Disclaimer: Shoot. I think I used all my witty disclaimers up. Ah well. I own nothing but my imagination. DC owns the rest here.

Thanks for the reviews and the tears! *giddy* I read once writers were writers because torture was illegal. Anywho, I'm debating something. Since this is the original story I had planned out, and I want to drive people nuts with this more than the other, should I put 'Where's Robin' on hold until a certain point in this story? The suspense here won't be as dramatic if you read both sides at the same time. Think you can take it? I'm pretty far ahead on this one so it won't be a long Hiatus for it and this would continue. Just a few weeks or so. Like I said, I'm pretty far ahead after all. So? =D

Without Me

Ch. 5 – A Few Friends

When Dick woke, the first thing he saw was Batman. The dark knight was watching him, his arms folded serious in chair. In a bleary haze he looked around the room, not recognizing it. If Batman was there, everything was alright. But where was he? This wasn't his room. This wasn't any of his rooms.

Slowly he started to remember the other day's events. He remembered his mission, he remembered Wally's souvenir, then he remembered the blast. Looking at the ceiling now, Dick's eyes widened recalling everything happing after. The pain of that experience welled within him again. The man beside him wasn't his Batman. This wasn't his Bruce. He didn't even know about Robin. And he didn't care.

But if he didn't care, why was he in that room with him?

Unbidden, the vague memory of his night terror returned, and his subsequence breakdown. The brief time he was awake was like a dream, a fleeting memory of what his own Bruce would have done. Honestly, though that moment was easier to remember than his nightmare, he wished it wasn't real. If it was, than that meant…

His face flushed in embarrassment. Finally Batman spoke. He had let Dick gather his bearings before saying a word. "You're quite an emotional child."

Dick's face only became redder, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. "So I've got a lousy poker face. Sue me. Someone in this business has to smile."

"How frequent are your nightmares?"

He winced. This was a test, one he knew would decide how often this Batman would appear before him. "More often than I'd like. If something happened earlier, like a bad fight, a toxin or… something traumatizing, they come. Familiar places or people being around, calm me down pretty quickly."

"You didn't respond to Superman."

"And how often does he stay overnight at the manor?" Touché. "Look, after my parents died, my Bruce took me in and raised me. He…" He hesitated. Dick wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to this Batman about his relationship with Bruce. It might anger him further and an angry Batman was never pleasant. "He did everything he could for me. Especially then. My nightmares were just some of the many things he's helped me with."

Batman nodded. He stood up after a moment and turned to leave. Dick turned his head slightly, catching a good look at his cape. His heart almost stopped for a moment. "Don't expect any coddling."

"Never do." Dick smirked slightly.

This Batman nodded again and headed to the door. As the door opened, he gave some ground rules. "Flash left you some clothes. I'll tell him you're awake. Don't escape him."

"10-4." When the door snapped shut behind him, Dick turned to face the wall. So Flash would be his sitter for the day. More than likely they'd all watch him in turns until they either got him home or figured out what to do with him in this world. Personally, he prayed to find a way home quickly so he wouldn't burden them for too long, and so he could sock Wally one. Mostly though, he wanted to get back to his family, his friends.

He gave a long sigh and pushed himself up. Knowing both Batman and Flash, he wouldn't have much time for privacy. He'd better change now before the speedster dragged him to breakfast. Probably a big one. Barry and Wally had a hard time back home believing he had a small appetite.

Slowly he left the warmth of the bed and walked over to the bags of clothes next to the door. He must have been pretty out of it not to notice nor remember anyone coming in last night to drop them off; though, he did vaguely remember not wrapping himself in the sheets when he was crying and passed out. "Must have been Flash."

