Disclaimer: All copyright and credit goes to the original creators of the Teen Titans, Batman, and the DC Universe. This is for entertainment purposes only! I do not own any of the characters!

Author's Note: THANK YOU to everyone that reviewed!

I'm so sorry about all the typos/grammar issues! I went back and tried to fix them all. After I read a chapter so many times my brain starts to autocorrect the chapter for me! Haha again, I'm sorry. I hope I caught all the mistakes in this chapter.

Anyway, on with chapter 3! I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3

Fragments

The door slid shut behind him, cutting off the light from the hallway. His eyes dimly looked over the dark room. Fragments of the past were littered throughout the small space. Everywhere his eyes traveled, they were there. Newspaper clippings. Files. Photos. They all taunted him, stared at him, and mocked him. All reminders of his failures.

The dark desk beckoned him forward and Robin walked towards it in a dazed trance. His fingers trailed over the red wood grain as he sunk into the comforting embrace of the small, worn chair. The blinds on the windows were drawn shut and the only light in the space came from a pitiful lamp that was struggling to hold back the darkness.

Robin glanced around his office, his eyes taking in everything around him. The back wall was plastered with newspaper clippings – all regarding the same subject of a certain masked man. Articles from the past years burned into his eyes. Words blurred together as story after story detailed all the encounters the Titans had experienced with Slade.

All except one.

Robin slammed his eyes shut as the haunting memory tore into him. His blood ran cold as the images raced past his eyes. The enigmatic black and orange mask. The turning of the gears. The controller that decided his friends' fates. The screens that reminded him of the consequences of failure.

No one except the Titans knew exactly what had happened. And even they didn't know all the details. Robin shuddered as his thoughts drew him back in time. He remembered the controller as clear as day. It was the controller that Slade had used to blackmail him into an apprenticeship. It was the controller that could have ended the lives of the Titans.

Those were the days that he never wanted to relive. They were the nightmares that haunted his every waking hour. Slade had forced him to steal, to fight his own friends, and to defy every moral code Robin had ever lived by. And each day the man reminded him that with a push of a button, the microscopic probes in the Titan's bloodstreams could activate and kill them.

Failure had not been an option.

So Robin had curved his rebellious behavior and slowly gave into the man's demands. It had shredded his mental state and heart to pieces. In one crushing blow, Slade had been able to reduce him to a criminal and had been able to manipulate him into obedience. There was nothing he could have done to stop the man. There was nothing he could have done to resist the man without threatening the lives of his friends. He had been utterly helpless.

Only by the selfless actions of the Titans had Robin been able to find a solution. He had injected himself with the same probes Slade had used in the Titans, effectively making the man's blackmail useless. They had defeated Slade, and Robin had escaped, but that didn't mean the boy had been okay.

It was an experience that remained burned into his mind. It was a failure that he would never forget. It was a memory that haunted his every step. The Titans had quickly forgotten about the incident, but Robin had never moved on. In the very back of his mind, he had buried a fear. The fear that one day, he would turn into Slade. That one day he would give into the masked man's demands and willingly become a criminal. It was as if Slade followed him. Everywhere he looked, he could feel the man watching him, judging him, and manipulating him.

It was absurd thought, but it still plagued Robin. He had come so close to losing hope during the apprenticeship. He had almost accepted defeat. He had almost stopped fighting the man. Only a small flame of hope had kept him going – a flame that Slade had almost managed to put out.

And now Slade was back, and Robin's fear loomed over his shoulder. What if Slade tried again? And what if he wasn't able to get away this time? How long would he be able to resist? Would he even be able to resist?

He reached into his utility belt and pulled out the haunting metal 'S'. The thick piece of metal stared into him. He rubbed his fingers over the smooth surface and flipped it over. There wasn't anything special about the clumsy piece of metal. Yet, every time his eyes rested on it, a shudder of fear traveled through him. It made him feel as if the masked man was always near – always watching.

