*I don't own Young Justice, but I might own the inside of Robin's head, maybe?*

"Talking"

(While writing this chapter, I just noticed I've been spelling Conner's name wrong…*facepalm* It'll be correct from now on. I may go back and fix it, but I might not.)

Thanks so much, you guys really rock! So, I will still finish this story before December is over. Just stick with me, once I'm done with finals I should have more time to write. And now, on with the show~

Warning – This chapter contains Minor Swearing and Foul Language – You have been warned

Chapter 8 – Home Again

The team landed in a heap on cool damp stone. Beside them, the two Masks tumbled out of the metal doorway, gracefully landing on their feet. There was a collection of moans and grunts as the teens disentangled themselves and stood up.

"…where are we?" Wally asked as he began to look around, one hand rubbing his bruised head.

They appeared to be in a cave, but it was clear that it was not untouched by man. Many of the cave's natural rock shelves were covered in metal sheeting and suspended catwalks connected the many platforms throughout the partially-lit cave. Some of the larger rock outcrops had been sheared flat and created platforms of solid rock. One, a little ways off, seemed to be a vehicle platform, but it was currently empty. From where they were standing, the other visible platforms seemed to be a med bay, a lab, a training ring, and some sort of R&D section. Throughout the echoing cave they could hear water dripping and the sounds of hundreds of bats chattering and squeaking softly just out of the lights reach somewhere above them.

The stone outcropping they had landed on was the only portion with a stone bridge connecting it to the most extensive collection of computer banks and various pieces of equipment any of them had ever seen. They seemed to all be connected to a series of HD monitors and several large control boards. And someone appeared to be working at the main computer station, but whoever they were could not be seen around the black leather desk chair.

"Oh shit…" Wally whispered as he realized where they were, "How did we get into the Batcave…?"

The other heroes were still in awe of their surroundings and had yet to realize the danger that the cave truly presented. They had heard their mentors mention the Batcave a few times and how it was supposed to look. They had even asked Robin about it before, but being in it was something else entirely.

"I pulled you into the cave." A deep voice rumbled, one the team didn't recognize. "You were in the restricted zone, without proper supervision and clearance." The voice seemed to be emanating from the computer chair. Artemis was about to speak when the voice continued, his tone berating, "I expect this kind of insubordination from Robin, but not from you Richard."

Robin's head snapped up at the insult, "Oh bite me, Guard". He turned away from the group and muttered "Stuck-up prick…"

Richard let out a long sigh and looked between Robin and the computer chair, "You are right, but when I do act out, it is always for a reason. This is important, Guard. " Richard remained silent as he waited for the other to respond.

After several long seconds the chair turned soundlessly and revealed a young man in his early 20's. "Explain. And choose your words wisely; you two are on very thin ice." As the man spoke he stood up and approached the team and their guides.

He seemed to be an Influence like Before and After because he had a physical form, but he appeared to be wearing a Kevlar suit that was very reminiscent of Robin's uniform. His costume, however, had lost most of its flashy colors, now it was predominantly black. The only color left was in the form of a warped bird insignia on his chest that the teens were all too familiar with; but this bird was blue, not red, and its wings continued to stretch over the man's chest and down his arms extending over his center two fingers on his gloves. The bird design was the only similarity Prisoner and he shared.

Instead of a gun holster attached to his black utility belt, he had escrima sticks, and he bore a cloak made solely from unnatural inky black feathers. The cloak's hood was pulled low, completely obscuring half of his handsome face within its shadows. He was a truly frightening image as he glided silently towards them; his very shadow seemed to devour them, despite his average height and acrobatic build. The young heroes' only saving grace was that his attention was completely focused upon Richard and Robin, waiting for one of them to break the silence.

Before Guard had finished crossing the bridge, two small figures dressed in white leapt down from the tangle of acrobatic equipment hanging from ceiling just above the computer banks. The younger of the two shouted "Stai! Stai! Nu e vina lor; vă rugăm să nu fi supărat pe ei!" [Wait! Wait! It's not their fault; please don't be mad at them!] Before and After landed nearly soundlessly in front of Guard, their hands up gesturing for him to stop.

Guard halted, as he stared down at the small children in front of him. "Deci, voi doi au fost cei care permit intrusi din blocul de celule și le-a arătat cum să obțineți în domeniul Spaimă lui. Asta a fost prost și periculos, ce te gândeai !?" Guard demanded, his voice harsh with controlled anger. [So, you two were the ones who let the intruders out of the cell block and showed them how to get into Spaimă's domain. That was stupid and dangerous, what were you thinking!?]