He grabbed the bags and emptied them on the bed to get a good look at them. Since this was Happy Harbor, he could guess what kinds of shirts Barry came back with. There were a few plain ones, and a black jacket, but the majority of them had hero shields on them. There were a few more Batman and Flash ones than any other (Barry's sense of humor would require him to either rub in Robin's supposed roots and that he bought the clothes), but Green Lantern, Superman and even Wonder Woman crests made their appearances as well. Ten league shirts, five normal. Plus it was winter. He'd have to layer the shirts so he was doomed with some kind of target on his chest.

He made the easy decision with changing his pants first. They were a little bigger than he wanted because he didn't specify too much, but Flash wisely brought him a belt to compensate. Next was deciding which target to put over which long sleeve shirt. As he stripped off his usual red Kevlar tunic, the door opened behind him. Immediately he grabbed the lid of the shoebox to throw at the intruder but stopped when he saw the red long johns.

"Whoa there boy!" Flash threw up his hands in his defense

"Ever heard of knocking?" Dick immediately snapped. He let go of the box top and gave a heavy sigh as he tossed his top onto his tights.

"Ah, right, sorry." Flashed looked at Dick's back, almost gaping at the scars. The kid knew without even looking at the man what he was thinking. A boy his age shouldn't have so many marks on his body. Quickly the boy pulled on a white long sleeved shirt before grabbing a Superman one and pulling it on his head. "I… I just thought, with how fast Bats changes, you'd be ready by now."

"Keh, I'm not Batman." Dick gave a weak laugh before grabbing the sunglasses. He bit off the tag on them then quickly put them on, becoming Robin once again. He stuffed his mask into his pocket. "I'm only fast when I'm in the field or there's an emergency."

Flash nodded then stepped up to Robin's side. "Are you okay?"

The concern in the man's voice cooled Robin's temper. Flash was the second League member he met after becoming Robin so he felt like he knew him pretty well. He was someone he could trust and was already helping him there. Robin gave a weak head shake before opening the new package of socks. "Eventually."

The boy wonder cleared a small part of the bed and sat on the edge of it to put the socks on. Flash just watched him, still worried. "That's not really an answer."

"Well it all depends on what you mean by okay." Robin took the shoes out of the box and started relacing them to suit his tastes. He hoped they fit right. "Physically, I've been beaten a hundred ways to Friday by all sorts of crazies and criminals. Nearly been eaten by wild animals and monsters too. But I always managed to heal. Right now I don't really have any injuries.

"Mentally I can't say I'm okay." He finished one shoe and put it on quickly, then started the other one. "Besides being beaten near to death a few times, I saw my parents die, seen my foster parent nearly die several times over, and I'm running around at night fighting crime in tights. Most people would say that's enough to put me in therapy. That's if Bruce actually believed in it."

Flash have a huff of a laugh, winning a smirk from both their lips. Robin finished the other shoe and started putting it on as he continued. "And then there's my emotional health. Add to the facts I just gave you that I've been shot out of my world to one where I don't seem to exist, only to find out I died at eight and the people who knew me best don't know me at all."

Robin finished with his shoes and looked straight to Flash, peaking over his sunglasses. "There's no way I'm alright. But I got through my parents deaths and all of that, and I could still smile. I'm sure I'll eventually be fine again, it just takes time."

Flash watched him, a thoughtful expression clear on his face. After a moment, Robin got off the bed and started folding the clothes, removing tags and stickers as he went. Flash stepped out of his thoughts and started helping him at a normal rate. "You're stronger than you look."

Robin smirked sadly. "I overheard Bruce telling someone once that I was stronger than him. I'm not sure if that's true. Thanks for the clothes."

"No problem." Flash grinned impishly. "Like the selection?"

"Do you want Batman to clobber be?" His smirk became playful as he picked up a Green Lantern shirt. Hal and Bruce didn't always see eye to eye and frankly Bruce thought the core's requirements were far too low. He used to rant on how Hal would use eggbeaters and baseball gloves to beat bad guys, and he was way too bright and noisy. Of all the Leaguers, Bats kept Robin away from Hal the most. Scratch that, Guy. But only by a little.

