Okey-dokey, peeps! I actually appreciate the reviews that tell me about the mistakes. The reason I put the stupid Author's Note up, was one, so I could get a beta-reader (blushes) and two, so I could say that they were right. Anyway, I needed to say that the next chapter was going to take longer, so…I just wanted to say that none of the reviews upset me. Not at all. Enough of my rambling. So here is the chapter!


The minute Robin felt nothing but air, he panicked. What the hell was he doing? There was no way he was going to commit suicide. He tried to reach out and grab the edge of the roof, but he couldn't turn his body in time. His eyes widened as he realized that he was probably going to die.

Suddenly, a hand shot out and grabbed his wrist tightly. The movement jerked his arm painfully, but the adrenaline and fear were all the emotions he could feel.

"What do you think you are doing?" Starfire asked as she wrestled to pull him onto the roof. Her footing slipped on the wet cement and she almost tumbled down with him, but she regained it quickly, her long hair plastered to her pale face.

When she jerked him up, they both went sprawling. Robin hit the ground hard, but he didn't notice. He had just tried to jump off a damn building! Never had he thought himself suicidal, but he had just tried it! Jesus, what had he been thinking? Only the weak of mind tried to commit suicide. But he had. He had also almost succeeded. If it hadn't been for Starfire, he's be laying on the sidewalk right now.

"What were you doing?" She asked again, raising her voice against the howl of the wind and rain.

Breathing ragged, Robin ignored her and got shakily to his feet. He need to walk, or something. The self disgust he felt burned deep in his heart, and right now he didn't need Star to see him so weak, so vulnerable.

But he forgot the little fact that she never left anything alone. "Robin, what happened? Why did you try to jump off the…" He heard her little intake of breath and turned to look at her. Her eyes were wide with realization.

"You were trying to kill yourself."

"No I wasn't," he muttered, trying to save her from the truth. She didn't need to know that he had tried suicide. "I just…slipped, that's all."

"Oh God, Robin. Is this…did I…"

"No, goddamnit, I slipped, alright?"

"Please don't lie to me, Robin. Please, I beg of you."

He grunted, trying to walk away, but she grabbed his hand.

"Damnit, Star—why are you crying?" Tear flowed from her bright green eyes as her fingers tightened around his wrist.

"I did it, didn't I?"

"Did what?" he asked cautiously.

"Oh, God, Robin, I didn't know. I…I didn't mean those things I said. I was just so hurt that I just…made things up…I didn't mean for them t-to hurt you. I didn't know that…I'm so sorry."

"I wasn't your fault," he said softly, pulling away from her warm grasp. "I only did it because I am weak." Well, hell, so much for keeping it a hidden secret.

Suddenly, she slapped the side of his head, all tears forgotten. "Why did you do that?" She yelled. "That was just stupid! I thought you were stronger than that!"

"So did I, but I guess I'm not." He swerved away just as she tried to hit him again. "Would you stop with all the damn hitting?"

"Somebody has to knock some sense into you, so why not me?"

"Because you're painful," he muttered, rubbing the other knot on this head. First he was getting smacked with a remote, now with her hand.

"I don't know what else to do," she whispered, those damn tears appearing again. "I never…it's just…this isn't like you, Robin. You've always been so strong, emotionally and physically."

"It was a moment of weakness, Starfire. I'm human. Every human has a moment of weakness, and mine was just stronger than most. It's not every day you realized that you're truly alone." His eyebrows drew together at he look on her face. "That was not a guilt trip. That was just…not supposed to come out of my big mouth."

He shook his head, droplets of water flying. "Okay look. I don't want to talk to anyone right now. I just want to go back inside and take a shower and go to sleep."

She said nothing, just watched him with those big green eyes. She looked so lost, so hurt, and so…angry.

Suddenly, she stared to speak her foreign language, and by the tone of her voice, she was not calling him by sweet endearments. She stormed over to him, and poked his chest while she ranted. The force was bruising, but she was more entertaining. With her green eyes flashing, she was so damn pretty.

Robin sighed, ignoring her and rubbing his palm over his eyes. He did not need this right now. Not only was it freezing, but the dull fact that he had been weak enough to commit suicide still lingered. Who was he kidding? It would always linger. He would forever be remind of how weak he truly was.

She slapped the side of his head again. "Are you even paying attention to me?" She asked.

He groaned. "You were cursing me in Tameranian, Starfire. Only Cyborg knows a portion of your language." He rubbed his head.

"Would you like me to repeat it in English then?"

"Uh, not really." He moved away from her and headed for the door. Of course, she followed.

"Well, that is too bad, because you are going to listen to what I have to say." He grunted as he walked down the stairs. He only had seven floors to go before he got to her apartment. Great. And why had he decided to go up to the roof anyway? He didn't think he had planned on suicide, but then again, he was in such pain that he hadn't been thinking logically.

"Robin, if you don't listen to me I'll…I'll…well, what I do will not be pleasant."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. I'm listening."

"How can you be so utterly stupid? Killing yourself is wrong, even of you are depressed. I thought you of all people were stronger than that—"

"I know these things, Starfire," he muttered.

"The Robin I know would have never tried anything like—"

"The Robin you know would have never hurt you like that."

"And would you please stop interrupting me?"

He growled low in his throat, but shut up.

"Now, the Robin I know would have faced his fears head on instead of trying to end them by taking his life. It was careless, unintelligent, and completely stupid. And I swear, Robin, if you even scare me like that again, you'll have help falling off a building, and I won't be there to catch you."

Robin glowered. "Why were you up there anyway?"

She blinked at the sudden change in topic. "Er, well, I came back to apologize—"

"You don't have to apologize, Starfire."

"—and you were not in the living room. I thought about all the places you used to go, and the roof popped up in my mind, so I thought why not. So I went up, opened the doors, and you were just stepping off the edge. I do not think I have ever flown so fast in my entire life."

"You flew? As in like a bird?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes."

He whirled on her, which made her stumble to a halt. "You flew? Where people could actually see you?"

Her eyes narrowed. "Well, yes, it was either that or let you fall. Which would you have rather of happened? Did you want me to stand there while I watched you fall?"

"No. But someone could have seen you."

"And I could have lost you! Damn you, Robin. I don't care what you say to me or what you do. You are my best friend and no matter how you try, I'll still love you and losing you would have killed me. But that doesn't change the fact that I will be severely angry with you for months. I still won't forgive you, but I will be your friend. And I swear, if you use my looks against me one more time, you will wish I never saved you."

