Asuka02RedEva

Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans or Batman or even Robin…I know, it was very upsetting to me as well.

A/N: Well, I'm back by popular demand. Had to finish up school and get my life in order before I could seriously sit down and continue with this story. So here goes, sorry for any weird punctuation or any of those things that are popular with uploading stories.

-

Richard and Bruce now sat in front of a small table at a Chinese restaurant. This was much better than the nameless entrée that Alfred had brought them. Bruce had mastered the art of eating with chopsticks—many years of being a bachelor will do this to you—

while Richard was getting the hang of eating his chicken lo mein with chopsticks.

"Dick, mind if I ask how things are with the Titans? You know, I couldn't believe it when I heard that you were leading your own team. I always pictured you as going solo after you left," began Bruce, breaking the silence that had settled over their table.

"…Yeah, it was a surprise to me too…and things are…" started Richard as he set down the chop sticks, "they're alright. Just a lot has happened lately and I just need a break."

"That's understandable. I sometimes feel myself needing a break and since things have been pretty quiet lately I've been enjoying the time off," replied Bruce, feeling like he was finally getting somewhere.

"Do you ever feel like some days you just lose yourself in this persona that you've created?"

Bruce took a sip of tea and looked over his cup trying to read Richard's thoughts. He had been the boy's guardian for several years now and his paternal instincts were stronger than ever.

"Some days," Bruce set his cup down, "I often wonder if I could have slipped away into the darkness and lost myself. I have doubted who I am and if what I'm doing is the right thing. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, really…I'm just trying to clear my head is all…" with a smile he took a sip of his tea.

"Well, since you're home and all…just until you've cleared your head. There's always the issue of school," commented Bruce, arching an eyebrow at his young protégé.

"…School?" gulps down his tea hard.

"Yes, school. You know, the place where the people your own age go there to learn…with the books?" replied Bruce, smirking inwardly—some days it was just so nice to be able to play the dad card.

"…Yes…I know what school is…" he muttered, with an expression of sheer dread. 'I just don't always like to go to that place with the books and the pencils and the homework and the girls…well…yeah, and the girls…' he thought.

"So it's settled, I'll enroll you first thing on Monday morning and you can begin."

The awkward silence again hit the table. Great, so here was our fearless leader, being enrolled at Gotham High School…words could not describe how he felt.

-

Meanwhile…

When there's trouble you know who to call…well I would but he appears to be out of my calling plan…

The Titans watch as Cyborg gets the boot—literally—by Mumbo and goes flying clear across the football field. Beastboy holds up a card with a 9, Starfire a 9 ½, and Raven a 6…

Mumbo stood there and shook his head, "There's a critic in every crowd…oh well, guess I should be moving on." He turned to find three Titans blocking his exit.

"Looks, like it's the end of the line for you, Mumbo," stated Beast Boy, pointing his index finger at Mumbo.

Raven and Starfire merely sighed, his impression of Robin was lacking…and they were not going to raid his room and wear their leader's costume once more.

"What? I thought I had it that time…" replied Beast Boy with a sigh.

"Oh you've had it alright," commented Mumbo who now had a pair of scissors in hand and cuts the line.

"Huh?" Beast Boy looked down to find himself on a fine line and plummets.

-

Bruce stood up with a smirk, "Would you like to come with me on tonight's patrol?"

"…I'll pass, I'm kind of tired…" replied Richard as he stood up, "I'll just see you at home Bruce."

Bruce let out a small sigh as he watched his young son walk past him and out the door. This was a definitely a problem with far greater roots than he had anticipated.

Richard walked down the street with his hands in his pockets. It was almost Christmas and he could see children walking hand in hand with their parents and pointing at shop windows, their noses pressed up against the glass. He smiled at their antics; however, Christmas always made him sad…

He continued to make his way down main street; when something cold landed on his face, he looked up to see that it had started to snow and images started to take shape…

-

"You're up next my little Robin, you'll be perfect…" his mother coaxed him out onto the platform high above the crowd.

"I know. I could do this routine in my sleep mom."

"Your father and I will be right behind you…"

The boy took his bow after successfully mastering his quadruple flip and waited as his parents took the trapeze…and his eyes opened in horror as his parents fell to the center of the stage amongst the horrified crowd…

It was then that he had been sent to the youth center and there that he had devised a plan to run away; however, he had run into the Dark Knight who had convinced him to go back to the center for someone was coming for him…and he did…

-

After a venture to Mumbo's hat and back the Titans were less than impressed as they entered the main room of Titans Tower.

