the man's arms, Robin stared down the corridor over Slade's shoulder. The drug hadn't worked. Something had gone wrong. He was still himself. He had felt it as soon as he regained consciousness, but he had also known that any sign of it would make Slade redo the procedure until it did work. Maybe the sedation he had been given by Red had somehow reacted with the mind-drug. He didn't know. What he did know was what were about to happen, and that if he showed any sign of hesitation Slade would immediately find him out. But he had a plan. He would learn everything he could from Slade about the drug and the virus. He would work on an antidote. That meant staying with the man, obeying every command, even killing people… and pretending he liked it… but it had to be worth it… It had to be worth it to save the world…

A few hours later Slade yet again found himself with a boy on each arm. They were both asleep, but Slade had made them work very hard for their rest. He smiled down on Robin. He wondered how long the boy would be able to keep the charade up. His struggles as the drug left him had given Slade the idea. He realized that he had missed that little piece of resistance, that glimmer of pain and fear in the boy's eyes. Robin was stubborn, and a good actor… he would be able to keep this up for weeks. Slade would push him, of course, harder than ever… and when the mask cracked… well, then there was always the real drug… One way or another, the boy would not leave his bed again…

The End.

A/N: okay, let's say it together: 'Damn Slade, the evil bastard.' –grin- Oh, but I love him, though… I think he deserves both Red and Robin… well... sometimes… ;o)