Disclaimer: I do NOT in any way shape or form own the Lord of the Rings, or any DCU heroes. Lord of the Rings is the property of JRR Tolkien while Robin, Batgirl, the Teen Titans and all related character are the property of DC Comics. This story is simply in homage of their work.


Chapter 3
Culture Shock

A cool wind blew across the San Francisco Bay as the sun begun to set in the west, causing the water and sky to turn brilliant shades of reds, yellows and oranges. Standing atop the famed Titans Tower, was a single figure. Robin's young masked face was set into a far more grim and thoughtful expression that was even normal for him, which in itself was saying a lot.

He still couldn't believe it. Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee were here in San Francisco. They were in his world. It had been nearly two years since he had returned from Middle-Earth. He hadn't thought he would ever see any of his old friends again. Yet here they were, currently lying unconscious in the Tower's medical lab.

One part of him was overjoyed to see them again, while another part was shaken to the core as the nightmares from the past few nights came flooding into his mind. He wanted to tell himself it was nothing more than a coincidence that the very day after he had the horrible vision of Sauron, Frodo and Sam landed in his world.

But he knew better.

There was no such thing as coincidences in these sorts of situations. Not for him.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Robin didn't turn as Wonder Girl floated down besides. He didn't even seem remotely surprised by her presences.

Cassandra Sandsmark would never claim to understand how Tim's mind worked. He was too much his mentor in that regard, and she had long ago realized that no one could real guess what the Teen Wonder would or wouldn't do. But they had been friends for a long time now, and even with their estrangement during the past year and the 'incident' a month ago that had not changed. And she knew him well enough to know something was bothering him.

"They're probably worth a bit more than a penny," Robin replied, his gaze still fixed on the distant sunset.

Cassie gave a tiny half smile. "Just cause you got adopted by one of the richest guys in the world, doesn't mean you can charge more for your thoughts than the rest of us." When Robin didn't quip back, she frowned slightly. Okay, she knew things were tense between them since they both had returned to the Titans, but he didn't normally reject the chance to joke about his being adopted by Bruce Wayne. "You kinda… Um… took off after we got back and put your buddies in the med lab. Everyone was wondering if you were okay."

"I'm fine."

Arching an eyebrow, Cassie shook her head. "Riiiiight… I am so totally convinced now. Anyways, Raven did her mojo and says that those Hobbit guys are going to be all right. She says they'll probably be waking up soon."

"Great."

Cassie sighed. She was getting the one monosyllabic response. That was never a good sign. "Don't you want to go down and wait for them to wake up?" When Robin didn't reply, she put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. "Tim… What's wrong? Is it about Cass? I know seeing those guys again might bring back some… difficult memories for you, but-"

"It has nothing to do with her," Tim said, a tad sharply, especially on his emphasis of the last word obvious. Cassandra flinched slightly. She, like all the Titans, knew how Cassandra Cain had turned to the dark side. It had hit them all pretty hard. Cassandra had become a close friend to all the Teen Titans following her return from Middle-Earth with Robin. She had even become reserve member of the team in fact. And no one could believe it when they heard how she had betrayed the Gotham Knights and Robin. Cassie knew that Tim was still having trouble to accept the truth. She couldn't blame him.

"If its not about her, then what?" she asked. "I thought you'd be happy to see them. I mean you talked about them all the time before."

"I AM happy to see them," Tim admitted truthfully. "Frodo and Sam and everyone were my friends… my family, when me and… during my time in Middle-Earth. I owe both of them… and all the others, a lot. I never thought I would see them again."

"So what's the problem? And don't tell me its nothing because we both know you only come up here when you're over-analyzing something."

"It's complicated,." Cassie scowled slightly. That was such a bat-answer.

"Tim, everything we do is complicated. Try me."

Robin took a deep breath, and for a brief moment the face of the Boy Wonder slipped, revealing the boy beneath, Tim Drake. Cassie was always thankful for those moments. It reminded her that Tim hadn't fully transformed into a younger version of Batman, as they all sometimes feared.

"I've been having dreams… about Sauron."

"Sauron?" Cassie repeated with a furrowed brow. "Oh… Wasn't he the big bad you guys fought against in Middle-Earth? The one who wanted that Ring?"

Tim nodded. "Last night… I was having a dream about… Well what it was about isn't important. The thing is, the dream changed at the end from how it should have happened. I saw… Sauron's eye."

