1A/N: So yeah...about that...ya see the thing is... ... ...yeah I got nothing. I don't think this chapter lives up to the last one, but how could it really. Anyways, enjoy, be merry, and take any complaints up with my home office in...Guam? Or simply thank Cherry Jade for yelling at me to get this updated. As always, I leave it up to you. Peace. Oh one last thing, I hate to shamelessly self promote myself but a recent review caused me to go back and read what I believe has become my forgotten story, my first and by far longest story If Only for a Moment in the Light. So the point is, if you've never read it, I suggest you do because you'll find that almost all my other stories stem from one way or another from that one.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans, but hey, I think we all knew that already

Trying To Do the Right Thing

Chapter 14

By: Finalitylife

The last thing Robin remembered was handing Raven off to Starfire to take her back to the Tower and then suddenly feeling incredibly tired. After that, there simply was nothing, only darkness. As he slowly found himself returning to consciousness, returning to the waking world, he realized he wasn't entirely sure where he was except that he was lying down on something incredibly soft and that he really couldn't feel much of his body. A lot of it felt numb and he had been expecting nothing but excruciating pain, that is if everything that had happened had really happened, hadn't been some type of deranged nightmare. Disturbingly enough, Robin found himself wishing it had all been simply a nightmare, had all been a product of his dark and obsessive mind. He realized that would more than likely make him crazy but at least then Slade wouldn't be back, Raven wouldn't have been targeted, wouldn't have been touched.

As he felt his mind becoming more aware, he fought to open his eyes which was far too much of a struggle. It was finally settling in just how much of a beating Robin had taken at the hands of Slade, just how close he had come to being burned to ash, or simply bleeding to death alone in a darkened church. He became aware that someone was tenderly holding his hand as he lied there, giving him a small bit of warmth flowing into a very dead-like body. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, his eyes slowly opened, though they heavily resisted because of the bright light that seemed to be right above his position. As the room became clear to him, he found himself looking up at the tear-stained face of Starfire, who despite the swollen, redness of her eyes, had a large, warm smile on her face. It was her who was holding his left hand in her deceptively small ones. Those hands could easily crush solid concrete.

Robin couldn't help but feel warmth wash over him looking up at her smiling face and the way the light above her outlined her appearance, she really did look like some kind of angel. He did his best to return the warm smile though even forming a curve to his lips felt like too much effort.

"Oh Robin, I am so glad you are awake, I was so worried about you, when I saw Cyborg carry in your body...I...I thought..." Tears again started falling from Starfire's eyes and from her hands, Robin knew she was trembling, more than likely fighting the urge to give him a bone crushing hug that probably would result in his death. As further awareness returned to Robin, he realized his right arm was draped across his chest in a sling, a grim reminder of his confrontation with Slade in the church. He locked eyes with Starfire and again did his best to give her a smile.

"Its okay Star. It will take a lot more to take me out than that." Robin did his best to sound confidant, make himself sound like his old cocky self, but he knew deep within himself, that he probably should have died several times in this latest encounter with Slade, that in one skirmish, he had been reminded of his mortality and his weakness, that in one great act of someone putting absolute faith in him to protect her, he had failed...he had failed. The image of a half naked Raven falling helplessly flashed through his mind and he immediately shot up from his position, screaming at himself for not asking about Raven the second he awoke. Of course sitting up was probably the worst idea he could of had. Pain immediately shot through his side, forcing him to collapse over into the fetal position. The pain was immense and Robin managed to wonder how the hell he had found the strength to search down Raven if this was indeed the pain his body had felt then. Of course a little deeper in his mind, he clearly knew that answer. Starfire's hysterical voice was suddenly heard.

"Robin you should not have moved! Cyborg please come quick, I see blood. I thought you said you had healed him!" Cyborg hustled over, cursing under his breathe so that Starfire would not hear such words, finally addressing Robin with concern in his voice.

"You spiky haired idiot, what do you think your doing? You just tore out some of your stitches and now your bleeding again. Lay back down and let me patch you up again." Starfire gently helped Robin get back into his previous position as Cyborg went back to work, stopping the blood flow coming from Robin's wound. Through clenched teeth, Robin asked the question that dominated his entire being.

"Raven..where's Raven? Is she okay." Starfire again took Robin's hand in hers as she smiled at him again.

"She is right over there Robin. She has been sleeping since I returned her to the tower." Robin slowly turned his head looking past Starfire and sure enough, there was Raven in another bed only a few feet away. She was curled up tightly with a white sheet covering almost her entire body, her head on a large pillow. Robin once again noticed that her hair was long, far longer than he had ever seen on her. It was just one of many questions he had no answer for. However, what was on his mind the most at this moment was the fact that Raven did not look like she was resting peacefully nor did it look like she was restless. She looked like she was lifeless, dead, and that thought truly frightened him.

"Is she..." His question was cut off by Cyborg who appeared above him.