He would have to remind Cyborg to do another sweep of the Tower for any bugs or cameras Slade could have placed.

Robin sighed and laid the metal 'S' on the table. He didn't understand Slade's angle. The man could have just waltzed in, knocked him out, kidnapped him, and been done with everything.

But he hadn't and that bothered Robin.

What did the man want with him? What was his plan? Where was the cryptic clue that Robin was supposed to solve? It didn't make any sense to the boy. Nothing made sense. Did Slade really do all of this just so he could announce his arrival to the Titans? Robin really wouldn't put it past the man, but somehow he felt there was something more behind this. There was something else Slade wanted. Robin just didn't know what it was. And that made everything more terrifying.

He buried his head in his hands, ignoring the dried blood that cracked when he moved. He couldn't face Slade again. Not like this. The cold metal 'S' stared up at him, calling to him. A shudder raced through Robin, and he collapsed against the desk.

He didn't understand Slade. But then again, perhaps he never will.

Cyborg dragged his hand over his face, and let out a long, deep breath. Every time. Every single time Slade was involved, the team fell apart. He leaned back in his desk chair and scanned his eyes over the plethora of blinking computer screens he had installed around his desk. At least it seemed he had caught the Tower's security system up to speed.

It was about time too. The last thing they needed was for Slade's army of robots to break in and catch them unprepared. Because right now, he doubted anyone was up for a fight.

He drummed his fingers on the desk, lost in an ocean of thoughts. Robin had locked himself in his office again, leaving Cyborg desperately trying to hold everything together. He couldn't allow Slade to separate the team like the masked man had in the past. And that meant he couldn't allow Robin to close himself off anymore.

Cyborg let out a sigh and slowly stood up, gripping the edge of his desk in his hands. He leaned over it, staring down at the dull, gray color. It was the same color of Slade's eye. That deep, gray, taunting eye. The one similarity he had with the masked man.

They both had one real eye.

He slammed his fist down on the desk, breaking his train of thought and shattering the crystal, gray eye that mocked him. An eye or not, he was not like Slade, and he never would be. Not in a million of years.

He lifted his hand back up to his face and rubbed his cheek. A large hand print was embedded into the metal desk, and Cyborg muttered something under his breath. Another thing to fix. Just great. All of this was just great. Slade was back and the masked man was bound to be up to something. Robin has checked out to his office, and that meant Cyborg was left to figure out how to pick up the pieces of the team.

His eyes lingered across the room and landed on a picture frame silhouetted in the dim lighting. He walked up to it and grasped the tarnished, silver frame in his hand. The picture was a crystal doorway into his past, capturing a moment he had buried in his heart. The park in the background glowed with life and joy; he still remembered the smell of the freshly cut grass, and the high pitched squeak the rusty, old swing set made. He stared into the glittering eyes of a young Victor Stone like he had so many times before.

How innocent and happy he had been...

His eye took in the striking vision of his mother and father standing next to his younger self and he let out a long, heavy sigh. He set the picture down with a soft thud and sat on his couch, welcoming the soft cushions that greeted him. Too much time had passed to lament on what had happened.

He had moved on a long time ago.

"Hey Cy? You in here?"

"I'm over here BB."

The green changeling appeared in the doorway, his form silhouetted in shadowy darkness. The light from the hallway glowed around his feet as he stepped forward. The door swished shut behind him.

Beast Boy's normally carefree demeanor seemed weighed down, and the young boy walked as if iron chains dragged at his heels. Cyborg immediately straightened with concern, conscious of the fact that he had some major damage control to do.

"I just uhh…wanted to talk, I guess," Beast Boy said rubbing his hand against his shoulder. The small boy hesitated, an unusual flush rising to his green face.

"What's up?" Cyborg said, patting the couch next to him.

Beast Boy shuffled over to the couch and plopped down next to his friend. The young crime fighter sunk deep into the cushions as Cyborg had moments before and stared down into his hands as if the answers to his worries were there. Cyborg shifted as he patiently waited for Beast Boy to break the comfortable silence.

