It's been storming like crazy these past three days! But it's also sooo fucking hot at the same damn time! Ugh, curse this weather...


Framed

It was as if time was frozen.

The Titans stood frozen in place, staring wide eyed at their leader and the what seemed to be dead villain on the ground. Mad Mod's chest rose up and down, going slower and slower as his breathing halted. Until finally; it stopped.

Robin had killed him.

The Boy Wonder looked at the blood on his gloves, shock clear on his face. He stepped back from the body and looked up at his team with wide masked eyes. "I..."

The police sirens could be heard as they finally arrived at the scene. His eyes narrowed; knowing he wouldn't be able to talk himself out of this. Before anyone could react; he threw smoke bombs and shot his grapple hook, disappearing without a trace.

"He just..." Beast Boy breathed.

Raven snapped herself out of shock and pulled her hood up. "We've got to find him. Cy?"

Cyborg looked at his arm, pressing a few buttons here and there. A curse escaped his lips. "He destroyed his communicator, I can't track him."

Raven scoffed, she hadn't expected anything else. This was Robin they were talking about.

"Maybe he is back at the tower?" Starfire suggested, a hopeful look in her bright green eyes despite the clear doubt in them.

"I doubt it," Beast Boy muttered, before shifting into a green falcon and heading towards the tower. The others following him soon after.


"Any luck?" Raven called into her communicator.

"Nope," came Beast Boy's voice, Starfire and Cyborg giving her a similar answer.

Robin hadn't been at the tower, so now the remaining Titans were patrolling the whole city; looking for their leader. Raven wasn't able to contact him through their bond, he figured out a way to block her out.

The half-demon sighed and looked up at the dark sky; it was late, but none of the Titans wanted to sleep until they had found him. Murderer or not; Robin was their friend.

She silently kept walking, her senses on high alert the whole time.

She gasped when a someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shadows of a dark alley, her back being pulled flush against the person's chest. Before she could scream or make any kind of sound; a hand covered her mouth.

"Relax," Robin breathed into her ear, his grip on her body loosening a bit.

Raven didn't know if she should calm down or be even more stressed. She quickly pulled herself away from him and turned to face him, his traffic light costume replaced by civilian clothes and his normally spiky hair laying messily on his head. His eyes covered by black sunglasses.

Nobody would recognize him this way, except for her, of course.

"Why are you hiding?" She blurted, pulling her hood down as her eyes stayed locked on him.

He tensed. "You're kidding, right?"

"Dick, you murdered somebody!"

"That's just it, Rae!" He growled, taking a step closer. "I didn't!"

Raven tilted her head to look up at him, confusion in her eyes, mixed with annoyance and disbelief. "We saw you! Mad Mod's blood was all over you! He stopped breathing!"

"He planned this," Robin sighed. "I did my research while I was...gone. This is just part one of getting rid of the Titans; for good."

"I...I can't," she looked away. "How-"

"Raven," he placed two fingers underneath her chin and tilted her head up slightly. "Remember what happened in Tokyo? You have to trust me."

The half-demon reached up and took the sunglasses off, urgent blue eyes locked on her amethyst ones. "You're sure?"

"Would I ever lie to you?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

Robin rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Let me rephrase that; if it's not for your safety, would I lie to you?"

Raven paused and pursed her lips, many things going through her mind at that moment. Knowledge's realm was usually tidy; it was like a huge library. Each book consisted of one of Raven's memories or everything she had come to learn over the years. All of them stacked neatly in the multiple bookshelves.

But now it was chaos.

Papers and books were everywhere, scattered over the whole room; most of it on the floor. Tables and chairs were upside down, some of them on places it shouldn't belong.

For once in her life, Knowledge didn't know what to do.

So Raven listened to the next best thing; Affection.

...well, partly listened.

The violet emoticlone was telling her to just blindly trust him and help him with whatever he needed. But she wasn't going to do that, definitely not. She needed to see proof first; needed to make sure Mad Mod was really alive and that her leader was innocent.

She trusted him with her life; but there was no such thing as being too sure.

"O..okay." Raven nodded. "But I need to see Mad Mod first before I make any snap decisions."

He smiled. "If you had done anything else, I would've been concerned."

His hand slid to her cheek, his smile fading a bit as his blue eyes locked on her. Robin pulled her a bit closer and leaned down; pressing a soft, promising kiss on her lips.

The half-demon was a bit too shocked by the sudden move to do anything; he didn't seem bothered by it though, he just grabbed her hand and dragged her with him.