Cassie stared at him worriedly, her hand never leaving his shoulder. If anything she tightened a bit more, though careful to not accidentally break the bone with her strength. "It was just a dream Tim. That was all," she told him, even though she found the words hollow and untrue. Despite the fact Tim was a normal human with no special powers like the rest of the Titans, she knew that odd things could happen at any given point. Especially when one of them were involved.

"I don't think it was," Tim whispered darkly. "I think… it was a warning."

An ominous wind blew across the bay, causing Cassie to shiver and hug her shoulders so as to block out the cold. "Did anyone ever tell you that it's kinda creepy when you say stuff like that?"

"Conner did," Robin said softly.

Feeling her body stiffen and the golden lasso at her waist hum softly with electricity, Cassie took a deep calming breath and pushed her long blonde hair back over her ear. Now was not the time to get angry. She knew he didn't mean anything by that.

Tim had always been known for brooding about things, but ever since he got back, he seemed… more so. Not that she could blame him. The last two years had not been kind to him. It had been too much for any one person to bear. And as mad as she had been at Tim for disappearing for an entire year with Batman and Nightwing after Conner had died, she couldn't hold it against him. Not really. And at least he had been doing something constructive with that year, unlike her and that Cult she had idiotically joined. She still couldn't believe she let herself become so desperate that she actually believed the tripe they sold her. A pang of guilt settled in her stomach, as she remembered how harshly she had treated Tim, along with Diana and her own mother.

After a long moment of a silence and realizing that if she didn't do something soon Tim would be spending the rest of the night there, Cassie reached out and laid a soft hand on his arm in a sisterly sort of manner. "Come on Tim. Brooding up on the roof is all well and good for the big bad Bat, but not you and not now. So how about we go down stairs and see check on your friends?"

Robin looked ready to say something, when suddenly a loud pair of screams could be heard eminating from down in the Tower. Wonder Girl's head immediately snapped towards the sound in alarm.

"I guess they're already awake," she mused softly. She turned back to Robin, only to find he had already vanished, as if into thin-air. She sighed heavily, and rising into the air, flew towards the rooftop entrance.


"Rosie…?"

Sam gave a small chocking cough as he spoke out his wife's name. His mind felt muddled and he was unable to remember at first where he was or what had happen. So of course, his first truly conscious thought went to his beloved wife. In his mind's eyes he could see her smiling face, golden hair and sparkling green eyes. However as his own brown eyes fluttered open, he came to realize that his wife was nowhere to be seen. Instead he was lying back on a very soft bed but very oddly designed bed that was not his own, and staring up at a ceiling that like the bed was not his.

Sitting up a bit too rapidly and thus making himself a bit dizzy, Sam stared around fearfully. Wherever this place was, he had never seen ANYTHING like it before. Everything was cast in darkness, but thanks to his vision already adjusting to the dark and the bit of light coming in between the curtains a large window, he could make out enough. It was very big room, with several beds set up in a row. All around him there were… machines of some sort, pinging and beeping and lighting up with numbers.

"H-Hello…?" he said in a nervous voice, after he had gulped deeply. "Is there anyone there?"

There was a long moment of silence, before a small and shaky voice spoke. "Sam…?"

"Mister Frodo? Oh thank goodness!" Sam said, his voice growing stronger. He looked over at the bed to the left of his own, and saw his lifelong friend rubbing his own eyes and mumbling something under his breath. "Are you alright?"

"I think so…" Frodo said with a small sigh. He looked around his surrounding, and his face furrowed slightly. "Where are we?"

"I dunno, Mister Frodo," Sam admitted as he climbed down from the bed and onto the cold metal floor and moved towards the other Hobbit's bed. "Sure'n don't look like anywhere I've been before."

"Nor I," Frodo admitted. He like Sam, was feeling rather unnerved in their current surroundings. Everything about the room felt cold and sterile. The many devises that surrounded them had a disturbing sort of feel to them and the lack of light didn't help any. "Where do you think Merry and Pippin are?"

Sam shook his head and shrugged his shoulders in reply but even in the dark, Frodo could see the disgruntled face he was making. "When we find Pippin, we should each give him a right good thrashing for being so careless. One would have thought that after what happened with the Ring, he'd be more careful about touching strange things like that medallion."

"One would think…" Frodo agreed, with a tired smile. "I wonder what caused the Medallion to do that though."

"Me too, Mister Frodo. Me Too."

Climbing out of his bed, Frodo scratched his head and sighed. "What do you supposed we should do now?"

Sam frowned and cast another looked around the room. "I suppose we should find out where we are exactly. Maybe someone can help us find the others."

Nodding, Frodo cast another look around the room as he climbed down from his own bed. "I wish they had left us our swords," he whispered.