"Is Robin still…"

"I don't know," Cyborg replied after a pause, "I thought he had gotten over this business with Slade a long time ago…I guess I was wrong."

The last five words seemed to suck the life out of Beast Boy, and the green changeling shoulders went slack as he slouched deeper into the couch, almost as if he were trying to loose himself in the sea of cushions. Cyborg withheld a sigh, immediately regretting his choice of words.

"I just thought…with everything that happened ya know….I really thought he was gone…"

Cyborg leaned forward and reached out, grabbing Beast Boy's shoulder. His metal hand grasped the younger boy's shoulder in a firm grip, and Beast Boy looked up. His deep, puffy eyes were rimmed with tears from a wound that had been ripped open again.

"Hey, it's going to be okay BB," Cyborg said, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "I promise."

Beast Boy took in a shaky breath, his eyes flickering to his hands.

"I hope so…"

Cyborg softly shook Beast Boy's shoulder and smiled at his friend.

"Course it will. Slade's got another thing coming for him this time, if he thinks he can just waltz on back into Jump with the Titans around."

Beast Boy let out a quiet, hesitant chuckle, and Cyborg watched as his usual self-assured attitude gradually returned. The boy seemed to suck up the reassure like a sponge, and he began to swell with confidence again.

"Yeah he does!" Beast Boy agreed, punching Cyborg in the shoulder. "This time we'll take him out for good and-"

A sharp knock echoed across the room, cutting Beast Boy off from his short tirade. Cyborg sat up and leaned forward on the couch, feeling the cushions sag under his weight.

"It's open."

The door swished open with a soft hiss, revealing a hooded figure dwarfed by the large doorway. Raven stepped forward and in a single, fluid movement dropped her hood. Her violet eyes scanned the room quickly and landed on Cyborg's hunched form.

"Is he still..." Cyborg started with a hint of concern in his voice as he rose to his feet.

"He's been there all night," Raven said. Her coarse voice was unusually soft, and it mirrored Cyborg's own concern. She moved from the massive entrance and approached Cyborg, her feet padding softly on the thick carpet.

Cyborg shook his head, and sat down again, grumbling something under his breath. A small prickle of frustration rose up his spine.

"I thought this time, it would be different."

"We all did. But apparently Robin still is traumatized by the damage Slade has already done."

"Maybe we could you know? Talk to him…?" Beast Boy offered, sitting down on the floor with a loud yawn. He absently pulled at a piece of loose string on his shirt, his mind musing on possible solutions.

Raven crossed her arms over her chest and let out a tired sigh. "I tried that already. He barely said two words to me."

Cyborg slapped his hands down on his thighs, his frustration flaring up.

"Well we can't let him sit there all night. He is probably freaked out enough as it is. Slade is back and we need to figure out what the heck we are going to do. And we can't do that without our leader!"

A heavy silence fell over the room as the three teens considered the words that had just been said. Beast Boy's eyes flickered up as an idea popped into his head.

"OH. OH. Maybe we could set an explosive off in the main room. Then he would have to come out!" Beast Boy said jumping up in the air, the idea flowing out of his mouth before he could stop and think about it. He was about to continue but the sharp, icy glare he received from Raven stopped him in his tracks, and the young boy visibly shrunk back, under the powerful gaze.

"Whaaaat…it could work," Beast Boy muttered, sitting back down.

"Anyways," Raven drawled, rolling her eyes, "Something needs to be done. The cut on his hand will get infected if we don't do anything soon. Not to mention his other injuries…"

"Well, what can we do? He won't talk to any of us, Rae. Robin is like a brick wall. Everything we say bounces right off of him," Cyborg grumbled, moving away to his desk. This whole situation was making him go crazy. Robin was being ridiculous. He always was when Slade was involved… Still, that didn't change the fact that he needed to talk to someone – anyone.