"Dark Girl? You okay? You've been silent for a while now." Cyborg's worried voice rang through the communicator.

Robin tensed and shot her a pleading look; she grimaced when she realized what he wanted her to do.

Lie.

Raven glared at him as she pressed the button. "I'm fine, about to check another part of the city. Are you guys tired? We can stop."

"No, Friend, we will not rest until we have found Friend Robin!"

A crash could be heard before Beast Boy's voice came on. "Star's right."

"Grass Stain? What was that?"

"Tripped, nothing wrong." He chuckled a bit nervously.

Raven nodded, eyes still set on Robin. "Okay, in that case, we'll keep looking." She closed her communicator.

"Look, I'm sorry but-"

She raised her hand. "Don't want to hear it. I'm still having my doubts so you better prove me wrong."

"Well, there's something I never thought I'd hear you say." He smiled and let go of her hand; climbing on the roof of a building and waiting until she was flying beside him before he continued running from roof to roof.

He stopped at a particular building; an old warehouse.

Typical.

Robin leaned against the wall beside the window, his arms and legs crossed as he stared at Raven; a glint in his blue eyes. He motioned to the window and she rolled her eyes before looking through it.

She could see Mad Mod, typing on a computer with quick fingers; a grin on his face.

"Wait here," she breathed, handing him his sunglasses.

He shrugged and put them on as she disappeared, knowing that arguing really wouldn't help his case at the moment.

Raven stuck in the shadows as she entered the room; the shadows seemed to move with her, she got closer and closer to the villain but remained out of sight. Her eyes narrowed when she saw what was on the screen.

Plan to destroy the Titans:

1. Fake own death to take out Bird Boy.

2. Find something that blocks out magic to take out the Demon.

3. Get a hypnotizing wheel to knock out the green one.

4. Mess with the robot's circuits.

5. By now, the alien should be so sad and distressed that her powers are almost non-existent.

Raven moved back in the shadows and in a second; she was standing next to Robin.

"Found anything?" He raised an eyebrow and grinned.

She glared at him and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt before jumping off the roof and flying down until her feet hit the ground. "Don't look so smug, Boy Blunder."

He smiled.


"Great, first Robin, now Raven's missing as well. Who's next?" Cyborg grumbled.

"Nobody," Raven's voice rang, a black shadow appearing behind Beast Boy before the shadow faded and shifted into the half-demon.

The green changeling yelped and jumped into Starfire's arms in surprise; the surprised alien catching him on instinct.

Raven rolled her eyes and pulled her hood down; a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Friend, where have you been? We have been sickly worried about you!" Starfire exclaimed, dropping Beast Boy.

"Worried sick," the half-demon corrected gently. "And I was setting some things straight, come on, follow me."

She didn't wait for an answer as she turned to walk towards the roof.

The other Titans looked at each other; confused, but followed anyway.

When they reached the roof, Robin was there. Looking completely calm and unfazed as a cursing and struggling Mad Mod sat at his feet; tied up and gagged.

"Hey guys," he greeted.

Starfire was the first to react.

She flew towards her leader, trapping him in a bone-crushing hug. "Oh I knew you were the innocent!" She gushed.

"Star...need...to...breath!" He gasped out, smiling softly at her when she let him go and mumbled a quick 'sorry'.

Beast Boy blinked. "Uhmm...can someone explain what is going on?!"

"Mad Mod tried to break up the Titans." Raven responded calmly from beside him.

"Starting with taking me out first," Robin added, glaring eyes on the villain although nobody could see because of the sunglasses.

"Glad you're not a murderer," Cyborg said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Well! This calls for a late tofu breakfast!" Beast Boy cheered.

"No way Grass Stain!"

"Guys!" Robin chuckled. "I...need to do something first."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You sure about this?"

He nodded and calmly took the sunglasses off; revealing the blue eyes that were always hidden behind the mask. "Hi, I'm Dick Grayson." He introduced.

Silence took over as Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg stared at their leader; completely frozen.

Not in a million years had they expected him to tell them his identity.

Beast Boy was the first to snap out of it. "Garfield Logan," he said a bit lamely.

"Victor Stone," Cyborg grinned and crossed his arms.

Starfire took a hesitant step forward, looking a bit confused. "My birth name is Koriand'r, but I believe, on your planet it would be...Kori?"

Raven smiled softly, rolling her eyes as Robin met her eyes and shot her a wink; her smile widening nonetheless.