Sam couldn't argue with that. He would have felt much more brave had he Sting in his hand right now.

The pair of them made towards the only doors they could see on the far side for the room. As they passed by the curtained window, Frodo paused and shared a small looked with Sam who gave a nervous nod. Taking a deep breath, he reaching out to pulled the curtains opened.

What they saw made them gasp in unison.

A beautiful bay of water stood before them, with two bodies of land rooted on both sides, on which a great city had been built. Connecting the two shores was an amazingly designed bridge, the likes of which neither had ever seen before. The scene was made only more breathtaking by the reds, oranges and yellows that were created by the setting sun. It was quite frankly the most amazing sight they had seen in years. Not even Minas Tirith nor the Gray Havens had looked like this.

"Now there's an eye opener, no doubt," Sam whispered softly. Frodo could only nod in agreement.

They remained rooted to that spot for several additional moments until Frodo finally tapped Sam on the shoulder and indicated that they continue with their original plan. Casting a final look at the beautiful scenery before them, Sam nodded and followed Frodo towards the door.

The both of them froze however when they saw that the door had no knob in which to turn. Shifting uneasily, they turned to stare at one another with matching expressions that asked 'what now?'

Frowning, Frodo looked at the door again before taking a step forward and extending his hand out to feel around for something that would hopefully open it. Without warning, the door suddenly slid apart, right down the middle on its own accord with a swift 'SWOOSH' sound. Both Frodo and Sam leapt back from the door in surprise. A moment later the doors slid closed again. Sharing a frightened look with Sam, Frodo took another step forward and again the doors slid open on its own.

Taking a breath the both of them jumped through the opened doorway into a long metal hallway with a line of unusual light fixtures.

"What is this place?" Sam muttered to himself.

Frodo didn't respond, but instead began leading them down the long hallway. They had no idea where they were going, but they knew they had to find an exit or stairwell sooner or later.

As they passed down the hall, they came across an assortment of doors with labels upon them. One read 'Forensic Lab', while another read 'Library' and another read 'weapons locker'. Many of these doors they came across were locked, while others would slide open as they drew close enough. Unfortunately, none of them looked remotely like an exit. And they had yet to find anyone else who might help them.

Could the place have be empty or abandoned? Frodo shook his head. That didn't seem likely. The lights were still on in the hallways and SOMEONE had to have put them in that healing room. Frodo had concluded it had to be a place of healing, considering how similar the lay out was to the House of Healing in Minas Tirith.

Finally they reached the end of the hallways, which ended in a single door, which was labeled 'elevator 1.' "What's… an elevator?" asked Sam, squinting his eyes at the door's label.

Frodo shrugged and moved towards the door in the hopes that it would open. He was not disappointed. The doors immediately split apart with a soft 'swoosh' sound. Only the other side of the door was not empty as the previous ones had been…

"…Telling you Vic, I'm fine. It was just a scratch. They barely got me, and I'm already healed up."

"I know kid, but I just want to make sure. After the deal with the Brotherhood a few weeks back I- Hey!"

Both occupants of the elevator and the hobbits froze in mid-step as they caught sight of one another.

Frodo and Sam couldn't bring themselves to speak, to act or even think. Instead all they could do was stare at the pair before them in silent shock, for like the tower and the city, these people were nothing like they had ever seen before.

The first was a very tall and very muscular man with skin nearly as dark as that of an Uruk-Hai. He was nearly as big as well. While that was unusual, it was not what startled Frodo and Sam. Instead it was the fact that over half his body seemed composed with of metal. While of his eyes was a soft brown, the other seemed made of glass and was glowing bright orange.

The second one was almost as frightening and bizarre looking at the first. His skin was a striking color of red, and from his head there fell long white hair. Upon his forehead was a pair of dark black horns, and his eyes glowed a bright yellow color. From behind him, the hobbits could see a long red tale with a spade swishing back and forth. His lips spread apart, and a gold flame seamed to spark from his mouth.

They were demons. There was not other explanation for them.

"Hot damn! You're awake!" the red skinned demon cried with a wide grin, as gold flames sparked from his mouth. "How you feeling?"

This seemed to shake the two hobbits out of their silent shock. Unfortunately, the reaction the demon boy got was not the one he had been expecting…

"AUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Frodo and Sam together, and together the hobbits both spun around their heals and raced down the hallways, leaving a stunned Cyborg and Kid Devil in their wake.

"Was it something I said?" asked Kid Devil, looking at Cyborg with a sad and very forced smile.