Course, John Stewart wasn't bad and Bruce let the two of them talk so long as they were in costume. And Robin snuck out to talk to Hal whenever he felt like it. Guy though was way too much for him so he didn't go out of his way to talk to that Lantern.

Flash smirked too. "Nah, but he deserves it. Besides, I bet you have plenty of shirts like these back home."

Robin shook his head. "Maybe one or two Superman shirts and a Flash one Wally gave me. Bruce wants to keep our two lives as separate as possible, and in Gotham, wearing a cape's shirt is literally putting a target on your chest. I'm already a walking target. Better not to make it easier on kidnappers and assassins don't you think?"

Flash shrugged sheepishly. It was a given that Bruce Wayne's friends and relatives would be targets in that crazy city. Imagine how much trouble came to his… kid? He looked up and down the boy again as they put the clothes in a chest to the side. "So your Bats really took you in? How?"

The boy took a deep breath as he organized the shirts. Alfred's habits had rubbed off on him. "He made me his legal ward shortly after their deaths. Kinda pushed it through to make sure I was safe because of Zucco. I was the prime witness after all. He officially adopted me just a few weeks ago. Said it was my choice, so he didn't push it."

Sadly he pushed the drawers closed then looked at his uniform. "Quick question. Is the laundry room open to me? My Alfred would kill me if I didn't take care of my gear."

Barry laughed and clapped Robin's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. I'll handle it before heading home tonight."

"I'll get it back right?"

Flash grinned. "What? Planning on using it sometime soon?"

"Well I just can't go home in this." He picked at his new clothes, raising an eyebrow. "And I don't exactly have a million sets crammed in rings you know. I'm pretty sure you don't want to keep them in some trophy case when I'm gone."

The speedster smirked. "Ready to leave already huh?" Robin looked up to him, giving a serious look with a touch of homesickness. He rubbed the kid's head affectionately. "It'll be fine. You'll see. Come on, let's get some breakfast."

Robin nodded and grabbed the jacket as they left the room. The hallways were cooler than he liked so he pulled it on as they walked. Flash started rambling about the food they were going to eat and then about how much fun they were going to have today. Inside the kid knew this wasn't what the Flash wanted to talk to him about, but he let the man ramble for a bit until he found a clock. Nearly ten am. He slept too long.

"Why didn't anyone wake me?" Flash stopped mid sentence and looked at the boy wonder in curiosity. The kid shrugged. "I mean, it's a school day and I'm sure Batman didn't want to stay awake for 36 hours straight. So why didn't anyone wake me up earlier?"

"Oh you know," Flash mildly put it, "kids need their sleep and you were pretty wiped out."

"I usually only get six hours at the most," Robin stated flatly. "I do work with Batman after all. Burning the midnight oil is just one of the things we do."

Barry shrugged and looked away slightly. "Well, I thought… since Wally…"

Robin had to hold back a laugh. Since neither Batman nor Green Arrow had any experience with kids, they looked to Flash for answers. He remembered the first time he met Barry. He couldn't handle Robin. It was thanks to knowing him for two years that made taking in Kid Flash easier on the man. "Ah yes, Wally. Sleeps like the dead. Especially on weekends."

"No kidding." Flash gave a half laugh before looking back to Robin. "So, how do you know my nephew?"

'Ah. This was what he wanted to talk about.' They finally made it to the kitchen and the many boxes of cereal and different milks on the counter. Robin could guess who picked them.

"In my world, Wally West is my best friend. About three years ago you and he were talking in your lab at work about how you became Flash. Wally was pretty curious if that was the way it worked and looked at the chemicals in your lab. Then lightning struck and…" Robin grinned at Flash's shocked face. "Well you get the picture. A kid with your speed, and Wally of all of them—"

"That'd be a disaster." Flash ran a hand over his cowl in worry. "His parents would kill me. My wife would kill me."