"Starfire…"

"No. I am mad. There is no changing that. You used my looks, which you know good and well I don't like, and you pointed each flaw out. For that, I will not talk to you. I will be here, yes, but you can forget any sort of conversation from me unless you wish to be yelled at. That was cruel beyond anything you have ever said to me. Since I am a burden, you will no longer—"

"You're not a burden," he said quietly, but she only glared.

She cut him a glance that had him biting the inside of his mouth to keep from grinning,"—have to deal with my questions. Pull another stunt like that, and you will lose me and my friendship forever. I don't know why you tried to kill yourself, but I think it was because—"

"I completely lost you and I couldn't handle it."

She let out a deep breath. "Don't try to make it up to me now, Robin. I will forever be mad at you."

"I know. But that's the truth. I can't stand to think of my life without you." There. That wasn't so hard to say…

"Then why did you try so hard to push me out of it?"

He opened his mouth then closed it. He couldn't tell her. Damn it, now he had to lie again. He was becoming pretty darn good too.

"I dunno." Oh, wow. What an answer.

She groaned. "Okay. Sure. Since you will not tell me, my silence towards you begins now."

He smiled softly. "There's no way that you can't talk."

"To you. I can talk, but just not to you. You are officially being ignored, though I will watch you like a hawk so you do not pull something stupid again."

"I thought you said that your silence starts now."

"I mean now. I just had to say something. Now, no longer speak to me." She lifted her chin and walked past him.

They walked down a flight of stairs in silence. Robin crossed his arms over his chest, his mind replaying his almost-suicide. Had he really been that desperate to die? How could he have been so weak? He had gone through pain before, and yes, when he parents died, he had thought of killing himself, but he had never gone through with it. Bruce had taught him to bury his emotions, act cold and detached. Never let anything get to close. And that tiny bit of logic had worked.

That is until the Teen Titans had been formed. He had becomes so close with his teammates, especially with Starfire. Raven had been like a sister to him, and Beast Boy and Cyborg had been the closest friends he had ever had. But Starfire…Starfire changed everything.

She made him feel like a human, like he could actually belong with people instead of being the conceited Boy Wonder who prided himself on his physical abilities and keen mind. She had shown him sides of himself that he had never known existed. And he had come so close to losing her. He knew that that was the reason why he had tried to kill himself. But…was it possible that he truly could not live without her? Emotionally, yes, maybe. But physically? Did he actually have to have her around to be strong?

He sure proved that he needed her when his stupid self tried to jump off a building. But did he need her to be there physically? With Starfire around, he had been so strong, so sure of himself. But when he knew that she would no longer be around him, he broke into little pieces. Jeez, could a woman really have that much power over him? What the hell was he going to do when she finds someone and marries them? What was he going do when she leaves the team to follow her own dreams? Would he end up a broken old man with his past haunting him?

Oh, how thoughts of the future were cruel. He would not let himself become weak because he was desperately in love with his best friend. No. He would be strong and survive off the knowledge that she was still part of his life, in some way, even if it was a semi-friendship. He had ruined any chance of them being best friends again, but if she was just there, even if it was just as a teammate or acquaintance, he could survive. Somehow. Maybe even he could find someone who would love him.

Guilt overpowered him. Someone did love him. Starfire did. But he had pushed her so far away that she would probably never forgive him. Robin groaned inwardly as the dull ache of heartbreak and guilt resurfaced. He was going to have to live with the discomfort for awhile.

"I can no longer bear the silence!" She said so suddenly that Robin was jerked out of his depressing thoughts.

"Uh?"

"I cannot go on with not talking. I was a born talker and I hate quiet." She whirled on his, her wet hair slapping him in the face. He peeled the strands off with some discomfort at the sting they had caused.

"Er, huh. I knew you couldn't take much longer." He muttered, watching in mild amusement as she jerked her hair from his grasp.

She poked his chest with a long finger. "But this does not mean I forgive you. When I talk to you, it will not be pleasant. Got it? I will not forgive you so soon or easily. You're only avoiding the shoulder of cold because I cannot stay silent."

"Okay."

She glared at him. "But I will not be nice, you Chlorbag."

Robin blinked. "What exactly does that mean?"

"You shall never know. Now, I will be quiet."

"I thought you said that you couldn't be quiet."

"Robin, do not mess with me. You are lucky I am even looking at you, much less talking."

The made it to their floor and he quietly pushed open the double doors. He stepped back so Starfire could walk through first and earned a sharp glare from her. He sighed slowly, walking behind her.

Reaching her apartment, Starfire slowly pushed it open, then quickly realized that it had been open. Eyebrows drawn together, Starfire slowly crept in. It hit her that Christian was still in his crib.

With stealth, Starfire glanced around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But, knowing her, she had probably accidentally left it cracked when she ran to find Robin. Starfire scoffed at herself. Smart, Starfire. Running off and leaving a child alone. You'll be one hell of a parent.

Still, to be on the safe side, she crept silently to Christian's room. She let out a relieved sigh when she saw the tiny form on the bed. She walked over to him, leaned down and pulled the blue blanket over his tiny shoulders. She smiled slightly.

She heard Robin moving in the living room and slowly shook her head. She couldn't believe that her leader had just tried to commit suicide. Ever since she had joined the team and learned of him, he had always been so strong, so confident. But, she mused to herself as she walked into the living room, it had all been a façade. She didn't know why she had always portrayed Robin as a god, like he could do no wrong. She had always thought that no one could defeat her strong warrior. In a way, it had been selfish of her. He was human. He had weaknesses and fears. But she always though him to be better than a human.

Maybe that was the reason he put up such an act. To please others. To be what they wanted him to be. It seemed like he couldn't be himself, didn't know how to be himself. Some of it was her fault. Some of it was the team. But mostly, it was his. He made his own decisions, and paid for them. Maybe he had never had to face his own consequences before.

But this time, he was going to face his problems alone. No matter how it killed her to watch him suffer, she would stand back. His words still stung, smothering most of the guilt. He deserved to be punished. She had done nothing wrong, yet she had paid for it. Because he had been guilty, he found her weakest point and brought it out in the open. She knew she was too tall, too orange, her skin too rough. But for it to be brought out like that, especially by someone whom she loved, it hurt. Painfully. After he had told her in the pool that there would never be anything between them, she had taken the hint. She never expected them to be together after that. Yet he had rubbed it in that she wasn't good enough for him.