Frodo and Sam ran rapidly back down the metal hallways, faster than either of them had run in almost four years. The last time they felt their muscles burning like this, it had been in the cave of the evil spider in Mordor.

Could they have landed in some other part of Mordor? Had they come across the remaining forces of Sauron? Frodo didn't want to think about it as he and Sam raced down the hallways, trying to find another way out. They both knew they were pretty high up off the ground from the view they had gotten in the window. But surely there was other ways out.

Turning left down the one of the hallways, they continued on, searching frantically for something that said 'stairs'. Unfortunately as they turned the next corner, they received another surprise as a young woman with blonde hair came towards them. Normally they would have been more surprised by her choice of her odd garment, which from where they came from would be almost indecent. Instead, what shocked them was that she was flying 3 feet of the ground.

"The other way!" shouted Frodo, as they saw her, and spinning on their heals against went back the way they came.

"Wait!" cried the flying girl. "Come back!"

Frodo and Sam sped down the second hallways, which they had passed earlier and were finally rewarded when they came to a door with a sign which finally read 'Stairs'. Sharing a wide-eyed looks of relief they pushed the doors open and began racing down the many steps. They passed down nearly a dozen floors, breathing heavily and nearly falling over their own feet more than once.

"What… -Gasp- …were they?" gasped Sam as they continued run.

"-Gasp- I don't know!" Frodo replied. "But what ever you do, don't stop running!"

Frodo and Sam finally reached the last level and burst through a nearby door. They found themselves in another large hallway. Unlike the previous hallways, which had been made of metal, this one was stone and wood, intricately designed. A dark red carpet covered the floor with a large golden 'T' embroidered on it at certain points.

Not feeling much for exploring, the two hobbits continued running down the hallways until they reached another set of stairs going down. "How many stairs does this place have?" muttered Frodo agressively.

"They went this way!" a voice called from a neighboring hallway.

"Doesn't really matter right now Mister Frodo!" yelped Sam, and the two of then began to race down the latest staircase in a desperate attempt to escape their pursuers.

They entered into what clearly was an entrance hall. There were massive windows built, allowing for light to enter, and a large double door in the dead center. Plants and couches were set up in assorted places, as were a few tables. Had the time to look around, they would have found it rather spectacular looking. But their thoughts were filled with far more important questions as the moment. Such as how had they landed in a place where the scenery was so beautiful and the people (if they could be called that) were so… unnatural? Demons, flying girls and Mental Men! It was outrageous. And yet at the same time, there was something familiar about them.

Frodo was so shocked by what they had seen and lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't paid enough attention to the stairs and suddenly lost his balance. With his arms swinging wildly, Frodo fell down the remaining 10 stairs and came crashing on the ground in what looked to be a massive entrance hall.

"FRODO!" screamed Sam as he ran down to get his friend. However, before he could reach the bottom, a woman had jumped down from above him, landing in a low crouch and successfully blocked his path. She was wearing a tight fitting body blue, silver and orange costume, and her face was covered by an odd black and orange mask, which had only one hole for her right eye. Sam froze mid-step, uncertain what to do. From above him he could hear the sounds of two pairs of feet descending the stairs towards him.

"Where do you think you're going short-stuff," sneered the masked, one-eyed woman sinisterly. Sam didn't know what came over him, but before either of them realized what had happened, his small hobbit fist has flown out and struck the woman squarely in the nose. The woman's head snapped back and then she looked back at him with a shocked expression as a small trickle of blood fell from her nose. Her previous cocky expression was immediately replaced with one of pure fury.

"You little son of…" she began and before Sam could react, there was a sword pushing into the side of his neck.

"Rose let him go!" cried the flying blonde girl as she swooped down behind Sam.

"Sam!" cried Frodo at the same time as a third voice spoke loudly, overshadowing everyone else.

"Stand down Ravager."

Everyone froze at the sound of the cool, and commanding voice, and all eyes turned in time to see someone melting out of some nearby shadows. A young man, whose body was partially hidden beneath a long black scalloped cape, lined with gold. A red, gold and black costume could be seen occasionally between the flaps of the cape. His young face was hidden behind a black domino mask. For a brief moment, a symbol could be seen from beneath the cape: a golden 'R' on top of a black circle.

He was much older than Frodo and Sam remembered, but perhaps a couple of years. He was also taller and a bit more muscular. But even with even with the small changes in the build and obvious changes in costume, there was no mistaking who it was. Looks of realization struck both Frodo and Sam as they simultaneously gasped: "ROBIN!"

Robin did not reply however, instead his gaze remained fixed on the one-eyed woman who they assumed was Ravager. She looked down at Sam for a moment and then at Robin again.