"La ce ne-am gândit! Ce despre tine și ideea ta nebun de a încerca să oprească Spaimă de el blocare în sus!" After shouted back, hot fury seeping into his every word. [What were we thinking! What about you and your insane idea of trying to stop Spaimă by locking him up!]

Guard hesitated before continuing "Dar tu de acord cu mine, închisoarea a fost cea mai bună opțiune pentru a face față Spaimă. E ceva în altă parte-" [But you agreed with me, imprisonment was the best option to deal with Spaimă. Is there something else-]

"Will you lot stop speaking Romani when discuss something this FREAKING important!" Robin interrupted loudly as he stomped forward. "Just 'cause we aren't part of his memories doesn't make us invisible or any less important."

Richard moved up to stand side by side with Robin "He's right, we might not be whole, but we aren't nonexistent. The decisions that are made here impact our reality as we know it. No matter how false or strange this reality may be, it's still ours." Richard's voice echoed softly around the cave in the silence that followed his words.

M'gann was stunned as the meaning of Richard's words set in "You-you're self-aware? I didn't know human consciousness could perceive reality to such an extent."

All of the beings of thought turned to look at the Martian girl, but only Before spoke, "We are the creations of thought that exist when someone's mind breaks. We are fragments of a whole that exist independently to help keep our combined consciousness stable and allow the mind to heal from the damage over a long period of time. Normally we aren't this fragmented, we are usually one being. That's actually the problem." Before turned back to Guard, "We are dying. Being this fragmented is slowly pulling our mind apart." The Influences and Personas looked around at each other, silently coming to terms with something they all knew but never voiced.

"Okay, time out. Can you explain this again, but only this time like nobody in the room knows what's going on?" Wally asked with one hand scrubbing his face tiredly.

"Look, we're just different pieces of one person's consciousness, like how you act differently when you're Kid Flash than when you are at school or with you parents or friends. We're those different personalities and thought processes. There are just more of us then an average person would have because of the tragedy we had to deal with. Are you with me so far or do I need to go back?" Robin stated, exacerbation evident in his voice. When no one asked him to repeat his explanation, he continued. "The problem is, we should normally be one being who switches roles depending on what's going on, but we aren't. We've been separated and the longer we are, the more likely we won't be able to be put back together. Then your best friend has six unique consciousnesses running around his brain, and then he gets his own padded cell in Arkham. And to make matters worse, this kind of damage would be permanent." Robin finished darkly.

"Okay, then how do we help? What do you need us to do to put Robin back together again?" Zatanna asked, worry clear in her voice.

"First, we need to get you out of here. Your best plan of action is to help us from the outside." Guard ordered. "Înainte and După, I need your assistance to release them from the invasion trap. We have to be quick about this; we don't have a lot of time left."

"A lot of time left for what?" Artemis questioned.

"He should be done dismantling the sleep spell any moment, and then he'll notice what's going on and head down here. That would result in… negative consequences for everyone." Guard responded as he moved back to the computer desk, and began typing.

"I am sorry about casting that, it really was an accident." Zatanna apologized again. Richard put a hand on her shoulder in a small gesture of comfort.

"Hey, who's this he you lot keep referring to? Is there still someone else we haven't met yet?" Wally asked, curious.

Richard moved closer to Wally as if he was going to respond when a soft ding was heard from behind the heroes. All of the Influences and Personas froze.

As the team turned to look for what made the noise, they realized that the metal door that had led them through Robin's mind was not the only thing on the wall behind them. There was an antique, but well-kept elevator that had appeared to have access to seven floors, this one being the ground floor. And it was the object that had produced the ding, indicating that the elevator had just reached this floor.

As the elevator door and grate began to pull open, a bright warm light spilled out into the cave, giving the entire cave a perfect view of the car's only occupant, who started talking the second the doors began opening. "Guys, seriously, just 'cause I was dealing with the spell does not mean that I can't tell when you are all gathered in one place. I mean come on, if you were trying to do something stupid without me knowing about it, gathering in the same place kind of-"

The occupant stopped mid-sentence as he saw Wally, M'gann, Conner, Artemis, and Zatanna looking back at him. His startlingly blue eyes stared at them wide with shock. His eyes seemed to contain a cross of Before's happiness and mischief and After's agony and coldness. He had a messy cap of black hair, but instead of its usually disheveled appearance it was causally swept away from his face as if he often ran his fingers through it. He appeared to be fourteen, and he looked identical to the Robin they were used to seeing around the mountain. However this Robin wore a faded red t-shirt sporting the words "Haly's Circus" in larger yellow letters, a pair of well-loved loose fitting denim jeans with what looked like chalk and paint smears on them, and was barefoot.

