SPECIAL THANKS TO:

718darkstar , Nikki-4 , lovely , CraneLee , Zarola , raerobgal , Rubik's Cubed , nitti770 , and debbiegirl

FOR REVIEWING CHAPTER 8! Thanks guys! :D

Warning: slightly angsty. ...yay...?

Previous Chapter:

"But you do," he interrupted. "Back in Gotham, I promised you that I would tell you. And... I think that before we actually sit down with him, you need to know what happened." He sounded reluctant, scared even. She looked up and looked away. Their pulsing bond made her legs feel too weak to support her. She swallowed and bid whatever God was looking over her right now, to give her strength.

"What happened, Robin?" He looked up and his gaze held unshed tears.

"...I...killed him."

Chapter 9: More Human Than Human

"...what?" she mouthed. He breathed out and rotated from being in front of her to leaning against the same door, besides her.

"I killed him. I killed Eric." He looked away from her. His voice was too soft for her liking. Swallowing the sensation in her spine, she placed her hand on his arm and managed to make him face her.

"You're wrong. He's right here. We're about to go talk to-"

"I killed him, Rae!" he pushed himself from the door and tiredly rubbed his face. "...I killed him." She heard harsh breathing. Looking down at her herself, she notice that it was her breathing. She was loosing feeling in her fingers. She flexed them and ran them through her hair.

"That's a lie," she whispered. Much slower than he had, she pushed herself from the door and neared him. The roles had now been switched and she was cautious to near him. Tentatively, she reached out and placed her hand on his shoulder. He flinched, as if to shake her off. Relaxing herself, she allowed the calming sensation ebb from her body onto his. His breathing pattern visibly changed. He breathed out harshly still, but now at a slower pace.

"...it's not...a lie," he whispered. She allowed her other hand to grasp his upper arm and as if helping a child, she lead him toward the bedding area of the room, and allowed him to sit. She followed suit. Misery radiated off of his aura. It was overwhelming. Berating herself, she contemplated on whether or making him say what he wanted to say to her. It wasn't hers to hear, but he seemed to want to say it. So she would listen.

"Robin...I'm here." He seemed to awake from whatever trance he had placed himself in, and looked ahead of himself. Her hands still remained on his arm and he reached a hand to grasp her hand. Raven felt a small sting when his fingers grasped her hand and pulled it from his arm. However, it was short lived as he firmly grasped it and placed them in between them.

"I told you the truth when...I said that I knew him before my alliance with Batman. Since my childhood. Though I didn't know back then he was the monster he is now." Involuntarily, her mind replayed memories she had no right to. Memories she had dreamed of back at the hotel.

"...go on..." she prompted.

"Back when I still performed in the circus... I met the man, only once in person. He...said he was an avid fan of our performance. And I thought that was great. Until he ...he grew obsessed not with the art of aerobatics...but with my mother..." His whole frame tensed. She feared he might abruptly stand and make something he might regret later. She allowed the now familiar sensation to recede into his body again. "...So much," he continued, after a while, "That he followed the Haley Circus almost around the world. It soon became strange not to see him amids the crowd. Every time we did spot him, he was rushed out. Somehow, anyway, he slipped back in." His hand gripped hers almost to the point of hurting her. Her lips parted in surprise, but she let it go. "On one of the nights he ...wasn't able to show up...was the night we performed at Gotham."

"..." she inwardly flinched as their bond prickled her memories, back to the flashes of images of a weathered circus tent top, a man falling, a woman falling, blood, blood everywhere. All started with a gun shot and a pre-cut tight rope. He gave a small shrug, waking her from the painful memories.

"He was the last thing in my mind that night, obviously. I was lead to the police station, for questioning, when I saw him in the shadows of the tent. He saw me as well. I broke from the arms of the police officers and aimed for Eric. I literally saw red. Or wanted to. I've never wanted someone else to die, so...so badly, Raven. It frightened me that night. Someone's hand stopped me long before I could reach him. I had looked up, and seen Bruce Wayne in person. I looked back toward Eric but he was gone."

"Robin..." she whispered. He released her hand and covered his face, his elbows on his knees.

"I saw him, years later. He looked worse for wear," he continued. "I was out on patrol that night. Nothing out of the ordinary. A few thugs here and there until I saw him. He sat on a bench, as if waiting for a bus. But no buses ran that late at night. I felt my anger return again. I knew he had nothing to do with the death of my mother, neither my father's. But I remembered he had caused them harm, far earlier than the night Falcon ordered the hit on my parents." He stopped and wet his lips. "I broke communications with Batman and followed Eric. He wasn't walking fast or suspiciously anywhere. He just was. He appeared homeless, and completely mentally lost. But I didn't let that stop me. I landed behind him three streets away from Crime Alley. He noticed me then, but of course he didn't recognize me..."