Anger flared up again. Hell, he didn't deserve her. She could probably even do better than him, but now, all she needed to worry about was what was going through his mind. If he pulled another stunt like jumping off a building, she use good ole brute force to knock some sense into him, even if it did cause a little more damage to his head.

Robin was fixing his make-shift bed on the couch, chunking pillows against the arm rest. His clothes were still wet, strands of black hair sticking to his forehead, a tiny pool forming around his feet.

"You're getting the carpet wet."

He turned to her with a scowl. Starfire fought back a smile. At least he didn't look so forlorn anymore. She watched him as he walked past her and into her room, where his clothes were stuffed in the bottom drawer. She listened as he slammed drawers.

"Christian is asleep, so be quiet."

He grumbled and she heard the bathroom door close slowly. He was being a jerk, she knew, for he shut the door way too sluggish so he was extra quiet.

Starfire rolled her eyes. Robin could be so annoying at times. Starfire slowly stretched as she walked to her closet, lifting her arms over her head and aching her back to stretch out the kinks. That little dive to save Robin pulled a few muscles.

Starfire quickly changed into dry clothes and dived beneath the warm covers. The soothing sound of the shower almost lulled her to sleep, but a disturbing thought hit her. What if Robin tried to kill himself again? If he slept in the living room, he could easily step out without her knowing. There was no way she was going to let that happen. Knowing that he took longer showers, Starfire bounded out of the bed, flew into the living room, and gathered up all the blankets.

She spread out the sheet on the floor beside her bed with a grin. He wouldn't be too happy about sleeping on the floor when he could have the some-what comfortable couch, but she had to keep him in her sight…or hearing. She would make sure to close the door, so if he did sneak out, she would hear and have another good reason to give him the 'can of butt whoop'. Flipping on Christian's baby monitor and locking the door, Starfire climbed back under the covers and closed her eyes.

Robin walked out of the bathroom only minutes later, the fresh scent of soap drifting over her. She heard him walked towards the door, stifling a laugh when he tripped over the pillows she had laid out for him.

Cursing, Robin scrambled up and headed for the door, only to find it locked.

"You are staying in here."

Silence settled over them for a few moments before he asked, "Come again?"

"You are going to sleep in here."

"In here? With you?" he asked incredulously.

"No," she ground out and sat up. "You are to sleep on the floor, where I can keep my eye on you. I do not trust you."

"How comforting," he muttered, glaring at the pillows that he had tripped over.

"You deserve to sleep out in the rain, but seeing as you tried to annihilate yourself, you are to stay in here, on the floor, and to not move a muscle."

"Oh, so I can't move either, huh?" He asked with a sneer, plopping down in the hard floor.

"No, you cannot, for I am much stronger that you and can easily break any bone I choose. That thick skull of yours will be my first target. I am no pacifist when it comes to you anymore."

She heard him sigh. Ignoring it, she turned on her side and closed her eyes. "Go to sleep."

The sheets rustled softly as he settled down, then all was quiet save for the roaring storm outside. Starfire took in a deep breath and tried to sleep. But it never came.


Raven jerked up in bed as the phone shrilled. With a mumbled curse, she glanced over at her clock. Three-forty-eight A.M. Who would call at such a late hour?

Reaching out, Raven grabbed the cordless phone and answered gruffly. "What?"

Nothing but soft breathing answered her question. It was a damn prank call. Reining in her fury, Raven snapped, "Listen here, buddy. You woke me up from my sleep and I don't take well to punks who—"

"He knows." Came the scratchy voice.

Raven blinked, all fatigue forgotten. "What?"

"He knows." The voice was nothing but a whisper, and Raven couldn't tell if it was a male or female.

"Who knows? Is this some sort of prank or sick joke? If it is, I'll warn you, I don't scare easily."

"Raven…"

Her heart jumped into her throat. "Wh-what? How do…what's…"

"He's angry, Raven. Very angry. You made him mad. Very mad."

"Who? Damnit, who is this?" Raven sat up in bed, vaguely aware of three bodies at her door.

"You're gonna die. You're all gonna die. He's gonna rape and murder you all. He's already planned his first victim. Raven, Raven, Raven, Raven, Raven!" The person kept saying her name like a chant, the voice getting higher and higher.

"How does he know? How do you know? Tell me who you are!"

There was a manic laugh, then it started to mumble incoherently. Raven caught her name and 'you're gonna die' but then it quieted.

"He wants you."

"Who are—"

"I can't tell. He'll hurt me. I already know too much."

"Who'll hurt you?" Raven's mind was going ninety to nothing.

"The White Rose Killer. He watches you when you dress. He watches all of you."

"The…all of us?"

"Hannah. Raven. Starfire. Mallory. Harley. He watches you all. He thinks of you when he kills his victims."

Raven eyes widened. She couldn't think of anything to say. "How do you know my name?"

Raven's eyes flew to the people standing in her doorway. Their eyes were bright in the darkness. "How do you know who we are?"

"He knows."

"But…how?"

"You're gonna die." Then the line went dead.

"Wait!" Nothing but silence. In a fit of rage, Raven threw the phone across the room. It shattered.

"Raven?" Beast Boy asked cautiously.

"Damnit!" The lamp next to her shattered and she jerked. What in the… Her powers were acting up now? But…why?

Shoving off the covers, Raven stood up, but made no other movement. "Jesus." He knew. The bastard knew who she was, who Starfire was.

"What's going on?" Colt asked as he and Beast Boy fought to get into Raven's room at the same time. Their shoulder's got caught, and for a moment, they were stuck.

"Dude, move!" Beast Boy snarled, trying to fight his way in.

"I'm trying, but all your bulk is getting in the way."

Beast Boy growled and morphed into a fly. Colt stumbled forward, crashing onto the ground with a curse.

"Baby," Harley muttered, and hoped over him with her crutches. Colt snarled at her.

"Raven, who was that?" Harley asked, cringing when the book on the bedside table ripped in two.

"He knows. Damnit, the White Rose Killer knows who we are."

All movement stopped. No one even breathed. "Are you sure?" Beast Boy asked.

"Whoever was on the phone said my names. Star's too. They also said Hannah, Harley, and Mallory. They said that he watches us."