"The little freak hit me," she said lamely.

"I don't care," Robin growled. "Now I repeat: Stand down, before I make you." Ravager seemed to weight the option, as she stared coldly at Robin. Finally she gave Sam and Frodo a disgruntled snort and pulled her sword back, before standing.

"It was a lucky shot."

At the same time, the demon and metal man had descended the stairs coming to a stop a few steps above Sam. The flying girl landed besides the gardener, and looked as if she wanted to offer him a hand, though judging by the startled expression on his face, thought better of it. The demon boy gave an awkward smile and wave that the Sam did not return.

Robin meanwhile moved swiftly over to Frodo and crouching down besides him. "Are you alright Frodo?" he asked. "Didn't hit your head or anything, did you?"

"R-Robin… Tim?" Frodo whispered, unable to believe his eyes.

Robin reached up, and pealed of his black domino mask from his face, to reveal a pair of bright blue eyes. His handsome features were marred slightly by a thin scar that cut across his left eyebrow. The corners of Tim Drake's mouth quirked upwards slighting, forming a very small smile that did not seem to meet his eyes. "Hey."

Unable to stop himself, Frodo threw his arms around Tim's shoulder hugging him tightly. Robin and the others looked started by the act of emotion, and after a moment, Robin gave Frodo a small return embrace. Once Frodo had let go of him, Tim looked over at Sam who was still standing on the stairs, apparently still unsure about what he was seeing.

"Hey Sammy," Robin said, with a wink. "Long time no see."

This seemed to be the push that Sam need, and in a flash he had jumped the remaining stairs and hugged Robin tightly around the neck, burying his head into the Teen Wonder's shoulder.

"Aww… a Kodak Moment…" Ravager said with a roll of her eye. "Gag."

"Shut up Rose," said the metal man, though he was smiling at the scene before him.

Sam pulled back from the hug and stared at Tim with wide, unbelieving eyes. "Is it…? Is it really you?"

"The last time I checked," Tim replied, wryly. "Is it really you?" As soon as he had said there, a loud growl emanated from Sam's stomach, causing him to blush furiously. Tim arched an eyebrow. "I guess that answer's my question."

Looking at Sam a bit more seriously, he noticed a small cut in Sam's neck from where Ravager had pushed her sword. "Damnit Rose," he muttered, before looking at Cyborg. "Vic, could you get Rae down here?"

"No need Victor," replied a control female voice. "I am already here."

Raven descended the stairs from the girl's dormitory wing, her blue hood pulled back revealing her long locks of black hair. Her violet eyes took in the group of people in front of her. Her eyes fixated on Frodo and Sam, at which point she gave a small, barely noticeable smile. "Hello again Frodo, Samwise."

"Raven," whispered Frodo softly. He along with Sam, and the rest of their Fellowship had met the young half-demon shortly before she had taken Robin and Batgirl back home. While neither he, nor any of the other had felt all that comfortable around her, they had come to like her in the short time they had known her.

"Sam and Frodo got a bit ruffed up," Robin informed her, shooting a side glare at Rose, who shrugged back at him and smiled coyly. "Think you could fix them up?"

"No problem, Robin," Raven assured him, as knelt next to the hobbits. She couldn't help but smile a bit as she sensed the fear that previously filled the Tower, being replaced with the sense of ease. Clearly they were glad to have a few familiar faces.

Raising her hands over Sam's neck, the red gemstone on Raven's forehead flashed as her hands began to give off a soft white glow. Once she pulled her hand back the earlier cut on Sam's neck had vanished. "How do you feel Samwise?"

Reaching to his neck, Sam gave a small grin as he felt the now smooth bit of skin. "Oh… I feel great. Thank you Miss."

Inclining her head, Raven turned to Frodo and began to heal the bruises that he had sustained during his fall. A moment later he gave a weak smile and whispered his thanks. Raven again only inclined her head and stood back up.

There was a long moment of silence, during which the Hobbits surveyed the other people around them. Frodo and Sam were thrilled to see Robin again, and even Raven to an extent, but to say that they were lost would have been a gross understatement of the situation. "Robin… I don't understand… where are we?" Frodo asked finally. "What… I mean, who are these people?"

Robin gave another forced smile and standing up, returned his mask to his face. "You're in my world now. This is Titans Tower. And these…" he pointed to the group of people behind them, "…are the Teen Titans."

"The Teen…" began Sam with startled look.

"Oh my…" grimaced Frodo.