FLASHBACK

"You!" Robin shouted. Eric turned, and froze. He rose his hands.

"I haven't got any money!"

"I'm not here for your money, Eric!" The wild looking man flinched. "You and I have a score to settle."

"What ever it is, man. I'm sorry!"

"Sorry!? You're sorry!?" he extended his staff and pointed it at him. "Say that to my dead mother, you bastard!" Some sort of flash appeared in the weathered man's eyes but it died as soon as it came. Suddenly, he turned and ran from the hero. Vigilantly, Robin ran in pursuit. He heard the faint garble of Batman trying to make contact with him but he ignored it and turned off his communication system completely off. Eric turned a corner and lingered, attempting to find a place to hide. Settling for the nearest opening, he dove into a large chunk of emptiness of a warehouse. He crashed into abandoned appliances and struggled to get free. He could almost hear the brightly colored assailant rounding the corner. Freeing himself shortly, he ran further into the warehouse.

Suddenly, the opaque glass ceiling of the large building broke and down fell a body. It landed with perfect agility on the nearest bridge, making the old metal slightly creak at the sudden weight.

"What the hell, man!? What did I ever do to you?!" Eric practically wailed and scurried to find a place to hide. Which proved worthless. Hearing what sounded like a gunshot – and the missile hitting some place opposite the assailant's position – he dove for cover among old boxes. He faintly heard a swish like sound before the boxes suddenly fell on top of him. He cried out, and was suddenly pulled to his feet. He met the face of his attacker. A young man, roughly fifteen, sixteen. But very well overpowering him in strength and size. "What the hell!?"

"You know how long I've waited for this!?" Robin yelled. "Ever since I realized you were stalked my mother, I've loathed your existence. You caused my family so much harm. We weren't safe with you around." Eric attempted to break free from his gloved grasp but it was useless. "Listen to me!" Eric faced him, scared out of his pants. "You'll pay. I swear to you, you'll pay."

"Robin!" he heard a baritone voice. The young man looked up. A dark shadow appeared on the same glass ceiling the younger man had broken. Except this one had horns. Eric began to struggle harsher. If he could hardly handle this punk, he was a lost cause if the older whatever he was caught up to them. He heard the boy give an impressive imitation of a growl and jerk him, nearly choking him with his own collar.

"Stay out of this!"

"What will this solve? It won't bring them back," abruptly, the man fell in a perfect flip into the air, to land on his feet, his cape billowing after him. My god! What kind men were these?! "Robin!"

"Stay out of it," He heard the clicking of another object and felt the chilling feeling of cold metal on his temple. He was a goner.

"You swore an oath!" the man roared, taking a step forward, "To protect all life. His is no different."

"He caused me misery!"

"And you think you're the first? You aren't speaking to a man who has had it all easy, Robin!"

"I know!" he yelled back. The piece of cold metal pressed harshly onto his face now. "But it ain't the same as you!"

"Yes it was!" As tender as the moment was getting, Eric couldn't stand it anymore and using the small second the youth was distracted, he pushed against him. The missile went flying and landed far into the darkness of the building. He heard the man yell behind him but he didn't bother to turn around to figure out what their argument was about. As he caught sight of the same hole he had fallen through, he could now pick up the faint sound of a beeping mechanism. Odd. Seeing as the warehouse was abandoned ever since he came to Gotham. His steps echoed on the rickety bridge, hovering over at least fifty feet off of the sub level of the place.

"Look out!" he heard the yell too late. An explosion rang out. The bridge suddenly shifted from underneath him and he was instantly enveloped in a cloud of hazardously warm air. Flapping his arms around, his grip miraculously touched some part of the railing that still clung to the now burned bridge. Suddenly, the youth appeared above the railing.

"Help!" he cried out. Whatever the kid's deal was, he couldn't leave him here, could he? He wagered his life on a single hand to reach the other upwards. "Please, help me!" Mechanically, the oddly dressed young man reached out. Then abruptly stopped his hand at least a foot from his own. Eric gave a small cry of disbelief. The railing creaked as the explosion had an aftershock, apparently the heat proving too much for the remaining fuel tanks under in the sub levels. The building shook again, and he was jerked around. "HELP!" He could feel his hand slipping. He lowered the other and attempted to re-grip the railing. The youth reached for him again.