Harley's eyes widened. "So he knows everything?"

Raven took a deep breath. "I guess. I don't know how else that that person would know who I was. I don't know how they found out or anything."

"So…where does this lead us if he knows?" Beast Boy asked, eyebrows drawn together.

"Do ya'll go back to the tower?" Harley adjusted the crutches under her arms to get more comfortable.

"I don't know. But right now that's not our problem. Whoever that was said that he already had his first victim planned or something like that. What does that mean?" Raven flicked on the light, blinking her eyes to adjust to the brightness.

"Maybe we should call Twain. He'll want to know," Colt offered, glancing at the shattered phone with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, that's probably best. Raven, call him." Beast Boy blinked when Raven gave him a simmering glare.

He shrugged innocently. "What? I'm always the one to call him in the middle of the night."

Raven walked out of her room to the kitchen, grabbing the handheld and punching in Twain's number. When he answered, his tone was far from friendly.

"Damnit, what's is it with you people calling me in the middle of the night? This is the last time I deal with damn teenagers with button-happy fingers."

"He knows," Raven said simply and the man on the other line went silent.

She heard a mummer, then the shuffling of bed sheets. "Call the other titans and tell them to get over to your apartment now. I'll be there in a minute," he said gruffly and hung up the phone.

Raven quickly called Starfire, waiting impatiently for someone to answer. It was Robin who answered.

"What?" He snapped.

"My, my, everyone seems to be in a good mood," she said monotonously. She heard him growl. Knowing he was going to snap at her, she said quickly, "Wake Starfire up and get over here now."

"Why?"

"Because he knows." Robin cursed, not even saying goodbye as he slammed down the phone. Hanging up, she turned around and glanced at Beast Boy. "They're on their way."

Beast Boy nodded, arms folded over his chest. "Should we call the others?"

Raven shrugged. "I don't know. Twain said only call Robin and Starfire. Anyway, Hannah and Mallory are safe. Hannah is in a hospital and Mallory is…well, I'm sure Wyatt can protect her. So I guess not."

Beast Boy said nothing, just studied her face. Uncomfortable, she brushed by him. He grabbed her arm softly.

"You're taking this a little too well, Rae." He said softly, his green eyes searching hers.

"Is there a certain way I'm supposed to be acting?"

He worried his lower lip, dropping his hand from her arm. "No. I guess not. It's just that he knows who you are. I'd be scared out of my mind. Hell, I am right now and I'm not even a target. But…never mind. I forget that you don't do fear." He smiled softly and walked away from her to join the others in the living room. Since Colt and Beast Boy were forced to sleep in the living room, they took the time to gather up all the pillows and blankets that littered the couch and floor. Unfortunately, it had been Colt's turn on the couch so Beast Boy was forced to bend to get his bedding.

Twain was the first one to show up, looking ruggedly handsome with his hair unruly and his clothes wrinkled. He scowled at nothing in particular, making himself at home by sitting down on the couch next to Harley. Colt sneered at the detective. He had been on his way to sit beside Harley, and that dumb man had taken his seat. Twain caught the look and sneered back. Colt perched on the arm of the couch and Harley watched in amusement as the two snarled at each other, her bright eyes going from Twain to Colt and back again. How could some men make a scowl so darned attractive? she wondered, but tried to focus on the important matters at hand.

"What happened?" Twain asked tightly, wrenching his gaze from the teenaged boy.

Raven folded her arms under her chest. "Shouldn't we wait until Starfire and Robin get here so I don't have to repeat myself?"

Twain sighed. "Whatever."

Beside her, Beast Boy stifled a yawn. He stood for a few more second before plopping into a dining room chair and slouching.

They sat (or stood, in Raven's case) in silence as they waited for the other team members. Raven's eyes dropped with a fatigue, but she managed to keep them open. Beast Boy, on the other hand, was already asleep, his legs straddling the chair, and using his arms for a makeshift pillow.

The knock at the door woke him from his temporary slumber and he groaned, rubbing his eyes like a child. Starfire walked in, shoulders slumped in exhaustion, and Robin followed behind her, a sleeping toddler in his arms.

Robin asked if he could lay Christian down on a bed, and Raven nodded, motioning to her room with her hand. When Robin appeared again, toddler free, everyone settled down somewhere, Robin and Starfire sitting Indian-style on the floor.

"What is this about?" Starfire asked quietly, her gaze going from Raven to Twain.

Raven rolled her stiff shoulders. "I just got a call from someone saying that the White Rose Killer knew who we were and that we were all going to die. They didn't say who they were, and when I asked, they said that he'd hurt them. Whoever it was, they didn't sound right in the mind."

Twain rubbed his hand over his face. "So all this trouble for nothing. He already knows who you are."

"Yeah. So…do we go back to the tower?" Robin asked.

Sighing, Twain leaned back against the cushions. "I don't know. It'd probably be best if you just stay where you are and act like nothing happened. Damnit. I guess this means that the White Rose Killer is someone in my division."

"Either that or this guy has someone in high places that he's getting his info from."

Twain crossed his long legs at the ankle, teeth worrying his lower lip. "No, I don't think so. I think that the White Rose Killer is someone in my department. Only they know what's going on and they know better than to leak information like this. All the officers on this case where sent to a special school that deals with secrets and crap like that. Anyway, why would they risk their job and reputation on giving a pedophile information? Whoever the WRK is, he's not right in the head. It has to be someone on my force." Twain was lost in his own thoughts, his dark eyes troubled.

"So," Harley asked slowly, "what are you going to do?"

Twain shrugged. "I don't know. Now I have to think of everyone as a suspect."

Colt snaked a glance at Harley. "Including Harley's father?"

Harley's eyes widened. "But he would never do anything like this! I mean, he's my father and I was one of the victims. That's just—"

"He's one of the ones who know everything. I'm sorry, Harley, but he is one of the top suspects now."

She sank back against the cushions, eyes unseeing. "Jesus."

"But it doesn't mean his is the one, Harley," Starfire soothed, laying a hand on the girl's knee.

"I can't take any chances. This is too important. Like I said before, who ever this is doesn't think right. It could be you're father."

Harley flinched visibly. Twain earned five glares from the other teens.

"Would you like me to lie and say that there is no way he is the White Rose Killer? What if he is? I don't give out false hope, kids. Do you think I like the fact that one of my closets friends could be the WRK? Any of my colleagues could be him. Not a comforting fact."