"She's fine man. Not a single bruise or scratch on her, heck not even a split-end which brings me to a question. How is it that her hair grew a foot in a matter of about a half hour. Last time I checked, that simply was not possible." Robin did not respond at all, only continued to stare at the prone form of Raven as he continued to try to mentally will her to move, show some sign of life, but he couldn't even detect breathing from the young woman it was so shallow. Robin finally turned his attention back to Cyborg who was staring strangely at him.

"Are you sure she is okay?" Cyborg easily noticed the complete and total concern that filled Robin's voice as he asked, and he knew he wasn't simply asking about her health.

"I don't know man. Like Star said, she hasn't even been awake since she was brought here. Its like she's off in her own world, not ready to come back to this one." Robin's body relaxed into a type of grim acceptance though his mind was frantic as ever. What had happened? Why had it all happened? Of course the why was all to clear to Robin, had been for a very long time. It was all his fault, all his fault for becoming too close to someone, someone that was now targeted by a sadistic monster with untold power. All...his...fault.. It was not long later that exhaustion claimed Robin, once again bringing nothing but darkness.

Robin P.OV.:

I found myself in a dark place, a place that I easily recognized though in no way fondly. It was the same twisted place of a nightmare I had...before everything started. It really did feel like ages ago. The memories of that nightmare were vividly etched into my mind, the taunts by Slade, the terrible rage, and Raven...covered in blood, her blood everywhere, her blood all over me, all over my hands. I felt my heartbeat starting to pick up, my breathing becoming heavier. I knew this was another nightmare, but I could feel the cold sweat forming on my forehead, a chilling breeze coming from all directions, swirling around me. Everything was real, far too real, and I started truly questioning if I was in this unsettling place as well as my sanity. Just in case, I reached for my bo staff from my belt only to find no belt there. In fact, I wasn't even in my uniform but rather what I was wearing in the hospital bed, including my arm held in a sling. I thought for a moment, a tiny smirk on my face.

"Well if this is really a dream, then it wouldn't hurt to lift my...AHHHHH!" I collapsed to my knees, clutching my hurt arm to my chest.

"Son of a...so much pain." I kneeled there for awhile, waiting for the throbbing pain to go away, and thankfully it finally did. It confused me why that would have hurt so much because I knew this was not real, it just couldn't be. Suddenly, whatever pain was left was forgotten as I heard a scream from far in front of me, a scream I somehow recognized though had so rarely heard. It was Raven and it sounded like she was in trouble. I stood up and blindly went running forward into this place, though it would not have mattered if I was paying attention or not as everything looked the same. I found myself moving slowly, stumbling every so often because of the awkwardness of running with only one free arm and a stitched up abdomen. Once again I couldn't help but be confused as to what was going on. How could a nightmare be so real... I felt my whole being darken for a second. I knew of one, one that hardly ever left my thoughts, a nightmare I had witnessed through two innocent eyes, and continued to see even when my guilty eyes closed. I shook my head clear as another scream was heard, only this one closer. Eventually something came into view, though what I saw only made me try to move faster. There on the ground was Raven, her tattered leotard barely hanging on her body, cuts and bruises marring her flawless skin, and towering triumphantly over her was none other than Slade, the darkest of nightmares born into human flesh.

At that moment, I didn't care if this was real, didn't care if this was a nightmare, didn't care that I stood no chance in my condition against this fiend. All I cared about was the young woman trembling on the ground and the promise I made to her that I wouldn't let him touch her. However, again my promise was broken, again I failed to uphold my word, again she had to suffer because of me. As I got within a few feet the ground suddenly shook beneath my feet and I found the ground springing up around me, creating a stony barred prison around me. I gripped one of the bars with my good hand, shaking it to test its strength. There was absolutely no sign of weakness in my cage. I stared forward as I caught Raven's terror filled eyes upon me, her mouth locked in a cry for help though she now realized help would not come. Slade turned his head around and his one cold eye told me he simply was dismissing my presence as absolutely nothing and turned back to his prey. I watched as he swiftly kicked her in the side, the sound of bones breaking clearly audible to me. I screamed out as Raven collapsed, painfully coughing up blood, it smearing all over her face. Showing no mercy, Slade again kicked her in the exact same spot and I couldn't help but close my eyes as that same sound hit my ears again. I began slamming my body up against the bars of my granite prison, over and over again, accomplishing nothing except more pain through out my body and more proof of my weakness.

Slade picked up Raven and tossed her in front of me, her body slamming into the ground just outside the cage. I kneeled down, reaching my hand out to her in some futile, desperate attempt to...I don't know what I am trying to do...just something. However, she does not reach back, does not look up at me, rather only mutters to herself.

"Robin...I chose you to protect me...why won't you help me...why won't you stop him from hurting me...you promised me you wouldn't let him hurt me." I cringed at the sound of her voice. It was so defeated, so deathly empty, to hear it scared me and broke me at exactly the same time.