"Grab on!" Eric swung his arm and aimed for the gloved hand. Another aftershock exploded. The sub level erupted with fire, the flames licking devilishly upwards. The youth leaned in further and struggled with maintaining his weight even on the precautionly situated bridge. "Reach, Eric!" Another shock shook the building. The bride tilted, and the primarily colored man reached just in time onto a different part of the railing before being tossed off of it. Eric wailed as the part he held onto became looser. He was almost touching the flames.

"Help me!"

"Hold on!" The railing abruptly broke. Eric screamed as the metal came down along with him. Robin's eyes widened and he uselessly reached out. But the man was already falling down. The young vigilante looked away before he could see the body land into the heart of the flames. A black gloved hand suddenly appeared before his face. He looked up. Batman jerked his hand in his face to get him to move on. Robin gripped his hand and released the remainder of the bridge. It too fell down.

"The foundation's too weak now!" Batman roared as he allowed Robin to shoot his grappling hook upwards. Both sailed upwards. They struggled onto the ceiling, where cold air chilled them instantly. Rain plummet down on the Gotham night. Firefighting sirens wailed a few streets down. The young ward looked away, unable to make eye contact. Before authorities arrived, they were long gone.

END FLASHBACK

Raven breathed in and out, attempting to school her shock so as not to make Robin more agitated than he already was.

"I hesitated. I let my revenge get the best of me. I could have reached out sooner and grabbed his hand! But ...I didn't..." he dug his face into his hands and pushed his now messy hair out of his face. "I killed him. That night."

"...then," she whispered. He looked at her at that moment, chilling her with the ache in his eyes, "Who is the man...we're about to meet?" She was vaguely aware he had long ago released her hand completely.

"It's the one and only. I killed him," the misery was replaced with anger, "And the bastard came back to haunt me!"

"Where is he?" Eric asked. The albino body guard glanced around the club.

"He's with his woman," the girl at his left answered. She twirled an apple martini in her hand. In a single gulp, it was gone. "Cuddling, I believe."

"He's not cuddling," Eric bit out, drinking his alcohol as well. His eyes flashed. "He knows who I am. I know who he is." He gave a small humorless chuckle. "He's... stalling."

"For what?" the other bodyguard asked.

"Whatever it is," he turned his gaze back onto his small 'group', "It's a lost cause. We, now have his cop friends under our custody."

The room was filled with silence. Only when their ears adjusted to the numbing stillness of the room, were they able to make out the faint booming sound of the music outside. Robin sighed, leaning back so far that he was practically laying down on the mattress. Raven stared ahead. She wasn't horrified. Just...shocked.

And thinking.

"...Robin?" She whispered, deep in thought. Said currently exhausted leader looked away from his fascination with the wall.

"What?" he whispered sharply. Neither knew why they whispered. Her lips opened in reply but slowly closed. He gave a harsh huff under his breath and turned his head slightly from her.

"I'm sorry..." Robin instantly froze and turned back to her, standing erect.

"What?" he replied curtly. Maintaining a nonchalant look – though her eyes rebelliously said different – she turned from her forward stare to face him. The effect of his cursed eyes was impressive, giving her a brief disbelief sometimes that he wasn't human, but she knew better.

"I said I'm – "

"Why would you say that?!" he looked at her in incredulity, "What have you done?" he looked away, "If anything, it should be me saying I'm sorry. Sorry for breaking the 'Hero's Code'. For killing someone! For -!"

"Hey!" she yelled. Frowning – practically scowling – she turned his face to face her own. "No one's is reprimanding anything."

"You should," her mumbled murderously. She made an attempt to calm him again, but he avoided her, rising from the bed and turning his back on her. "What part of killing someone did you not get?!"

"You didn't kill him!" she yelled, allowing the anger and frustration from both to ebb into the items of the room.

"Yes I did – !"

"You did not – !"

"I chased him down! If I hadn't...If I hadn't allowed my revenge to get the better of me, I wouldn't have caused his death!"

"He was destined to die!" Robin froze.

"...what?" turning, he peered at her with a shadowed expression. She couldn't determine the feeling in his eyes. His body, taught to hide any sign of emotion, did her no good either. Intaking a shaky breath, she crossed her arms under her chest and steadied her stance in front of him. He stood at least a foot from her now. "What do you mean?"

"He...he was marked."

"Marked?" Her face became masked by a disguise of monotonousness.

"By a Reaper." He paused, then regarded her carefully.