"So what do we do now?" Raven asked.

"I don't know. I guess all we can do is keep you inside your apartment until the dance. That's all we can do. So, uh, just go back to sleep and we'll…hell, I don't know. We'll just play it by ear. I would keep someone posted near you, but I can't trust any of my workers. Can ya'll do well on your own?"

Raven raised an eyebrow. "Starfire and I can. We're stronger than the average human."

Robin and Beast Boy snorted. "That's no lie." Robin muttered under his breath. "Starfire's got an arm from hell." To prove his point, he rubbed his tender head. Starfire smirked uncharacteristically, making Raven and Beast Boy raise an eyebrow while Robin muttered about sucker-punching aliens under his breath.

Twain ignored them. "Can you hold you own, Davis?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Well, there's nothing else I can do for you, so I'm going to head home and do a background check on my entire department. Just stay inside and keep each other in eyesight. Got it?"

They mumbled their replies, too tired to say anymore. Twain walked out, his mind troubled. Was it possible that the White Rose Killer had been under his nose the entire time? Could his friends actually be the pedophile? The ever-present migraine pounded in his temple.

Well, he mused to himself as he climbed into his car, looks like another sleepless night for Alexander Twain.


Silence settled over the teenagers as they contemplated the truth. Colt slyly sat down beside Harley, wrinkling his nose when he received a dull look from her.

"Well, this is the first time that I don't know what to do about a situation at hand," Robin muttered, leaning back and using his hands as a brace.

Starfire snorted in disbelief, blushing when all eyes turned to her. She cleared her throat and picked at the carpet.

Robin's eye twitched in anger. "As I was saying," he ground out, throwing Starfire a dangerous look, "I don't know what we should do."

Harley turned, laying her legs in Colt's lap and using the arm of the couch for a backrest. "Twain said we were supposed to just stay—"

"Who cares what Twain said," Beast Boy interrupted, arching his back to get the uncomfortable kinks out. "It seems he's gotten us in more trouble than anything. It was his stupid idea that got us into this. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the White Rose Killer himself."

Beast Boy stopped in mid arch, his eyes going wide. "Wait a second. That would explain a lot of things if you think about it."

Robin sat up straighter. "You're right. He knows everything that's been going on. I mean, he knows Harley personally, and no one out side of the police office knew that Mallory had been in the wreck with Starfire. It all adds up."

Raven folded her arms under her chest. "Yes, that's true, but anyone could be the White Rose Killer. Twain's entire division knows everything as well. Twain is not the only suspect here."

"Raven's right. Just because he knows more doesn't make him the killer," Starfire said, earning a sharp glare from Robin.

"He said before that anyone in his department could be him. My father is even a suspect." Harley added, turning her head when Raven's door opened and a sleepy toddler waddled out, a stuffed superhero clutched to his chest.

Christian looked around sleepily, and, spotting Starfire, walked to her. Instinctively, she opened her arms to the little boy so he could crawl in her lap. Resting his head on her shoulder, he drifted off into sleep.

"Yeah, but still, he seems like the type to rape little girls," Colt added, and the men exchanged glances.

"I don't think it's him," Raven said bluntly.

Beast Boy glared at her, which she returned with a snarl. "Why does it seem as if you're protecting him?"

"First off, I don't detect any evil in him, and second—"

"He is just plain handsome." Starfire giggled innocently when Robin's right eye twitched in anger.

"Ah-ha!" Beast Boy said, pointing a finger at each girl. "You're protecting the guy because you think he's attractive!"

Beast Boy shrunk when all three women glared daggers at him. "No, you idiot," Raven said monotonously, "It's because it doesn't make sense to peg him as the killer. Why would he go through all that trouble? Why would he ask us to go undercover—"

"To get to you." Robin interrupted, earning a sharp look from Raven.

"—just to get to us? Why would he have any reason to want us?"

"For someone who acts so smart, you sure are stupid." Beast Boy yelped as a lamp came flying towards his head. He dove sideways, the lamp missing his ear by mere centimeters. Raven jerked it back to her side before it could crash into the wall and calmly sat it down back on the side table.

Eyes wide with fright, Beast Boy scrambled to Starfire and Robin, plopping down between them. "Now, as I was saying…" he trailed off, glancing up at Raven. He blinked rapidly, then sat behind Starfire so he could finish what he was saying without being pummeled by flying furniture.

He peeked over Starfire shoulder and continued to talk, eyes searching for flying object the entire time, "Because you are both equally attractive, and maybe he has had like an obsession with you or something. We're known throughout Jump City and Gothem so maybe while the news or whatever taped one of our many fights, he got an idea to take you as his own."

"Maybe, but why would he wait so late to come and get us? The White Rose Killer was known months before all this happened."

Beast Boy glared at her like she was stupid. "He could have had this planned for a while, Raven. His obsession could have started years before. Without raping and murdering all the other women, why would we want to help him? He's probably a bloody genius, and we fell into his trap."

Raven sighed. "But we still don't know. It could be anybody, Beast Boy. There are so many possibilities it's not even funny. For all we know, the principal of Jump City Private School could be him. Do you know how many people do know about all this? So we can't just concentrate on Twain alone. We have to worry about Ortega, Waylin, and the rest of the police force. Just because you don't like him doesn't mean he's the killer."

"And just because you like him doesn't mean he isn't." Robin added.

Starfire rolled her eyes. "Okay, so maybe Twain might be the White Rose Killer, but we cannot be certain. If you wish, you can research Twain all you please while we keep an eye out for other possibilities. Deal?"

"Hey, I like that idea," Harley said, ignoring the glare that Colt gave her. "It'll make us all happy. And if Twain is the killer, then you can congratulate yourselves later. But now, let's just worry about staying in one piece, hmm? Frankly, I want to live to see my twentieth birthday."

"But I'm not used to sitting around and doing nothing." Beast Boy whined.

Raven raised an eyebrow, but before she could make a sarcastic remark about his statement, his added, "But we've never dealt with things like this before."

"Well, this might be different, but we can still deal with it like we used to." Robin said with confidence that he didn't feel.

"Prowl the streets and hope someone jumps up and proclaims that they're mad?" Beast Boy snorted. "I'd like to see that."

"You got a better idea?" Robin snapped, his mouth forming a sneer.