"Meh, he also got your healing." Robin grabbed a bowl and found his favorite cereal. He opened it quickly, saving himself a smile. Alfred didn't buy it anymore because of the last time he ate it. That was almost four years ago. He wondered if he'd have the same reaction now. "For the first couple months, it was kinda a disaster, heavy on the dis. He took one of your suits and started running around as a hero. You made him your partner to keep him out of trouble and teach him to control his speed. Still can't vibrate through walls or bullets, but you're sure it'll come in time.

"One day the League called you in for a special mission. Batman was too. Both of us kinda… followed you two. Well," Robin gave a sheepish grin, "Kid Flash followed you. I was in Batman's trunk. The Zeta-Beams were still being tested. Everyone was trying to figure out what to do with KF and he was checking out the car. Superman saw me and well..."

He scooped out some sugary breakfast and chewed merrily, taking in the sweets he'd been denied for so long. Just as good as he remembered it. He knew Flash would figure out how everyone felt about that night. Swallowing his bite, he started waving his spoon around to emphasize his explanation. "Batman dragged both of us through the Zeta-tube to Star City and the three of us took to the streets while the League took care of something Luthor cooked up."

"So Batman turned babysitter in Star?" Barry was clearly confused, despite hanging on ever word while he ate through two boxes.

"Ah no. He took off five minutes after. Me, Wally and Roy were having a blast. Bruce was pretty ticked at Ollie for not going with us, but we did a pretty good job anyway." He took another scoop of his cereal. Oh this thing was good. "The three of us have been tight ever since."

"Who's Roy?"

"Roy Harper. In my world he's Speedy, or was. He's five years older than me. Last summer he ditched GA 'cause he kept treating him like a kid, then took the name Red Arrow. We're still friends and we talk all the time, he's just not working with the League anymore. Not officially." He looked over to the growing stack of boxes Flash was emptying. Being with Barry or Wally made his usual appetite seem even smaller than it was. Watching them eat shrank it even more.

"Dang that's a lot."

Flash gave a sheepish grin. "Hyperactive—"

"Metabolism, I know. Still, that's a lot." He ate another spoonful of his favorite cereal but found that was enough to fill him. Seeing how much he ate when he was stressed, plus how often he ended up eating with a Flash, it wasn't surprising he was so thin.

"So, you, Wally, and this Roy are all… kid heroes? Sidekicks?" Flash was still trying to understand what the boy was saying.

"Partners," Robin pointed out, then thought second on it. "Well, Kaldur's kinda more a sidekick than partner, and GA always treated Roy as one, but Bruce and I worked together so long we're partners. KF and you, I think you're somewhere between partners and sidekicks. More partners because you're family. I think that makes a big difference in this business."

He swirled his breakfast around as he spoke, thinking out loud. "Roy and Ollie never really got that close, course he was fifteen when he started. I think Roy got attached to Dinah though. And Hal. They still talk. Oliver though, he doesn't want to talk to him or talk about him."

"They had a fight?"

"It's been building for a while." He played with this food some more and wondered out loud. "The real kick in the pants came when we were all told we were going to join the League and were basically just given a glorified backstage tour of the Hall of Justice. Ollie told Roy about the Watchtower satellite base and got upset about us not being able to go.

"Course I knew about it. The plans were in the Bat-cave for a long time. I just didn't know they finished making it yet. Batman hadn't said a word because he didn't want me hacking into their system, going there, and making it another one of my playgrounds." He laughed at the memory. "I think he got Blue Beetle to triple encrypt the system for extra insurance. Haven't found a way to get up there yet. His programs are very different from Bruce's."

"How'd Wally take it?" Flash seemed a little antsy as he asked. Robin couldn't help but be glad this Flash held the relationship between himself and his nephew dear.

"Well, after Speedy walked out, we… er…" He laughed at himself. "Let's just say, we made a scenario where the League had to support us, or we'd do what we wanted together regardless. Wally was upset at first, but after that, you and Batman were the ones who really supported our new team. Your relationship's as strong as ever.