Both he and Sam remembered all the stories that Robin had told them around the campfires during their quest, about the Titans and other heroes from his world. Sometimes they had thought Robin had been exaggerating in some of his stories. Yet as they stood there, they realized how mistaken they were.

They immediately broke into pleading apologies. However, as they were both speaking at the same time, and all anyone could hear was the occasional 'sorry' and 'we didn't know.'

"Don't worry about it," said Wonder Girl landing on the ground and extending her hand to Frodo. "This sort of thing happens all the time. Right Vic?"

Cyborg let out a booming rich laugh, as she referenced his own awakening after spending the last year offline. He had nearly taken out Eddie, Rose, Marvin and Wendy in an act of blind panic and anger. And of course there were also the famous Rose vs. Wonder Girl fights. "Too true. Too true."

Robin patted the hobbits on the back and ushered them forward towards the others. "Frodo, Sam, allow me to properly introduce you to the gang. The big metal guy is Victor Stone, AKA Cyborg. The blonde is Cassandra Sandsmark, our own Wonder Girl." Both Frodo and Sam's eyebrows rose at the name 'Cassandra'. "And you of course know Raven." Raven bowed her head to them. Robin then then pointed to the demon boy and the one eyed girl. "And these two are our newest recruits. Rose Wilson AKA Ravager," The hobbits gave Rose a suspicious look, to which she glared back them and shrugged. "And Eddie Bloomberg but we call him Kid Devil. Guys, this is Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee."

"So yer… a D-Devil?" repeated Sam, looking uneasily at Eddie.

"Its only a name," said Vic assured them, placing a hand on Eddie's shoulder and giving the young man a reassuring smile. "He's just a kid with some unusual powers."

Stepping forward Vic extend his massive robotic hand towards Frodo who nervously shook it. Half his forearm was gripped by Cyborg who grinned kindly. "On behalf of the Titans, welcome to the Tower and… heh, apparently to our universe. It's nice to finally meet you two. Robin told us all about you."

"He told us all about… well most of you," Frodo said, looking momentarily at Ravager and Kid Devil. "Though to be honest we were never sure…"

"If people like us could exist?" Vic supplied, knowingly. "Yeah, you wouldn't be the first."

"Sorry about Rose," Cassandra came over and extended her hands to both hobbits, smiling warmly at them. "She's got anger management issues. Among other things."

"Screw you Barbie," Rose muttered.

"So you're really from another universe?" asked Eddie excitedly as he stretched his hand Frodo and Sam, both of whom felt rather uneasy about but managed to push their own fears aside. After all, the boy seemed nice enough, even though he looked nearly as scary as some of the Orcs they had faced.

"I… I guess," answered Frodo with a small shrug and glance at Robin, who nodded.

"Hot damn."

Frodo smiled awkwardly, before looking around almost hopefully. "Robin… where are Merry and Pippin?"

The Teen Wonder frowned. "They were with you?"

"Yes," said Sam, a look of worry etched on his heavyset face. "When we went into the portal."

"Talk about de ja vu…" Robin muttered. "No, they weren't with you when you guys appeared. But that doesn't mean anything. Its possible they landed somewhere else in the city, right Raven?" The empathic Titan looked concerned but nodded nonetheless. "Don't worry guys, we'll find them."

While neither Hobbit looked happy, they did trust Robin. He was a great detective and tracker. They had seen him in action many times before. If anyone could find their missing friends it would be him.

"Alright, I'm bored now. So unless I get to smack the midgets around again, I'm outta here," Rose said suddenly, stretching her arms over her head until a soft pop could be heard from her back. "Come on Eddie."

"But I wanna hear more about them," Eddie said, jutting his chin towards the Hobbits. "I never heard about Middle-Earth before."

"Actually, for once Rose has the right idea," said Cassie with a pointed glance at the former villain. "Lets give Robin and his friends some time together to catch up. You'll have time to grill them about Middle-Earth soon enough Eddie." Vic and Raven nodded in agreement as they followed Rose back up the stairs, dragging Eddie along with them. Cassie looked back at Robin with a concerned smile.

"You going to be okay?"

Tim nodded appreciatively, knowing fully well what she meant by that. "Yeah, thanks Cassie." Wonder Girl took to the air and flew after the other Teen Titans, leaving Robin and the hobbits.

At the mention of the 'name' Cassie, the expression on Sam and Frodo's face looked hopeful as the Teen Wonder turned to them. "Tim, is Cassie… I mean the other Cassie… err… I mean our Cassie," Frodo elbowed Sam lightly, and chuckled as his friend tried to specify. Sam's face turned bright read. "Is Batgirl here?"