But who?

"Friends I have made traditional Tamaran Yugenslurch for dinner! Will you not join me?"

The sweet, crisp voice floated over to them from the hallway, breaking up the tense atmosphere in the room. One by one each of the Titans turned to look at the bright, cheery alien girl silhouetted in a hazy glow in the doorway. Her head was cocked to the side, allowing her red, fiery hair to cascade freely down her side.

Cyborg studied the glowing girl while her bright green eyes scanned the room, hunting for a hungry teammate. The gears in Cyborg's mind began to turn as an idea gradually fell into place.

"Rae…are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Cyborg said, turning to look at the girl who was standing by his side.

Raven hesitated, her eyes fixated on Starfire. After a slight pause, a small smile graced her face, as she briefly glanced at Cyborg.

"It could work," she said, a devious glimmer entering her pure violet eyes.

"What could?" Beast Boy said, moving to join his teammates. He watched as a silent understanding passed between Cyborg and Raven.

"Hey! What are yall-" Beast Boy started but was cut off by Starfire's innocent voice.

"Friends, I do not understand. Are you not of the hunger today?" the girl said, walking toward them from the brightly lit hallway. The light seemed to trail her feet as she softly approached them.

Beast Boy looked from Starfire to Raven to Cyborg, his mind trying to put the pieces together. He glanced back at the glowing alien girl as it suddenly struck him.

"OHHHH I get it! Why didn't we think of this sooner?" Beast Boy cried a subtle hint of laughter in his voice.

A slight nod from Raven confirmed this guess, and three pairs of eyes simultaneously fell on the confused alien girl. Her eyes went wide as she looked between her teammates. She sighed, a disappointed and slightly baffled note entering her voice

"I am guessing you do not want Yugenslurch for dinner…"

Starfire stood outside the door, her arms full with a supply of bandages, warm water, and rags. She did not understand why the Titans had unanimously elected her to check on Robin after his confrontation with Slade. She also did not understand why they insisted that she go alone.

The girl sighed as her thoughts drifted to Robin. The young Tamaranian was concerned. He had simply gone and locked himself in his office without saying a word to the rest of his team, and he had not come out since. This troubled her as she did not wish to see her leader in such distress. His behavior was unusual, and it was not like the Robin she knew.

She cocked her head slightly and listened for any sound inside. When none came, she knocked softly on the door and waited.

"Robin? May I enter?"

Her feet shifted uncomfortably on the hard, concrete floor while her heart stretched thin with anxiety.

"It's unlocked Star."

The words were spoken softly, and Starfire barely heard them. She pressed her hands against the door and it opened with a quiet hiss. Starfire walked inside the dimly lit office and paused as the door slid shut behind her.

The office was small and furnished with a wood desk and two chairs. A file cabinet sat in the corner along with cardboard boxes marked with different villain's names. The wall in front of her was plastered with newspaper clippings, and the trashcan overflowed with crumpled balls of paper.

Robin sat hunched over his desk with his hand buried in his hair, and Starfire quietly approached him. She set the bandages and medical supplies on the table and dragged up the spare chair next to him. The young girl nimbly sat down and pressed her hands into her lap.

The only sound in the room was the steady ticking of the clock on the desk. Starfire watched the seconds hand move around in circles as she debated what to do. It was odd for Robin not to say anything to her, and it made her feel great unease. Her green eyes wandered around the room and hesitantly fell back onto the raven locks of Robin. His hand was pressed in his hair, and Starfire tried to hold back a cry of alarm when she saw the dried blood caked around the cut.

She gingerly wrapped her hand around his wrist, remembering the specific instructions Raven had given her.

Robin looked up at her, his mask concealing his eyes from hers.

"May I?" Starfire asked gesturing to the supplies on the table.

Robin nodded his head and slowly pulled off his gloves. Starfire withheld a gasp at the deep, jagged cut that revealed itself. Robin laid his hand on the table and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes. Starfire dipped the rag in warm water, and gently pressed it against his hand. With slow even strokes she wiped away the blood, revealing his pale skin.