"I'm right here Raven, right in front of you, I'm so sorry Raven, so sorry." She didn't seem to hear me at all.

"You promised me Robin...you promised me...I chose to trust you Robin...chose to love you...and all you did was abandon me, leave me to suffer..." I screamed her name, desperately trying to reach through the cage to her, almost feeling my fingers brush against her arm that was closest to me, but it was not to be. Slade appeared, grabbing her by the back of the hair, pulling her away from me to her knees. I glared up at him though my glare quickly became a feeble look begging him not to. A knife was now at Raven's throat, beginning to press against her soft flesh, drawing the faintest line of blood. I looked to Raven's bloody face and felt my heart completely die at the sight. Her eyes were looking right through me, contained no life, no hope, nothing.

"Why won't you help me Robin...why did you let him hurt me...why..." I screamed as there was a flash of metal and crimson stained everything and despite my own screams I could hear Slade's malevolent voice.

"You brought this on her Robin, not me. This is all your fault...my apprentice." Raven's lifeless eyes continued to stare up at me, her mouth still asking why, and all I could do was scream."

My eyes popped open and I could feel tears forming quickly at my eyes as I quickly clenched my eyes shut trying to erase the images from my mind. They would not leave...all that blood...those lifeless eyes... I found myself curling up into a ball, pounding my good fist into the bed.

"No no no! I'm sorry Raven, I'm so sorry. All my fault, always my fault. I should have never gotten close, should have stayed away, he would have kept away from her." I pulled my mask off so that the tears could fall. "I'm sorry...I'm sorry..." My could feel my voice fading away as I truly cried for the first time in a very long time. The guilt tormented my entire being and I never once noticed the soft padding of two feet as they approached my bed nor did I notice the shift in weight of the bed as someone got in with me. However, I did notice when two small arms encircled me from behind, taking very much care not to hit any of my injuries. I did not flinch nor did I become alarmed at this sudden appearance of another body in my bed or the fact that they were now holding me, pressed tightly up against my back. All I realized was how warm and comforting those arms were and the fact that they were there, helped push some of the dark images away. However, I could not stop crying nor could I stop pleading to Raven for forgiveness as she held me despite her gentle, soothing protests.

"Shhh. It's okay. I promise you Robin that you did nothing wrong, I promise that none of this is your fault, none of this at all." I slowly fell back into exhaustion, completely unaware of Raven's glowing hands as they granted me their healing touch or of the fact that she kept telling me that everything was her fault and that she was so sorry, so very sorry with tears of her own forming in her eyes.

And reviewer responses which as far as I know are not allowed so this might be the last time I do it in this capacity...just have to do this one more time.

Cherry Jade: Alright, put down the torch, I updated and for the record, craziness is all a matter of perspective. I look back at your review and I really feel bad for making you wait so long and giving a subpar chapter with that but lets hope this chapters satisfies your unhealthy addiction with my writing, and apparently sugar. Just kidding of course. Anyways, glad you enjoyed my birthmark in all its glory and hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. Thanks again C.J.

spiderbob: I always seem to take a darker twist on everything, it just seems to make better writing in my eyes. Birthmark is a great framework for a story but like you pointed out, adding your own unique style and ideas can truly create something grand and I think my Birthmark had just a little bit of everything for the reader. The church seen was fun to write because there was such powerful connotation there that went well beyond words.

BigBlackWoman: Yeah it is a great episode, rates up with the apprentice episodes in my book. As always, thanks for your kind words and reviews.

zhandemonhunter: Yeah I have trouble writing combat scenes sometimes and I kinda skimped on the details last chapter because it was just getting so long and I kind of wanted it to end. I'll probably have one good combat scene in the future but I can't guarantee anything sorry.

Kashira Hibana: Your reviews always just seem to pop up out of nowhere and there always great to read. Congrats on being my 100th review for Finding Hope Again. I was looking for that landmark and you did provide and with a great review. SO thanks, sorry for the long delay, and hope to hear what you think about this chapter.

evilsangel: Your reviews always make me smirk just a little bit. Lets hope this story lives up to what your looking for because we all know where its going but what happens when it gets there should be interesting...I hope.

Logan X: Yeah I think you will find that my version goes quite a bit beyond the actual version and I honestly feels improves on it in a lot of ways. I gave it more depth, more feeling I think and that's what makes a good story. Anyways, thanks for the review and hope you finally got see Birthmark.

alena-chan: Now that was a well written, elaborate, detailed, and very kind review there from you. I think that's exactly what a writer truly wants in a review, to know exactly what aspects are the best from the reader and you did just that so thank you very much. I take pride in trying to find an accuracy to how I portray my characters and conflicts and I'm glad you find them to work well. Well I could go on and on, but I doubt you want to hear it so thanks again.

ravenslair: As always thanks for the reviews and I'm glad you like this story as well. Its been a tough one to write and I hope to get moving on it better soon. Epic? Maybe, but just have to see.