As he stared at the teens he opened and closed his mouth several times, before he pointed at them and stammered out a bewildered "Security Breach!"

Wally almost fell over laughing, it was just so hilarious to watch his best friend, the Boy Wonder, look so completely befuddled. "D-dude! Is t-that really all you can say? S-security breach! Ha!"

Dick's mouth clicked closed and red dusted over his cheeks in embarrassment. Zatanna smiled despite the total awkwardness of this situation "You look so cute when you blush like that." Everyone turned to look at her, "Did I just say that out loud…oops."

This only made Dick blush more. He tried to speak, but he couldn't seem to get his mouth to work right. Robin however had no problem speaking "What? Why is he cute, but I've been flirting with you this whole time? That's so unfair…" he whined.

"I am going to have to concur with Robin on this one, why is being tongue tied and flustered cute?" Richard questioned thoughtfully.

Zatanna was about to speak, but Dick finally got his ability to speak back as he stopped out of the elevator "No, ooh no. You two have not been flirting with her! I was super clear about this no flirting with my teammates, especially with Zee!"

"If I remember correctly, you said we couldn't flirt with her when Batman could hear us, therefore that instruction would be invalid given these circumstances." Richard replied smugly, while he tucked his hands into his pockets. Dick's face looked like a combination of outrage and appalled.

"He's right, you know. You really shouldn't give Robin and Richard time to try and find loopholes in your wording. I mean, that's how we get away with doing all that crazy stuff Bruce doesn't want us to do, right?" Before commented, a smile evident on his features.

"You really aren't helping Înainte…" Dick sighed as he scrubbed his face with his hands.

Robin moved closer to Zatanna "Now, as I was saying, why is he cute but I'm not?"

M'gann, Conner, and Artemis were just too stunned to say or do anything as they tried to process everything that was going on around them and the vast amount of information they had just learned/confirmed about their youngest teammate. Like for example, he's Richard FREAKING Grayson, meaning that Batman was probably Bruce Wayne. Wally on the other hand, was desperately trying to get enough air, in between his fits of laughter at his little brother's expense.

However, Dick realized what his Personas were trying to do "No! No more distractions! How the hell did you guys get here!" Dick growled angrily as he gestured to the team and his own thought creation "And you lot! Why did no one notify me that they were even here!?" This seemed to sober everyone up, but Dick continued, "You know what? Let me tell you why they are here. I bet my team betrayed my trust because they couldn't help but be nosy and try to figure out what had happened that night with the Fear Gas! My so-called friends invaded my goddamn mind because they didn't have the common decency to just let this go when I clearly didn't want to talk about it!" By the end of this rant he was shouting. The cave was silent for several seconds; the team had never seen Robin get this angry before.

"There is actually a very good explanation for that, if only you would give us a chance to-" Richard stepped up trying to block Dick's path.

"No, not this time Richard, you don't get to just talk me down from this! You guys have a lot of explaining to do to! Antrenament! How did the team get here?" Dick snarled as he stomped past them.

"Miss Martian, used her telepathic powers-" started to say as he continued to type at the keys.

"No, don't play stupid! How did they get in the Cave! No one can go in or out of here without my direct permission, or else the failsafe protocols activate!" Dick demanded as he approached the computer station.

"Actori Înainte și După, au nevoie să își asume responsabilitatea pentru acest lucru." Guard responded solemnly. [Ask Before and After, they need to take responsibility for this.]

Dick stiffened and then he turned slowly and whispered harshly "Înainte. Dupa. Explicați. Acum." [Before. After. Explain. Now.]

Both of the young Influences moved to where Dick was seething with rage. "Acest lucru trebuia făcut; că nu există alternativă pentru că a refuzat să ia măsuri astfel încât a trebuit să." After sneered back, unaffected by Dick's anger. [This needed to be done; there was no alternative because you refused to take action so we had to.]

