Robin drummed his fingers against the arm of the sofa and glanced at the grandfather clock once again. He'd finally gotten the guts to contact the other Titans personally, and though he felt he wasn't quite ready to do so, invited them over. Brisby was sprawled out across his lap, snoring softly. Alfred walked into the room, carrying a tray of cookies and tea and set it down on the coffee table.

"Your friends will be so delighted to see you," he commented. "And I'm sure you've missed them as well."

Robin nodded, his eyes on the clock once more. He thanked Alfred for the snacks and massaged his forehead with his fingertips. The Titans would arrive at any moment. Brisby leapt down onto the floor, his ears perked, and began yipping as he raced for the front door. Robin shot up like a rocket and sped past the dog, taking the door handle with one hand and smoothing out his shirt with the other. He took a deep breath and opened the door a crack. Starfire grinned back at him, and he opened it all the way.

"Robin!" She laughed, throwing her arms around him. "It is wonderful to see you!" She floated down to the ground and fingered the fabric of her skirt. "I proceeded to purchase special attire for our reunion," she explained modestly. "Do you like it?"

"You're beautiful," Robin shrugged with a chuckle, suddenly feeling a lot better than he had in a long time. He stepped aside and motioned for Star and the others to enter the house.

"Nice pad," Beastboy commented, looking around. "Ooh! Cookies!" He raced for the sofa.

Cyborg held out his hand and he and Robin did that weird handshake/back-slap gesture males perform in place of hugs. Raven smiled slightly at Robin, her hands in her sweater pockets, and said quietly,"We're glad you're safe."

----

"He is most amusing!" Starfire giggled as she tickled the belly of Robin's puppy, who lay on his back, playfully chewing on the alien's fingers. "Please, where did you find him?"

"Just a stray running around," Robin said, leaning over from his place beside her to wrestle Brisby with his hand. He didn't feel like explaining his guilt over stabbing another dog to death.

It was nice to see the other Titans, it really was, but the air was thick with questions that would not be asked. Robin could see it in their eyes and hear it in their voices. They talked about the Tower, the latest villains running around, Beastboy's pranks, Raven pummeling him, Star Fire's new recipes, Cyborg's new inventions, but they did not talk about Slade. They did not mention Robin's absence. They did not ask where, when, or how. They could not ask why. As Starfire and Beastboy laughed at one of Cyborg's remarks about a new villain, Robin made brief eye-contact with Raven and she looked back at him. They looked away from each other and turned back to the conversation at hand.

Beastboy eventually found Robin's game station and he and Cyborg hooked it up, immediately wanting to play video games. Starfire joined them, but just before she did, she turned to Robin and asked, "Might you join us in the Rock Band, Robin?"

"You guys go ahead first and I'll play after you finish a few songs," Robin told her.

As the three Titans played the game, Cyborg on guitar, Beastboy on drums, and Starfire on vocals, Raven and Robin sat on the sofa and watched. Robin pretended to be interested in watching the television screen, but he could feel Raven's gaze on him so he sighed and asked quietly, "What do you want to know?" You could fool Beastboy and Starfire most of the time, you could fool Cyborg some of the time, but you could never fool Raven. Not for a second. The half-demon girl shrugged. "Nothing," she said. "Just if you're alright."

"You won't tell the others?" Robin lowered his voice. "I know you know."

"I won't," Raven promised. She reached her hand out and brushed it over his. "And you're still our leader, still the one we're going to look up to."

"Thanks," Robin smiled a little.

----

"How was the visit with your team?" Bruce asked as they ate dinner that night. "Alfred said it got pretty loud in the living room."

"It was good," Robin shrugged, moving his food around his plate. "I've missed them." He took a drink of his iced tea and picked at his green beans some more. Bruce sighed slightly and said, "Dick, I want you to know how sorry I am-"

"Don't," Robin interrupted him. "None of it was your fault. It was mine."

"No." Bruce shook his head and pushed his plate away. " You've done nothing wrong." He sighed and massaged his forehead. "I know it's hard for you to understand, especially since you've been on your own for a little while, but you're still only a kid."

"I didn't know you got my message on the phone," Robin admitted. "I thought I didn't send it."

