I know I said this chapter would be long a long one, but I decided to split it off into 2 separate chapters :) lol thats what happens when you suffer from writers block.

Chapter 12: The Old Robin

Later that evening we slog back to the main room in silence only to discover that Robin wasn't there. Everyone else was spread out across the couch, watching some reruns of reality television. Starfire flew over and sat between Cyborg and Raven. Nobody was really paying attention to the show. Raven was reading a novel, and the guys were passed out. I don't blame them; it has been a long day. Starfire thought about asking the question right then and there: Should we tell Robin about Slade? But her hesitation took over her actions, and she decided to keep quiet about it for the rest of the night.

Lately I've been real worried about Starfire. First of all, she has Robin depending on her to be honest with him, and then the other titans want her to keep this huge secret from him. Then we have Slade's return added to the mix, and let's not forget about that mysterious creature that attacked us the other night. I still have no idea what's going on, but poor Starfire has been stuck in the middle of everything.

Another day rolls by, and there was still no sign of Robin. She tried to call him several times, but he wouldn't answer his communicator. Fortunately, we knew he was alright because he was down at the town's local library. Breakfast was interrupted from the siren and the four remaining titans barely had any time to react. They sprung from the table and flew out the door, leaving me with four plates of untouched waffles.

When they returned after a typical fight with Control Freak, they decided to play a quick game of volleyball on the roof. My stomach was still churning from all the food. I almost don't want to taste another waffle again. I slouched next to the stairway and let my eyes wander around the courtyard. Raven had isolated herself to meditate, and Cyborg and Beast boy teamed up to take on Starfire. Even though it was 2 against 1, Starfire was still tough competition against the guys. When the ball came her way, she spiked it hard with her fist, sending it flying off the roof of the tower.

"Wooo Girl!" I heard Cyborg shout "You almost punctured the air out of that ball!"

Starfire blushed slightly and let out one of her cheery giggles. This was the first time I had seen her happy all day. I was hoping that some quality time with the other titans would help get her mind off Robin. But unfortunately, it doesn't look like it's been much of a help. As Beast boy left to retrieve the ball, the princess sighed and looked towards the city. It kind of reminded me of one of those cheesy romantic movies, whenever the lovers are separated from each other. Cyborg noticed her daydreaming, and slightly shook her shoulder "Hey!" He said "you okay there, Star?"

"I'm fine" She sighed "I just can't stop worrying about him"

"Gee, what is it with you two?" He Joked "yall are always obsessing over each other"

"You may have nothing to worry about..." She said "...but I do."

In kangaroo form, Beast boy hoped back on the roof's tower. He pulled the ball out of his pouch and gently tossed it to Starfire. "Alright dudes" the green changeling whined, changing back into human form "Next time, someone else is getting it. It's quite a workout going all the way down there."

The alien princess bounced it back to him "I'm not sure If I feel like playing anymore" She said.

"What?" Cyborg shouted "Aw Come on! We just started!"

"I know" She said "I'm just not in the mood for playing, that's all."

"We can do something else if you want to?" Beast boy suggested.

"I think I want to spend some time in my room for a while."

"Well Alright" Cyborg said "We'll be out here if you decide to come back."

Starfire turned and flew back inside the house without another word. Cyborg and Beast boy shrugged and continued to play their game of ball. Raven briefly looked up from her meditation, tempted to fly after her. But she dismissed the idea and went back to her usual chant of "azarath metrion zinthos."

It was 1 in the morning by the time Robin finally came home. Why do I know this? This is because Starfire and I stayed up all evening waiting on him to walk through the door. After a huge debate with her own self conscious, she finally decided to tell him about Slade. This decision would be going against the wishes of the other titans, but it had been bothering her all day, and she was desperate to get it off her chest.

"Starfire?" Robin asked, noticing our presence on the couch. "Why are you up this late? Do you realize what time it is?"

"I was worried about you" She said nervously "I haven't seen you at all today."

"Oh...I'm sorry" He said, tossing his sweatshirt on the table "I was just out investing that crime."

He walked over to her on the couch and sat right next to her. This was it. She was going to tell him. I am so anxious to see how he's going to react. He seemed to be in a good mood right now, maybe he won't be angry. "Robin" She said as he came her way "can I talk to you about something?"

"Anything" He said "What is it?"

She took a deep breath, opening her mouth to speak. But then all the sudden, the supercomputer beeped, and the image of an incoming transmission begun to load on the screen. They both exchanged confused glances, and I was confused myself. Who in the world is trying to contact us this late?