As soon as the question left Sam's mouth, Robin's mood shifted instantly. His back stiffed, the white lenses of his mask seemed to flash, and his mouth formed very thin line. Both Frodo and Sam tensed at the sight. The only time they had ever seen Tim look like that was during battle or during the brief time where he and Cassandra had stopped talking to one another after the Mines of Moria.

"…Tim?" began Frodo, nervously, when he did not reply. "Where's Cassie?"

"She's not here," he informed them flatly, as he turned away from them and began walking up the stairs, clearly expecting them to follow. The hobbits however remained rooted to their spots, and stared at their friend in shock.

"So where is she?"

"Gone."

That single word felt like a stone falling into their stomachs. Neither Hobbit could believe that they had heard correctly. "G-Gone?" echoed Sam. "Do you mean she's…?"

"I mean she's gone," Robin said, in a voice that clearly said the conversation was done with. Both Frodo and Sam winced. They had heard Tim speak like that several times before, but only during battle. He had never spoken like that when Cassandra had been a topic of conversation.

"Robin… what—" began Frodo, wanting to push the issue, only to get cut off abruptly by Robin.

"Come on. I'll give you a tour of the Tower."

It was needless to say that the two hobbits knew something had happened. But they also knew that Tim would not talk about it until he was wanted to. They could try forcing the issue all they wanted, but Tim wouldn't tell them until he wanted. The only people who had ever been able to push Tim spilling his guts like that had been his surrogate brother Legolas and Cassandra herself.

Reluctantly, the hobbits followed Tim up the stairs.

"Command Center to Robin," called a high nasally voice unexpectedly from out of nowhere. The hobbits jumped in surprise and began searching wildly for the source, while Robin only stopped in mid-step.

"Go ahead Marvin," he said to the unseen voice.

"You've got an incoming call from Gotham City. It sounds urgent."

Robin tensed, and gave a curt nod. "Understood. Tell him I'll be there in a moment."

"Gotcha boss-man."

Robin looked back at the Hobbits, who were both still staring around for the speaker of the voice. "W-Who said that?" Sam asked, as he looked over the railing of the stairs.

"That was Marvin," Robin explained, jutting his head, signaling that they follow. "He and his twin sister Wendy are the tower's caretakers. You'll meet them soon enough. Now come on guys. There's someone else I think you should probably meet."


"I can NOT believe you did that!"

"What? All I asked was how fast the wing could fly."

"Marvin, you never ask him stuff like that!"

"Why not?"

"Because you just don't!"

These were the words that met Robin and the Hobbits as they entered the control room. Two teenagers were facing each other, both talking at the top of their voice and looking rather perturbed. The first speaker was a young girl with dark black hair, and dark gray eyes. She was dressed in a tight fitting orange sweater and just as tight fitting white jeans. Her opponent was a scrawny teenage boy with matching gray eyes and windswept brown hair. He wore a pair of baggy brown pants and a white t-shirt with a large green 'M' running across the chest. Despite their obvious differences, there was a small family resemblance between them.

"Achem," Robin cleared his throat loudly, causing the arguing teens to jump. "There a problem?"

"Nope," said the boy with pointed look at the girl, who glared back.

"Frodo, Sam, meet Wendy and Marvin. Wendy, Marvin, these are the Hobbits," Robin said as he walked over to the computer. The hobbits gave small waves and nods to the twin caretakers of the Tower who returned the gesture, while at the same time staring in awe of the control center.

"This place is amazing…" Frodo whispered as he stared at a nearby computer that was monitoring police reports in San Francisco and Los Angeles. There were so many wonders of this world that it was almost too much to take in. From the automatic doors to the elevator, it seemed like the most simple of tasks was taken care by this new technology.

"Indeed," said Sam in agreement as he examined the security system.

"Yeah, we know," said Marvin with a pompous smile.

Wendy rolled her eyes and smacked her brother on the shoulder. "Come on, Mister Modest," she told him. "Lets give leave Robin to talk to his boss."

"But I still didn't get an answer to my question!" Marvin whined as his sister dragged him out of the control room.

As the hobbits began to stare around the control room, Robin moved to the master computer in the center of the room and began typing rapidly on the console. "Don't touch anything alright guys?" he directed to the hobbits, as he turned up to the giant screen.

The Hobbits nodded and walked to his side, just as the 'T' icon on the screen changed to show a man staring down at them. His face was hidden behind a black cowl with tall pointed ears and frighteningly cold opaque eyes. The mask was very similar to the one that they remembered Batgirl wearing when she first arrived in Middle-Earth, although with her cowl one couldn't see her eyes. Still, despite the fact that the mask was remanicant of Batigirl's they couldn't stop themselves from cowering back unexpectedly at the sight of the man on the screen. Something about him truly frightened them.