"But I have to ask," Robin leaned forward, a little worried, "are his parents still fighting?"

Barry blinked, swallowing what was left of his meal too quickly. After a short coughing fit, he looked back to Robin, an unbelieving look in his face. "They're fighting?"

"Were last I heard." Robin settled back in his seat, swirling his food once again. "Wally's hanging out more with either you, your wife or the team."

"What are they fighting about?" Concern for his family life drew the man's face to a serious frown.

Robin gave a shrug. "Wally won't say. I only hear snippets over the phone from time to time, but when I ask he just laughs it off and pretends it's not happening. I think he's in denial."

The speedster rubbed a hand over his cowl again, worry coming to his face. Robin could only guess what was going through the man's mind, but tried not to. Obviously things were clicking in his head, things he hadn't put together until Robin spoke about it. The boy wonder took another scoop of his breakfast in the silence, wondering if saying that much about Wally was a good idea.

Then again, if it ended up helping his best friend here, it couldn't be too bad.

He glanced up at the speedster once again and knew the man wanted to run back home and see if what Robin said was true, to see for himself if he missed what he should have seen. But Flash should be babysitting Robin, not investigating his family in Central. Slowly Barry, his concern more than evident on his face, spoke again. "Does Rudolf… does his dad… hurt him?"

Robin raised an eyebrow, not sure why Flash even asked that. "Ah, wouldn't know. KF has super fast healing. Bruises are gone within a few hours so if his dad is hurting him, it'd be hard to prove. But Wally doesn't act like a beaten kid, just gets out of the house to avoid the yelling. I really don't know much about his personal life. Secret ID privacy and all that."

Barry gave a weak nod, but the worry didn't leave his face. Now Robin was wondering what happened in the West home here. Barry still loved his nephew unconditionally, but because he wasn't Kid Flash their relationship wasn't near as close as the boy wonder anticipated. Right then he doubted Wally even knew the truth about his uncle, which was just plain weird.

Flash tried to snap himself out of this depression and took a deep breath. He gave Robin a smile before zipping around to put the empty boxes (total: nine, plus two milk cartons) in the recycling. "So! Besides this Roy and Wally, who else is on this team of yours?"

The boy wonder knew he was changing the subject for both their sakes but smirked and went with it anyway. "Well there's Kaldur'ahm, that's Aqualad, M'gann aka Miss Martian, Artemis, Zatanna, and…"

Robin stopped, realizing something major. If he didn't exist here and neither did KF, what was the likelihood of Kaldur going against League orders and going to Cadmus to find… "Superboy."

"Come again?"

Robin gripped his head, putting everything together. Without him, Conner would never have been discovered. He hacked the computer in the Hall to find Cadmus. He hacked their computers to find project Kr. And he was the one who thought of how to take the building down so they could escape.

"Did you guys ever go to Cadmus?" He looked up at Flash, a fresh wave of worry coming to his face. It took the speedster back for a second. One second Robin would he smiling and happy to talk, then he'd become serious and a bit tight lipped.

"Cadmus? That genetics lab Bats keeps trying to get us to look into?"

The boy clenched his teeth, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "You need to look in to it. Sub-Level 52, Project Kr. And make sure Clark takes him home. The G-nomes and Guardian will work with you guys if you let them, but Dr. Desmond's going to be a real pain with that Blockbuster serum."

"Whoa there. What are you talking about?" Flash was getting confused, and Robin couldn't blame him. The information he was giving wasn't exactly coherent. Or would it be nonherent? Disherent?

"Look, you remember that scenario I told you about? The one where we kinda forced the League to stop seeing us like sidekicks?" Flash nodded. "Well that day, after Roy left, the League was called to a big mission and the three of us—"

"Three?"