"Hmph, that's odd" Robin said, approaching the computer to answer the call. Within a press of a few buttons, the image of the transceiver popped up on the screen. Starfire's muscled contracted and her green eyes widened. I look up to see who it is, and I heard myself yelp.

"Ah look who it is! Its Romeo and Juliet" Slade said "What are you two crazy kids doing up this late?"

It was the madman himself, appearing as if on cue. I looked up at Robin, and he didn't look anywhere near mad, he looked rather surprised, that he was talking to Slade for the first time in so many years "No." He said "This can't be possible!"

"What's the matter, boy?" the madman asked "You seem to be caught off guard."

"I am" Robin said "I just don't understand."

" I know exactly how you feel" Slade said "you didn't think you would ever see me again, did you?"

I expected Robin to explode like a grenade, like he usually did whenever he encountered Slade. But instead he was unusually calm, he didn't even sneer his name or threaten to look for him yet "Where have you been all these years?" He asked

"Ah you know, just hiding out." Slade said "keeping my face out of trouble."

"You should have just stayed away." Robin said "You can't imagine how much life has been better without you."

From the other side of the screen, the madman took a sip of his tea and chuckled "There's just something about this city that I love" He said."I couldn't resist being away from it."

Come to think of it, no one really knew what happened to him after the huge battle with Trigon. He pretty much vanished out of thin air, keeping quiet from trouble since then. But after all these years Robin had no doubt that he would someday walk back in our lives.

The madman let out a small evil chuckle and leaned back in the armchair he was sitting in. "By the way, I wanted to ask you something" He said "How come you're just now discovering this information about me?"

Robin's face squinted in confusion "what information?" he asked.

"Oh I just happened to run into your little friends a few weeks ago" he said "I just assumed you found out about my return through them."

I guess Starfire doesn't have to worry about breaking the promise at all. Slade was basically giving it away. "Wait!" he said "What are you talking about?"

"I was at the warehouse, collecting a few things" He said "They were alerted to my trespassing and then they confronted me."

At this point, the boy wonder was finally collecting all the pieces of the puzzle. He stood there speechless, realizing that his team had been lying to him all this time.

"I told them to say hi to you and Starfire for me, it looks like they forgot" he said "oh well, they must have been just as surprised as you are no-"

Before Slade finished his sentence, Robin slammed his fist on the button, furiously disconnecting from the transmission. Starfire, who had not said a single word about it, jumped at his sudden outburst and hung her head. In some way, she was relieved that Robin finally knew about the truth. But she was worried. Worried about what he was going to do, and how he was going to handle the news.

"Unbelievable" He said in a harsh tone "I should have known that they were lying to my face!"

He started to pace around the room, trying to calm down. But he was angry, furious at Slade, furious at the other titans, and most importantly: furious at the world. He walked back over to the counter and pulled his red sweatshirt back on. Starfire jumped up from the couch and flew over to him "What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm going back out" He said.

"Oh please Robin! Can't this wait till morning?" She said, hovering herself over the doorway.

"Absolutely not!" He snapped "Now move, you're in my way."

This is when Starfire would usually try to stay out of his way, but this time...she refused to put up with it. Especially since Robin was well firmed in his hero-mode."No" She muttered.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm not moving Robin!" She shouted.

Robin tried to bypass her, but there was nothing on this planet that could compare to this alien's speed. There was no way he could sneak past her. He tried to hoist her up by the waist and move her that way, but then she got really ticked, and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt "You see? This is why we didn't tell you about his return!" She shouted "There was no doubt that you were going to behave like this!"

I back up a few steps and duck under the table. It's just so unusual to see Starfire fight with Robin. The moment itself had me mortified, especially since this was all about Slade. My eyes wander up to see his reaction to her words "You knew too?" He asked, freeing himself from her grip.

Starfire withdrew her hands and placed them on her hips "Yes Robin" She said.

Robin sighed and looked away from her. I could tell that he was very disappointed. She reached over to touch his shoulder but he harshly jerked it away. I heard him slam his communicator against the table above me, which made me yelp in surprise and scurry behind the couch.

"I'm sorry" She whispered.

"You know what? Just go to bed." He said "I don't want to see you again till morning."

He turned his back on her and stood there, waiting for her to leave the room. Starfire tried to think of something else to say. But his words had scarred her, and she refused to add any more tension between them. The truth had been revealed and there was no way to erase the moment. We all knew that the old Robin had come back, and I didn't like one bit of it.