"Batman," Robin said stiffly.

"Robin," Batman replied just as stiffly in a low growl. Frodo and Sam shivered visibly at the voice, finding it nearly as unnerving as the voice of a Ring Wraith. "I have something rather unexpected to talk to you..." The Batman's voice trailed off as he took notice of the two hobbits that had taken to hiding behind Robin. "I see you have visitors."

"You could say that," Robin said with a small smirk. "Batman this is—"

"Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee," Batman finished, raising his head a bit straighter.

Both Frodo and Sam let out matching 'eeps' as the Batman spoke their voices. Even Robin was surprised that his mentor knew who they were. Yes, he had told Batman about Middle-Earth and the Hobbits, but still…

"He knows who we are…" whispered Frodo, in hushed voice.

"Batman?" began Robin, asking for an explanation.

"I believe I have something of yours," Batman replied as he reached off screen, and hefted the wide-eyed form of Merry Brandybuck onto the screen by the collar of his shirt.

"MERRY!" cried Robin, Frodo and Sam in unison.

"Frodo...? Sam? ROBIN?" Merry said, a smile forming on his lips, despite his uncomfortable position. "Is it really you? This is amazing! How did you getting into there?"

The Batman cleared his throat once, and Merry immediately gulped and fell silent.

"Where did you find him?" Robin asked Batman with an arched eyebrow.

"He was in the cave," Batman replied. "Have you managed to—" But before Batman could finish, the computer alert sounded, signaling another incoming call. Robin looked down at the caller-ID and frowned.

"Hold on a moment Batman. I've got a call coming in from Oracle."

Batman gave a curt nod. Ever since the Oracle had relocated to Metropolis, communication with her had become less regular. So if she were calling Robin and the Titans, it was very possible that this was important.

Robin struck a few keys on the computer, and the image of Batman was pushed off to the left, while a new image appeared on the screen. This time it was that of a digitally created green mask against a black background. "Go ahead Oracle."

"Hello current Boy Wonder," replied an electronically masked voice. "I hate to bother you, but I think we have something of yours…"

TO BE CONTINUED…


Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews guys. As I mentioned in the TITANIC GRYFFINDORS one of these two stories will go onto Hiatus. I haven't decide which yet, however. But I hope you guys are still enjoying the story and where things will go.

Reader's Reviews

RedRox: You're correct. Things are going to be much bigger and much more different. Nothing'll be the same.

Ladyofthebookworms: Yeah, that was probably Robin's first thought as well. After all, he's seen them eat. Even Alfred and the Wayne Fortune might not be up to the task of feeding them.

Alia G.L: Thanks a bunch. And you're right. It isn't good at all.

Coral Skipper: Glad to know you liked it. Now, since the Titans East aren't going to be composed of heroes, but rather villains and former-heroes, I think you'd be right on Cass' rehabilitation. So that means, keep sending in the letters to DC demanding the safe return of OUR Cassandra Cain.

Sandt21: Four Answers: 1. Indeed it is awesome. And Batman won't hurt Merry. Much. 2. This story is basically a little of everything. Robin/Batgirl play primary roles, along with the Fellowship, just as it was in the previous story. However, the Teen Titans will be playing an important role as will a couple of other heroes. 3. No I'm not waiting for the comics to reintroduce Cass. I'm going to wait until the time is right in my story to introduce her. What the comics do with her now, will have no effect on what I do with her here. 4. Indeed.

Iubex Acerbus: Yeah, Merry got the short end of the stick for the most part, while Pippin got the hot scantily clad girls. Sorry to say though, Cass is still MIA. Where? Who can say? She's being all evil and mysterious, after all. At least she managed to show up in a flashback. Better'n nothing.

Akira217: Thanks for the review. And yeah, I know what you mean. Sequels are a tricky thing. They either end up becoming copies of the previous stories or they just suck. That's why I sometimes dislike movie sequels. But I've been taking this story very carefully, wanting to avoid those mistakes. While this story is linked to the previous story, I want it to be able to stand alone.

Sylvia Skywalker: You'll see soon enough.

Messiah91: Thanks for the review. And don't worry. Most if not all the ME crew will appear. After all, things are more dangerous this time around than they ever were before. And what do you mean by archive.

GRose522: Is this soon enough? Now please put down the blunt pencil…

Special Thanks to: Trebeco, batfan7, Nathurra Aletra