The water turned a deep murky red, and Starfire picked up a dark black bottle.

"Raven told me to use this. Um…she said it would not feel well," Starfire said, her eyes boring into Robin.

A quick nod told her to continue and Starfire poured the clear liquid over the long cut. Robin hissed in pain, and Starfire quickly took a clean rag and wiped off the excess liquid. She bit her lip as Robin shifted in discomfort. The girl quietly tore off a piece of gauze. Her soft hands gently grabbed Robin's hand and gradually wrapped it around the cut.

When she was finished her hands lingered on his arm, until he pulled away.

"Thanks Star," he whispered, his eyes focused on the back wall.

"Of course, friend Robin," Starfire said pressing her hands back into her lap. She hesitantly eyed him up and down, taking in his disheveled appearance.

"Might I suggest a um…shower…" Starfire said tentatively. The boy had no immediate reaction to the comment and instead gave the girl a half-hearted shrug. Starfire sighed and looked away.

She had tried.

Silence stood between them, and her eyes traveled over the untidy desk. File after file and paper after paper covered the red wood. Each paper, document, or file held a common theme - they were all about Slade. A deep pit of despair welled up in the girl as she looked over the mess with apprehension. She did not want Robin to become obsessed with the masked man again.

"I thought…he was gone, Star. I really did," Robin whispered. The Boy Wonder sat up and buried his head in hands.

"I didn't think he would come back."

Starfire leaned forward and lightly grabbed Robin's arm. The young hero looked up at her and stared into her deep, green eyes.

"We have beaten him before, and we can again," Starfire said while squeezing Robin's arm assuredly.

Robin softly shook his head and looked back down at the papers covering his desk.

"But that's the thing Star. I don't think he wants to fight…" Robin trailed off, staring at the metal 'S' that rested on his desk.

The Tamaranian girl stared at her leader with a confused expression and released her grip on his arm.

"I do not understand. Slade is still Slade, is he not?"

"I don't know, Star. And that's what worries me the most."

The statement caused the girl to pause in contemplation. She did not understand what Robin was saying. The vile man seemed exactly the same to her – evil, cruel, and malicious. Every time she saw him, a feeling of dread and terror would rise up in her and it had been no different this time.

"Robin I still do not und– "

"I know. I don't either. I just…I need to be alone for a while, Star…." Robin whispered. His voice was shallow and empty of all emotions.

Her warm fingers wrapped around his cold arm and rested there.

"Robin, will you please come out and allow Raven to look at your other injuries? Please? You cannot sit in here forever," Starfire said, her voice embedded with a deep concern.

Robin became very still as the words pounded through his mind.

Starfire waited in anxious silence as she watched Robin struggle between two conflicting sides. Every bone in her body wanted to yank him out of this oppressive room and out into the main room with the rest of the team. However she had learned a long time ago, that you could never force Robin to do anything. He had to make this decision on his own.

"Please, Robin. We only want to –"

The boy moved away from her reach and turned away, blocking out the piecing green eyes that bore into him.

"Look, I just need some time to think. I need to be alone."

The words were short and clipped, and they stung Starfire with a fiery pain. He pulled away from her grasp and his cold arm slipped out of her fingers. The young girl brought her hand to her chest.

"Robin, I only– "

"I need to be alone."

Robin's voice snapped with a dead finality that caused Starfire to recoil away from the boy. She hesitantly stood up as the boy sighed and rested his head against the desk once more. Her heart tightened with an unfamiliar feeling, and she turned away, walking towards the door. Her hand pressed against the cold metal, shaking slightly. Robin hadn't even let her finish her sentence. The words she had wanted to say to the boy blared in her head as she stumbled out of the room.

I only want to help.

Author's Note: The main plot of the story is about to be set into motion.

Next update will be Thursday or Friday! Thanks for reading!