Return

Author's note: I know it has been FOREVER since I updated, but I lost interest, and then decided I have to finish it…so here's the next chapter!

It was nearing March. Robin seemed to do better and better everyday. His father noticed it, Alfred noticed it, and his friends noticed it. The winter weather had rolled over to sleep, and the winds were still chilly, but nice. Everything seemed to be better. Everything except Robin's strive to be a hero. It had been like a bad itch to his teammates, not to pester and whine about returning to the tower, but now it was almost unbearable. It was unbearable for Starfire.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Star," Robin said, walking into the living room with a bouquet of flowers and a gift bag. He tossed the gifts to his girlfriend, who gasped as she caught them, and then hopped over the back of the couch to sit beside her.

"Robin!" Starfire smiled as she peered into the bag and retrieved a necklace, a teddy bear, and a container of mustard. "I do not know what to say."

She glanced curiously at the flowers and picked one of the petals off, inspecting it carefully. Smelling it, she popped it into her mouth. "Mm! Your floral arrangement is most enjoyable!"

Robin fought the urge to roll his eyes and shrugged one shoulder. "I never pictured myself giving gifts to a beautiful girl on Valentine's Day," he said. "I used to be so busy glued to the computer screen and practicing my martial arts."

Starfire stopped eating her rose petals. "Do you ever imagine yourself…" she hesitated. "Doing those things again?"

A thick silence fell between them and Robin squirmed uncomfortably. He hated stalling. He knew the Titans wanted to hear it from him, but he couldn't. He couldn't go back. Not now. Maybe not ever.

"Starfire," he said quietly. "I think those days are over." He never realized how much it would sting out loud. He sighed and covered his face with his hands, humiliated. "I'm sorry I'm such a wuss."

"I do not know what a wuss is," Starfire said firmly. "But whatever is, that is not what you are." She uncovered his face. "You are a strong, devoted, caring, wonderful person." She bit her bottom lip. "When I arrived here, I acted angry and mean, but I was scared."

Robin furrowed his brows. Throwing cars around and firing star bolts didn't seem scared in his opinion. Starfire must have recognized the confusion on his face because she continued, "When you first spoke to me, I was terrified. I was in a situation that I did not understand how to handle, but when I heard your voice…" she trailed off.

"Starfire," Robin sighed. "You're really strong. You're also really brave, all of you are, but…" he tugged at his hair. "I'm not. Slade won. He told me he'd destroy me, and he did. I can't go back." He looked away. "I'm sorry."

---

"So he's never coming back?" Beastboy asked when Starfire returned to the Tower." As in, like, ever?"

"He seemed so sad," Starfire fiddled with the new necklace around her neck. "I did not know what to say after that. I have never known Robin to be so frightened and lost."

"We're just going to have to give him time," Raven said from across the room, meditating. "None of us know what Robin went through. We all know what a horrible person Slade is, so we have an idea." She placed her feet on the floor and looked at them. "Starfire, you're right. Robin is strong, but even the strongest people in the world get hurt."

"But it's been forever," Beastboy frowned. "It's already spring time! Are we just supposed to wait until he feels like coming around?"

"This is isn't like breaking your arm!" Raven snapped at him. "Broken bones take time to heal, but hurt, broken feelings take a lot longer."

"I just wish he'd open up a little," The changeling sighed, resting his head on the table. "He knows how worried we are about him. We're his family, you know?"

---

After dinner, Starfire made her way to Raven's room. She knocked timidly, knowing nobody was ever allowed inside with special permission. The other girl opened the door, and motioned for her to come inside. Starfire was surprised, but did so without hesitation.

"Raven," she said, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "You spoke of Slade, you said you have an idea of what happened to Robin?"

"I think we all do," Raven said quietly, looking at her. She patted a spot next to her on the bed and Starfire sat down beside her. "I know it hurts you more than it hurts us."

"Robin has a mark on his back, and on his wrist," Starfire informed her. "Both Slade's symbols." She stared into space as she remembered. "One evening at his dwelling…" she turned red and began swinging her feet. "Well…"

"Did you guys…" Raven trailed off.

"No!" Starfire cleared her throat. "No, we, uh, we did not, but Robin was on top of me, and I saw part of the marking under his back. I sat up abruptly and Robin must have known that I saw it because he pulled his shirt down and just sat on his bed, holding his shirt." She sighed. "I do not try to pry, or at least I try not to try, but I always end up prying."

"Robin will tell you when he's ready," Raven patted the girl's hand, which surprised Starfire. "Even if that takes years."

"But I want to suffer with him!" Starfire pounded her fists onto her lap. " I do not wish for him to shut all of us out for years!" She stood up and blinked back tears. "Raven, you are a girl like me, you should know these things."

"Nobody could understand better than me," Raven agreed. "It took me sixteen years to reveal my pain, remember?" She was referring to her own exisistance. The nasty mess they had encountered with Trigon. " All we can do is make Robin remember that we love him and care about him." She tucked some hair behind her ears. "And we're counting on you the most."

---

"Grr!" Starfire laughed as she wrestled a sock between her hand and Brisby's teeth. "You shall not be victorious, little Bumgorf!"

Robin sat on the floor beside her, smiling as his eyes moved between her and the puppy. Starfire let Brisby have the sock, and turned to her boyfriend. "Robin," she said quietly. " I want you to know that I will give you all the time it takes."

Robin smiled and leaned forward, brushing his lips against hers gently. Between kissing her, their lip-locking becoming something more than a kiss, he said, "you guys have given me a lot of time already." He pulled away and stared at her. "I'm coming back to the tower."

Starfire's eyes lit up and she tackled him. "You are really returning to us?!" she squealed.

"Really," Robin choked as she squeezed him. He pushed himself back up into a sitting position. "Pretending to be something I'm not isn't going to help me in any way," he said. "And I'm a hero, and Titan's Tower is where I need to be."

---

Bruce did not seem as excited as Robin. As the boy packed his things, his father lingered in the doorway, sighing and rubbing his temples. "Son, are you sure you're ready to go back?"

"Emerson said self trust is the first secret to success," Robin said casually, inspecting a wrinkled shirt and tossing it into his duffle bag. "and I trust myself to live again." He zipped the bag shut. "Thanks for everything."

"Thanks for nothing," Bruce corrected him. "This is your home too, Dick. You're welcome here anytime, you know that."

"I don't just mean for letting me live here," Robin explained, flopping onto his bed. "I mean for helping me through this." He got up and walked over to Bruce. "I couldn't have done it without you, Dad." They hugged, and Bruce kissed the mop of black hair.

"Be careful on that bike, and call me when you get to the tower," he said, pulling his son away to look him in the eyes.

"I will," Robin promised.

After the boy left, Bruce went down to the batcave and sat in his chair. He typed a few buttons onto his keyboard and a map appeared on the computer monitor, along with a beeping red dot. Robin. He had installed the device in the boy's bike, making sure he would arrive at his destination safely.

To Be Continued…