"Dude! We're getting our butts kicked!" exclaimed Beast Boy as he slumped onto the couch.

"Well, maybe if you'd all follow my orders, we wouldn't be getting our butts kicked," replied Cyborg as he opened the refrigerator door.

"…Smash them up is hardly an order for us to follow…" stated Raven flatly, as she pulled out a book.

"I wish Robin was here…" commented Starfire, as she sat on a stool at the counter, propping her elbows up and her chin in her hands.

"Sorry Star, but he's not here and we don't even know when he's coming back."

Starfire looked at Cyborg and sighed, "But do none of you know where Robin's home is?"

-

'Way to make myself even more depressed…' he thought to himself as he hung his head and sighed, 'Maybe Alfred wants to dig out the old home videos of Bruce…those are always good for a laugh…'

The street light he was standing under flickered, causing him to look up ahead. He could make out a figure in the shadows but noticed that it was only a couple with their young son.

He turned and crossed the street heading home when he heard a scream.

"What the?" Richard ran to the side of the street trying to see over the passing cars, all he could make out was someone shuffling the family into a nearby alley. 'I'm sure they're fine…I should just…' he turned his back to the alley, but when he heard the cry for help coming from the young boy he couldn't leave.

-

The robber pushed the woman against the alley wall holding a gun.

"Give me your purse and all of your jewelry…hurry up!" he yelled waving the gun in front of her.

Her husband advanced but was knocked back and their son ran to the aid of his fallen father.

"I said hurry up or I can just take the money after I've taken your lives!" exclaimed the robber as he grabbed the bag from the shaking woman. He started to walk backwards, still holing the gun at arms length in front of him. "You even try to follow me and I'll…" he stopped suddenly backing up into something, no more like someone.

The robber spun around with his gun out only to have it knocked out of his hand by Richard's foot.

"Why you little brat! You're going to pay for that!" the man launched forward with a burst of flying fists.

Richard dodged and sent the man flying back with a foot to his stomach, causing the wind to be knocked out of him. The man once more advanced but this time he pulled a knife from inside of his boot; however, Richard did a back flip and grabbed the guy from behind and threw him against the wall. The robber slid down the wall apparently out cold. A security lamp flickered over the man and as Richard made his way toward the man he saw Slade leaning against the wall and no longer the robber.

He shook his head and felt a small hand take hold of his. Looking down, he saw the happy smile of the young boy whose parents he had saved.

The boy opened his mouth but Richard merely shook his head, "You don't have thank me."

The woman was helping up her husband, just as the police arrived followed by a TV crew…

-

"Master Bruce?"

"Yes Alfred?" replied Batman, perched atop of a ledge as he took hold of his communicator, "You may want to see the evening news…"

Batman brought the news onto the screen of his communicator and watched in awe.

-

"I'm standing here with Richard Grayson, the son of millionaire Bruce Wayne who has just saved a Gotham family from an armed robbery," spoke the TV reporter, with Richard next to her on camera, "Tell me, what made you go to their rescue?"

-

"Dude! Can you believe this? Some millionaire's kid just took out an armed robber and saved a family!" exclaimed Beast Boy sitting in front of the TV.

"Boo Yeah! Good to know that some regular people still have what it takes to take down the bad guys," commented Cyborg as he bit into his set of barbequed ribs.

-

"Well, I couldn't just stand by while this family was in trouble," replied Richard standing there with a 'God, let me go!' look on his face.

The reporter had her arm around his shoulders, "The courage you must have possessed in order to go into such a dangerous situation. What went through your mind?"

"…Save the family from the armed robber…" he commented flatly, standing there with a large sweatdrop forming.

"Yes, save the family and in deed you did. This is Shannon Smith reporting for News 8 in Gotham. Perhaps Batman has some competition. Back to you Bob."

-

"…Hmmm…" Raven looked over her book and around the room. "I wonder…"

While Starfire had lost her mouth in her bowl some time ago in awe and Beast Boy and Cyborg continued to flip through the channels.

"…Guess it was just me…" she commented before returning to her book.

-

That's it for now. Please R/R. Thanks!