"No need to get snappy, Robin. I was just saying that there really is nothing we can do but wait. We could…I dunno, make a list of possible suspects or something, but other than that, all we can do is sit here and try to act like nothing is wrong."

"You wanna make a list of suspects?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow.

Beast Boy glared at him. "Got a better idea, Boy Wonder?"

"Well, there's nothing else to do, and I don't know about you all, but I am far from tired." Harley adjusted her feet in Colt's lap with a sigh. "I'm too worked up now."

"True. I am also not tired any longer," Starfire said quietly, adjusting Christian in her arms. The movement woke him and he sleepy blinked his eyes as he pushed himself off of her.

He plopped down on the floor and watched the teens with tired eyes. Raven shifted on her feet, catching the toddlers interest. Too tired to even walk, he crawled toward her.

Raven blinked at the little boy as he came toward her, her face filled with apprehension. He didn't want her to pick him up, did he? She wasn't exactly good with children so she slowly backed up. Christian stopped mid crawl to glare at her for moving and making his trip longer than it needed to be.

Beast Boy watched Raven's face with amusement. "Are you scared of a baby, Raven?"

"No," she snapped quickly, making Robin chuckled.

"He just wants you to hold him, Raven," Robin said, lips curled in a smirk. Raven had the insane urge to snarl at him.

"I'm not afraid of a toddler."

"Umm-hmm." Beast Boy hummed, grinning innocently when her eye twitched.

Raven glanced down when she felt a tiny pull at the hem of her black pajama bottom's. Christian glanced up at her with big gray eyes, his arms outstretched so she could pick him up.

Finding she couldn't resist, Raven sighed and bent down to pick him up while throwing a look at the rest of them.

Christian settled in her arms and drifted off to sleep.

"That's something you don't see everyday," Robin muttered under his breath.

"What do you mean by that?" Raven bit out, trying to make her voice sound unemotional.

"You being afraid of a mere child." He laughed softly at the death look she threw his way. "Though I will admit, he's a bit too intelligent for my taste. No kids should be that smart at his age. He's like…a genius."

Raven took the only free chair in the living room, hesitantly adjusting the little boy in her arms. Never in her life had she though that she would actually hold something so sweet, so innocent. She felt like she was tainting the little boy just by holding him. Her self-conscious got the better of her and she tried to pry the boy from her, but his tiny arms tightened around her neck.

"Come on, Raven. He's just a baby." Beast Boy was watching her strangely, his eyebrows drawn together. He was looking at her as if he couldn't believe that she was so low to not even want to hold a baby. "If you really don't want to hold him, I can take him."

"He's fine," she muttered, Christian's soft scent filling her nose.

"Are you sure?" Starfire asked, keeping her eyes on Raven even as she glared.

"He's fine," she repeated slowly.

They dropped it after that and decided that maybe Beast Boy's idea of making a suspect list wasn't such a horrible idea. And, of course, since it was his idea, he was the lucky one to write.

"Okay, so the number one suspect is Twain." They paused as Beast Boy quickly scribbled down the name. Next to him, Robin slowly bent forward to read his writing.

"Can you actually read that?" He asked suddenly, earning a sharp look from Beast Boy, who snatched the paper from Robin's prying eyes.

"Of course I can." He said, tilting his head to read his own sloppy writing. "It just takes me awhile."

Robin rolled his eyes and snatched the paper and pen from his hands. He flipped it over and calmly wrote Twain's name down in his neat, precise handwriting. Beast Boy scowled at the blue ink and the practical letters.

"You're so boring," Beast Boy pouted, earning a glare from Robin.

"And you're sloppy." Robin snarled, jerking his hand back when Beast Boy tried to rip the paper from his hands. He lifted the paper above his head with a triumphant look, using his free hand to chunk the pen at Beast Boy. It hit his mark: Beast Boy's forehead.

Robin laughed like a child, pointing his finger at the red mark on Beast Boy's forehead, his earlier attempts at suicide fleeing his mind for a short moment. Beast Boy growled, diving for the paper. Starfire sighed at their behavior, easily plucking the paper from Robin's fingertips. He blinked rapidly, turning his eyes to her. She merely gave him a blank look as she picked up the discarded pen.

"Who is next?" Harley snickered as Beast Boy and Robin growled at each other.

"Ortega?"

"Alright." Starfire wrote down the name, her head bowed over the paper. She admired her beautiful Victorian-style writing as she added unnecessary twirls to certain letters.

"Waylin," Raven added, noticing the way that Harley flinched.

"Umm-hmm," Starfire hummed distractedly as she wrote everything else down.

"Is that all?" Colt asked, resting his arms against Harley's legs.

"Uh…I don't know," Robin admitted, his 'battle' with Beast Boy ending as reality settled in once again. "I can't think of anyone else that knows about everything."

"So…right now, we have three main suspects. What do we do now?" Colt asked, but the titans just shrugged.

"Beats me." Beast Boy muttered.

"Big surprise there," Robin mumbled, eyebrow arching in amusement when Beast Boy growled.

Christian stretched in Raven's arms, burrowing deeper into her arms. Raven shifted uncomfortably as Batman bit into her skin.

"So now we just sit here?" Harley asked, smothering a yawn.

"I guess."

Harley grimaced. "I think I'll go to my room." Carefully throwing her legs to the floor, Harley stood on her crutches with skilled ease. She had gotten used to the damn things.

She paused when she got to her door and glanced at Colt, eyebrow raised. "Are you coming or not?"

Like a puppy following his master's command, Colt scrambled up and followed, earning disgusted looks from the other men.

"Harley?" Raven called out before they could disappear into her room.

"Hmm?"

"Don't forget the music." Raven's lips curled slightly as Harley and Colt's face flushed red.

But then Harley grinned, throwing Colt a smug look. "We won't." After the door shut, Raven could have sworn that Colt fainted.


Maybe this wasn't the best idea he had ever had. Attacking and kidnapping a woman in a public place. This Jump City hospital always bustled with life, cameras positioned every four feet. But then again, he did have a few friends here that helped out. So, on the floor holding Hannah Jones, all cameras were fixed where the hall was quiet and would stay that way until morning. It helped that he had a bit of computer animation skills and a load of money. The guards were young, just out of high school, and were easily swayed. Well, that and the fact that he threatened to kill their families. They did have adorable little sisters and cousins… The nurse was 'sleeping', thanks to the pill he had slipped into her coffee when she went to check on the girl earlier this evening. Unfortunately, the drug he had slipped into her drink would take time, so he had been forced to return home and get things together before he came back. God, this was too easy

He used the stairs to get to Hannah's room, and by the time he was on her floor, he was winded. He had to start working out more. Pressing his hand against the wall, he closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing. When he finally felt somewhat human, he pushed open the doors slowly. He wasn't going to take any chances. A janitor or nurse could walk in any second and at the moment, the only blood he wished upon his hands was Hannah's. His blood heated with arousal at the thought.