"KF, Aqualad and I. We, or rather, I hacked the computer and found out about Batman looking in on Cadmus. He didn't have a lot so, during a fire at their surface lab, we snuck in, found an express elevator and found out about the G-nomorphs. I hacked their computers and found out about Project Kr. We—"

Robin stopped, part of him wanting to tell Flash everything, and the other part wanting to see everyone's faces when they found Conner for themselves. But considering Clark pretty much rejected Conner out of shock and it was he and his friends who pushed for him to stay, it may not be a bad idea to tell everything.

Still, Flash could keep this secret from certain people. "Keep this on the down low okay? I really don't want to scare people away from him."

"From who?" Flash's curiosity was building. Robin knew he'd talk to Batman later and they'd take care of Cadmus soon after.

"Project Kr isn't a weapon, no matter what those guys say. He's a person, like you or me. He's Superboy. Superman's clone." Flash blinked and stared at Robin in complete shock. Now the kid had to do some quick talking. "A force grown clone who's probably being kept at 16-17 so they can use him any way they want to. He's actually a really good kid, just starving for attention. He really wants to be like Clark, but in my world he doesn't give Conner the time of day."

"Conner?"

"That's what we call him. Conner Kent. Clark wasn't too happy about the sir name bit, but since he didn't want anything to do with him back then," Robin shrugged mischievously, "he didn't have any say."

"You're saying someone cloned Superman?" Flash seriously wanted to get his facts right before jumping the gun.

"He's not like Bizzaro. He's really just a teenager. Bit grumpy from time to time, but if your dad rejected you after hearing he was an amazing guy, how'd you feel?"

"So someone cloned Superman," Flash clarified, still trying to take it in, "and you're fine with it?"

Robin gave him an are-you-kidding-me look. "At first no, but did he have any say over who his dad was or how he came to be? In the end, he's just a kid. Like me."

The boy wonder left his seat, taking his half eaten bowl to the sink. As much as he hated wasting food, he really didn't have the stomach to eat much more. Someone had to save Conner. "He's been raised in a test tube, never seen the sun, had things controlling his mind. He doesn't even have all of Superman's powers. Conner deserves to have a normal life at the least, and someone who loves him."

He thought of the changes in Conner's temperament ever since he and M'gann started dating. It was good to see him smile. It'd be good just to see him again. Any of them.

Robin knew Flash was watching him, thoughtful. His reflection off of the overhangs was blurry, but still distinguishable enough to figure out what the man was thinking. He was overcoming his shock about a clone of his friend and leader, and thinking about a kid who had nothing. A kid like this Robin before him.

Slowly the man nodded. "Alright. I'll talk to Batman and the others. We'll see about getting this… Conner you called him? Superboy? Well we'll get him out of there and in a home."

"He needs Clark," Robin emphasized, turning to face the man again. "He really wants to be on his good side. Conner always wanted to be with Superman, to be worthy to be his son. Make sure he gets that chance."

Flash nodded. It was the least he could do. "You do realize though that this isn't going to be a League priority for a bit right?"

Robin nodded, his heart dropping for a second. Saving Conner came second to sending Robin back to where he came from. One kid at a time.

Flash gave a relieved sigh, then moved towards the couches not too far off. "Now, what about the rest of your team? Like this Megan person?"

A/N: So, now they know about three people in Robin's life. I haven't joined the bandwagon of "Abused Wally" but I have established elsewhere that his parents are fighting. Barry's going to look into this on his own later, and since this is an alternate world, Wally getting abused is possible.

yeah, Roy isn't with Ollie here. that's important.

And Conner isn't out of Cadmus yet. I think Robin's now given out three different cases for this league to follow up on.

There's also references here to 'Meeting Robin' (ch.4) and other bits in my other stories. i mean, I have Robin blackmailing Clark into taking Conner in in 'Get Back Up' (ch. 3) so I guess I'm thinking Rob's the one who'll eventually change supe's mind about this clone. *shrug*

So, anyone agreeing to 'Where's Robin?' going on hold for a while? =D