"Maybe you thought you didn't but you really did," His adoptive father suggested. "Or maybe somehow in this world, miracles really do happen." He stood up and walked over to the other side of the table where Robin sat and pulled out one of the chairs next to him, sitting halfway beside him, halfway across from him. "I'm not letting Slade get away with this," he said, his voice quiet, but angry. "And I know it's going to take a little time for you to get back on your feet."

Robin sighed and pulled at his hair. It was a nervous habit he'd started while imprisoned, Bruce guessed. The boy opened his mouth slightly, as if to say something, and his father waited patiently.

"Can we just forget about Slade?" He finally asked.

Bruce shook his head. "I'm sorry, Richard." He patted the boy's shoulders. "I would lie to you and say yes, but I don't like to lie, not to you."

Robin thought he would feel worse, but he actually felt a lot better. He sipped at his tea once more and cleared his throat. "I'm ready to talk," he said quietly. "I mean, when you're not busy."

"Of course, Son," Bruce collected the dishes. "Why don't we go to the couch?"

"How about my room?" Robin suggested.

---

Sitting on his unmade bed, Robin told Bruce about his time with Slade, without going into too much detail. He told him about getting sick, about being locked in the dark, about the beatings, the whipping, the starvation. He told him about not being able to wear shoes or have any weapons. He told him about stabbing the dog, petting Brisby as he did so. He told him everything, and when he was done, felt as if a lare rock had been lifted off of his chest. He suddenly felt he could breathe again.

"Sounds like Slade could use a hobby," Bruce finally said, with a straight face.

Robin laughed and pulled his dog into his lap. "Beast Boy always jokes that his mother didn't love him enough."

"I'm sorry I wasn't there sooner, "Bruce said once again. "I'd turned Go City upside down, and it took me that long to think of checking under the city." He sighed. "When I found you, I was actually scared you were gone."

"When you found me I thought you were Slade," Robin admitted sheepishly. "I hadn't been around people in so long that when I heard your voice, that's all I could think about." He put the puppy on the floor. "I'm glad you found me instead of the Titans." He felt bad about saying it. "I just couldn't go back to the Tower that night."

----

Robin felt himself growing more and more comfortable each day at home, and more brave as well. He had the Titans visit more often, and had even gone around Gotham with them a few times. Of course, he'd been able to go out with Bruce and Alfred as well. He felt himself growing bored working out in the gym and playing video games. So one morning, he woke up and decided he would go outside on his own. After all, he'd gone out with the Titans, and nothing happened. He'd gone out with Bruce, and nothing happened. He'd even gone out with Alfred, and nothing happened. He'd convinced himself that everything was alright now. He could go outside. He could begin to live his life again.

After he showered and brushed his teeth and gelled his hair, he put Brisby on a leash and headed out the front door. Gotham was bustling with people, and that made him feel good. He wore sunglasses, not too dark so people wouldn't get suspicious, but dark enough so he didn't feel so exposed to the world. Brisby panted and barked and tugged at his leash, eager for the stroll around town. Robin wondered what the little dog's life had been like before they picked him up on the street. He seemed so familiar with the town.

They made it to the park, and Robin stopped briefly to let Brisby sniff the grass. He inhaled deeply and smiled slightly. He wouldn't have to live in fear, not anymore. Brisby's ears perked and Robin noticed a squirrel in the distance. "Nuh uh." He gripped the leash. "Leave it alone."

Brisby went back to sniffing the grass, and his ears perked once more. Robin looked but the squirrel was long gone. He started to tug the little dog away so they could continue on their way when he felt something cold against his neck. Something round. Something that felt familiar. The barrel of a gun.

"Thought you'd never see this again, didn't you?" The voice could never be mistaken for anybody else. "Tell me, Robin, have you ever heard the old saying 'What goes around, comes around'?"

Robin gulped and tensed as a strong, gloved hand encircled his thin wrist. "I know you know that we would eventually find each other again." The boy didn't say anything. The rock seemed to fall on him again, making it difficult for him to talk or breathe. He winced slightly as Slade's grip tightened and he bent the boy's arm back in a painful position. "It wasn't nice of you to run away, Robin," the man hissed. "I think I should take you home and give you a lesson in apprenticeship."

"I think you should take your hands off my son." They both turned around to see Bruce standing behind them.

To Be Continued...