He cocked his gun and adjusted the silencer before stepping out into the hallway. The lights were glowing dully, making the green walls look sickly. Keeping eye on the slumbering nurse, the White Rose Killer slowly walked to Hannah's room. He stood there for a moment.

He knew that damn mayor's nephew was in there, so he had to be extra careful. There was no way another one was going to get away from him. So if worst come to worst, he thought, then I'll just kill him. He rolled his eyes at how lame the thought sounded.

He pushed open the door, his eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. He could make out two beds, yet had no idea which one Hannah slept in. He bowed his head at his own stupidity. He had planned everything out, yet he forgot to ask which damn bed was hers. Smart. Real smart.

Leaving the door cracked, he crept in, eyes studying the beds intently. He figured that the one by the window was the boy, and prayed that he had guessed right. He really didn't want to deal with an angry boyfriend right now.

Pressing a hand to his side to make sure it was still there, he cautiously walked to the bed he hoped Hannah Jones slept in. He let out a quiet sigh when he spotted the blonde hair spread out across the pillow and draping over the edge of the bed.

But he paused. Maybe he should make sure the boy would be no trouble…he did have enough chloroform to knock out about three people, but he had thought that the more he used, the longer she would stay out.

Though he knew it was stupid, he wanted to kidnap all five before he actually raped them. Not exactly the smartest plan, but he had good reason behind it all. So, for now, all he was going to do was drug her, carefully carry her down the stairs, chunk her in his 'borrowed' van, and be done with it. Ethan Matthews would never know what happened.

Grabbing his trusty syringe, his slid the needle into the clear liquid, pulling it out when it was almost full. He sighed deeply, trying to push down the excitement. Oh how he loved doing this.

With precision, he slid Hannah's hair away from her neck and pressed the needle to the soft skin. He almost slid the tip in when she stirred, her bright blue eyes fluttering open. His heart stopped in his chest as her eyes focused on him and widened.

Shit. She knew he was no doctor because of the black ski-mask covering his face. He should have already slid the needle into her skin, but his hands shook as fear mounted.

Hannah screamed, making Ethan jerked up in his bed and tumble out. This would have been hilarious had he not been so freaking shocked that he had been caught.

Ethan scrambled up and was already racing toward him in the darkness. Damn the boy could run. Without a second thought, the White Rose Killer pulled out his gun and fired. The shot was muffled so no one would hear it on the other floors. He didn't know if he missed and didn't wait to find out. He ran out of the room, shoving his body through the stair doors. He was already scrambling down the stairs when he heard the slam open and heard Ethan's curse.

"Get your sorry ass back here!" Ethan yelled as he hopped down the stairs two at a time. With more speed then he knew he had, the White Rose Killer ran, occasionally slamming into a wall when a new floor started.

Suddenly, he was thrown off balance as a body slammed into him. They tumbled down a flight of stairs, crashing into a near by wall. The gun slid from his grasp. He felt like his bones has been smashed into tiny pieces, but the adrenaline pushed him. He scrambled up, but fell back down when Ethan grabbed his ankle and yanked. Hard.

This kid was really pushing his luck. With his free leg, his struck out, his heel connecting with the boy's cheek. Ethen cursed in pain, but the grip on the White Rose Killer's ankle did not loosen.

"You really think that you can defeat me, little man?" He snarled, trying to jerk his ankle from the crushing grasp.

"You haven't gotten away from me yet."

The White Rose Killer reached for his gun with the intention of murder. But high up on floor, he heard the door slam open and the sound of boots running down the stairs. He panicked.

"They know you're here," the boy snarled, spitting out blood. "You're done for."

With a grin, the White Rose Killer aimed behind him and shot. Though the bullet slammed into the boy's side, he knew it wouldn't be deadly. And he regretted his sorry aim.

The grip loosened as Ethan grabbed his bleeding wound. Scrambling up, the White Rose Killer grinned manically. "She will be mine and there is nothing you can do. No one gets away from the White Rose Killer!" With that, he ran down the stairs and disappeared from sight.


Damnit!" Ethan snarled as the pain reared up in his side. He watched helplessly as the White Rose Killer escaped but he knew there was nothing he could do. Not only was he bleeding, but he figured that he had twisted or broken something on that tumble down the stairs. He left hand flared with pain and he couldn't move it at all.

Ethan glanced up as guards gathered around him, each toting a cocked gun. He watched in a pain-filled haze as and middle-aged doctor kneeled down beside him, eyes wide.

"Are you okay?"

Ethan pushed himself up with his bloodied right hand, only to collapse as pain flared through his entire body.

"What do you think?" He managed to say, grimacing at the metallic taste of blood that filled his mouth.

"Oh my," the doctor muttered, snapping out orders to the guards that had stayed behind. The rest had followed the White Rose Killer out the back door.

Two young guards slowly helped Ethan up, sliding his arms around their shoulders. He had tried to stand on his own, but had only collapsed as dizziness took hold.

Thankfully, both guards were a tad bit shorter than him so it was easy to lean on them. He hated depending on someone to help him, but right now his body was in too much pain. He would probably feel a hell of a lot better had he not toppled down the stairs.

They walked slowly as he limped up the stairs, pausing once in a while when he groaned in pain. The dark haired guard with small, wire-rimmed glasses glanced down to find his uniform drenched in blood and he couldn't help but gag.

Ethan noticed and raised an eyebrow. "You picked the wrong profession if you can't handle blood."

"But I'm only a guard," he whined, grounding his teeth against the stench of blood.

"Grow up, Masters," his partner muttered, pushing open the door with his shoulder as they headed toward Hannah's room. "Its just blood. Hospitals usually have a fair amount of the stuff."

"Hardy har-har," the dark haired guard muttered. "Very funny, Jameson."

"I thought so." The pushed open Hannah's door and ushered the injured teenager onto his bed. Ethan grimaced as pain shot through his body. He shut his eyes tightly, biting the inside of his mouth to hold back a groan.