Before seemed concerned by Dick's anger, but not afraid of it "Le-am arătat cum să ajungă la Spaimă. Avem nevoie de ajutorul și că merită să știe, au nevoie să știe ce ne doare cel mai mult. Aceasta este singura modalitate de a face Spaimă opri poartă o mască ..." [We showed them how to get to Spaimă. We need help and they deserve to know, they needed to know what hurts us the most. This is the only way to make Spaimă stop wearing a mask...]

As Before spoke, the color drained from Dick's face, and horror replaced the outrage in his eyes. For the first time since he stepped off of the elevator, he really looked around at his friends and what he saw only solidified his worst nightmare into reality. They looked tired and worn down, most had drying tear tracks on their faces. They all had minor tremors, and they all were afraid. Some part of them way deep inside was afraid of what they had seen; afraid of what they had learned about their youngest teammate.

"nu, Nu, NU! Ei nu ar fi trebuit să știu! Ei nu ar fi trebuit să știe ..." Dick's voice shook as he grabbed his head. [no, No, NO! They weren't supposed to know! They were never supposed to know...] He doubled over in pain as if that would stop the feeling of his heart being ripped out of his chest.

Wally began moving forward, he couldn't stand seeing his little brother in that much pain "Dick, wait. We aren't upset; we just want to help you." As Wally neared Dick's body straighten suddenly, and a flash of light blinded the teens.

When their vision returned all of the Personas and Influences had vanished. Only one person was left in the room with them. He wore an amalgam of the Personas and Influences outfits. He had a white Kevlar uniform top with the, by now familiar, warped bird on the front, but this time it was gold. The white Kevlar seemed to be stained with dried and fading blood. Draped over his slender frame was Guard's black feather cloak, and attached to his utility belt was Robin's and Richard's masks. His pants, boots, and gloves were all straight from Robin's uniform, and he wore a domino mask.

But something was very wrong. His boots and glove were coated in fresh blood, however he had no visible injuries, but the blood still ran over his fingers and dripped on to the floor. The domino mask that hid his blue eyes from view, belonged to Prisoner and it seemed to blind the wearer from what was truly around him.

On a platform in a different part of the cave, a Zeta tube whirred to life emitting a soft glow.

Wally lowered his arm which had been shielding his eyes from the light and looked at his best friend. "Dick, is that you?" he asked cautiously.

"Get. Out." When the person in front of Wally spoke only one mouth moved but 5 voices could be heard echoing around the cave.

"Dick we just want to help you-" Wally tried to say, but the being interrupted him.

"I said Get OUT!" the voices bellowed and then the computer screens behind him all began to glow red. The lights around the cave dimmed, and the bats above took flight. The bats began screeching and swooping around the cave filling it with movement and noise. "NOW."

"Quick everyone to the Zeta tube, I think it's the way out of Rob's mind!" Artemis shouted above the noise as she pointed it out in the din.

Zatanna and Artemis began moving towards the Zeta tube, but Wally wouldn't move.

M'gann reached for Wally "Wally we have to go, now! Robin's mental defenses are going to attack us at any moment and without my powers there is nothing I can do to block it. If we don't go right now we might not ever make it back." Conner was standing near M'gann ready to grab her and bolt at any moment.

"But we can't just leave him like this, he needs our help!" Wally replied.

"We have done all we can from in here the best way to help him now is from the outside! He's whole again and that means he can start healing if he lets himself! Now we have to go!" M'gann shouted back over the escalating noise. Wally turned from the figure in white, hidden by darkness, and began running toward the Zeta tubes with the others.

As the young heroes ran over the metal platforms and catwalks trying to reach the soft glowing of the portal, the cave around them began to shake. One solitary cry rang out from behind them, something that could be heard above the noise of the bats and the rumbling around them, which was filled with so much agony and pain and was amplified by the multiple voices screaming. But the team didn't have time to stop or look back, they had to keep going or else they weren't going to make it out.

Wally was the last one to reach the Zeta tube and he sent one last look at his friend before the light of the Zeta beams swept him away, he saw that Dick had fallen onto his knees his gaze transfixed by the blood covering his hands. Then the white light swallowed him and his vision tunneled.

Phew, this was a long one. When I had originally planned this story I'd always figure this would be one of the shorter chapters. Don't forget to check out the poll on my profile about the tenth chapter title. Thanks so much, hopefully I'll be updating soon.