"Ethan? What happened?" He cracked open one eye to see Hannah sitting on her bed, her blue eyes wide and her hair tousled around her shoulders and down her back.

"Nothing," he muttered, grimacing when the doctor scrambled in. A nurse followed behind with a metal tray. He caught sight of the needles and couldn't stop the frown.

"Alright, young man, I need you to take that shirt off for me so we can see that gun shot wound."

"Gun shot wound?" Hannah repeated, her eyes growing wider.

They ignored her as the doctor worked Ethan's lose shirt over his head. Ethan yelped when the movement jarred his wrist.

"Oh my," the doctor muttered as he lifted the broken wrist with his hand. Ethan hissed through his teeth when the doctor prodded his wrist.

"Mrs. Winston," the doctor said to the old nurse, "I need to have this X-rayed to see the damage."

"Yes sir. Should I ready it immediately?"

"Yes, please do. But now I need to see how deep this wound of his is." After working Ethan down on his back, the doctor studied the wound that slit across the teen's lower rib. It was bleeding profusely, but it was not deep at all.

"Well, my boy, this won't even need stitches." As he slathered the cut with a cream and put the bandage on, a tall, dark-skinned man walked in.

"Doctor. Hammel, we found the bullet."

"Good, good," the doctor muttered as he worked. "Go into my office and find Alexander Twain's number. Call it and tell him exactly what you found."

"Yes sir. But we didn't catch the criminal."

"I didn't think you would." Dr. Hammel muttered. "But get Twain here immediately."

"Yes sir."

"And would you wake that good-for-nothing nurse up? I don't see how she could have…" the doctor trailed off, realization hitting him. "Oh. Never mind." The guard blinked before disappearing into the hallway to do his task.

The doctor patted Ethan's stomach, making him flinch. "That was a brave thing you did there, son. Going after him as you did."

Ethan grunted, but regretted it when pain flared again. The doctor grinned. "How'd that fall feel?"

"Horrible." Ethan muttered. "How'd you know I fell?"

"The bruises, son. I haven't been a doctor for twenty years for nothing, you know."

Ethan groaned. The foul taste of blood still filled his mouth and it was starting to have its affect on him. He sat up slowly, lightly pushing the doctor aside as he stumbled to the bathroom to spit out the blood.

The doctor walked in with a cup. Ethan took it gratefully, turning the knob and filling the cup with water. After somewhat cleaning his mouth out, Ethan risked looking in the mirror. He grimaced.

Not only was his cheek bruised a hideous black and blue, the right side of his lip was swollen and cut. His left shoulder was starting to bruise as were his ribs. He groaned at his appearance.

"It's not that bad, kid," the doctor said sympathetically.

"Yeah right," Ethan muttered, glancing down at his useless left hand. It throbbed painfully.

"Come on. We'll go get that X-ray. I'm positive that you'll need a cast so the faster we get this done, the faster your wrist heels."

"Whatever," Ethan muttered, blinking back the dizziness and pain. He just wanted to get this over with and go to sleep.

"Miss Jones will have the guards here with her while we get you settled." The doctor stated when Ethan flinched at the thought of leaving her alone. He had almost already lost her to the damn White Rose Killer and he was not willing to have the chance of leaving her behind and have that bastard attack again.

Ethan walked out with the doctor, cradling his wrist in his hand. Good God, it hurt. That was the last time he tackled a human being down cement stairs, especially when that human being has a damn gun nearby.

Hours later, Ethan stumbled into the hospital room, his side throbbing painfully and his left hand in a dark blue cast.

He had taken his medicine that would knock his butt out, and now, as he fell onto his bed, his was starting to feel the affects. With his head and chest the only thing on the bed, he didn't realize that he had company until his injured hand came in contact with silk cloth and hot skin.

He blinked, thinking that the medicine had left him loopy, when he glanced up to see Hannah sitting on the end of his bed. He also realized that the skin he was touching was her thigh, but he really didn't want to move right now.

"Ethan?" She asked quietly and he groaned.

"I know, I know," he mumbled sleepily, pulling his hand back and somehow crawling onto the bed without toppling over the edge. Adjusting himself, he managed to get onto his back with little pain.

"Ethan?" she asked again and he lifted his head to see if he was touching something inappropriately.

"Hmm?" He closed his eyes with a sigh, so looking forward to sleeping.

"How do you feel?"

"Like I tumbled down a flight of stairs and got shot." He laid his cast in his stomach and sighed again. His body was slowly starting to feel better, though he did feel a tad bit loopy.

"Ethan?"

He groaned, eyes still closed. "Yes, Hannah?" Could the girl not see his was in la-la-land?

He felt her move his hand from his stomach gently, but paid no mind. He had no idea what the girl was doing and he was too damn tired to care.

That was until he felt her slim body on top of his and her mouth gently pressing against his innocently. His eyes shot open as she gazed down at him, her hair creating a curtain around them.

She smiled shyly, cheeks flushed with a blush. "Thank you."

"I…uh…um….er…you're welcome?"

She grinned and rested her head against his chest. Though he hated to admit it, his body was sore under hers, but there was no way in hell he was going to ask her to move. Right now, he was on her good side and he planned on staying that way.

His eyes fluttered shut as the medication worked its magic. "Why am I welcoming you?"

She chuckled lightly. "For trying to protect me."

"All I did was tackle him down the stairs." He said on a sleepy sigh.

"Yes, and took a bullet as well. You didn't have to go after him."

"'Course I did."

"Why?"

"I wasn't going to let him take you away from me again."

Hannah's heart leaped in her throat as she snuggled her head against his shoulder. Did that mean that he had cared for her before she was taken? Or was it the medication talking?

At the moment, Hannah really didn't care. All she wanted was to go to sleep and try to block the disturbing thought from her mind: She had almost been taken again.


Twenty-eight pages! Ah-ha! Told you this would be the longest chapter yet! Wow. I tried to add a bit of action to it, and I had started to realize that the chapter had very little romance in it (I couldn't believe it. Me writing something that doesn't revolve around romance?) so I had to add the whole Ethan/Hannah thing. Sorry if the titans seem a bit OOC, but hey, I'm the one writing it so if you don't like it, read something else…lol, just kidding. Anyways, I'll try and stop writing the ever annoying author notes like this…they just get tiring. So until next time!