"The...meta-human?"

"Exactly. I couldn't form a conclusive deduction before. I felt him...of an dark entity. I wasn't sure what he was. Then, realizing his association with Eric," she saw him scowl, "I figured out what exactly he was. Is, rather." Through her lashes, he peered up at him, a hand on her chin, "He's a Reaper. He appears sometimes as an embodiment of death. ...though, this one, he likes to make deals."

"A Reaper?" He looked away, slightly confused. Though, now, Raven could tell his mind was beginning to overwork itself to make sense of the supernatural individual. "...You said marked. Marked how?" He turned his intensive gaze back on her own.

"The day Eric appeared in Gotham, was the night..." she hesitated, "The night of its creation. An malevolent influence, seeking for a victim. He knew Eric's time was up soon," she sneaked a look at him, "So he decided to toy with him for a little while. Up to the warehouse."

"How do you know this?" he suddenly questioned, quirking a serious brow. She scowled.

"What do you think I read all the time?" she gave a small dark humorless chuckle, "I know there's things in the dark that aren't just in make believe stories. These things are real. And we, as a team, need to be prepared. Your proof is right here. I'm half of one of the monsters."

"You're not like that," he defended, and tiredly, ran his hand on his cheek, "...A Reaper?"

"He...brought Eric back to life. In exchange for what, I'm not totally positive. And for what reason..."

"Revenge on me," he mumbled darkly. She had to agree with him there. It seemed like the most logical choice. Though, she wasn't going to voice that. He'd torture himself more.

"The Reaper appeared, took Eric's soul in exchange for whatever he found worthy in him, and now, has allowed Eric to time to repose, gain back what he lost: his life."

Someone knocked.

Both of their heads spun towards the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Robin compose himself. His shoulders became sturdy, and his face shed the pounds of misery it had gained, with re-opening old wounds. In a few steps, he was in front of the door. Taking a breath, he opened it.

"Yes?" Ben replied. Raven disappeared from view. The bodyguard peered behind the Titan but was satisfied, when he detected nothing.

"Mr. Kreftan would like to stress his wish for you two, his guest to visit him upstairs." Both men turned back into the room and peered almost comically as Raven zipped up her dress and began to slip on her shoes.

"We might as well go now," Ruby shrugged, as she finally slipped on her shoe, "I'm sure he's a very busy man. Musn't' keep him waiting."

"I agree," Ben chuckled, and turned, leaving the door open, and slipped on his jacket. "I think we're ready. Ruby? You ready, hun?"

"Yes, I think so. ...though I seem to be missing my-" she stopped, 'remembering' the body guard at the door, "...Never mind." Both stepped out – the bodyguard graciously closing the door behind them, for them – and made their way back to the still dancing club. The music was no longer techno but rather rock, a darker theme. Raven felt a shiver as Robin's adrenaline seemed to become pumped with the bass and guitar solo's of the slightly metal song, giving him strength.

And oddly enough, it had the same effect on her self.

The bodyguard maneuvered himself around them. Now, guiding them, he lead them into the V.I.P. hallway that lead towards Eric's private room. Allowing her to fall in pace with himself, Robin gave a brief pause and as soon as she was even with him, walked briskly towards the end of the hall. The walls seemed to be wallpapered with velvet. Yet, it was thin enough of a material to allow the performing silhouettes of the dancers behind each section in the hallway to portray erotic dances on furniture and other dancers.

Robin heard a distinct hiss of disgust escape Raven's lips.

He slightly hesitated but picked up his pace enough to be in front of her, just slightly.

Now, they knew what they were up against. A Reaper. The Meta-Human who had invaded Raven's mind in the hotel's lobby. The one who had resuscitated Eric. The one who had brought back the man from whatever Hell he had gone to and back to Trinity.

Though, those thoughts were disturbing enough. The one that intrigued him was worse.

What had the Reaper gotten in trade for Eric's soul?

"Here we are," the bodyguard, his alabaster skin seeming red with the light excelling throught the velvet-like material. He placed a massive hand on the doorknob of a door to the left – oddly enough it wasn't the door at the end of the hallway – and opened it. They were greeted by pure darkness. "He's expecting you," he reminded when they hesitated.

"I take it hardly anyone gets invited this far?" Ben asked. He didn't expect an answer, and he didn't receive one. Taking Ruby by the arm, he lead her into the darkness, to slightly bump into the matching staircase upwards. The man closed the door behind them. Not joining them.

"Well, that's as good as a warning we're gonna get," Raven murmured murderously.

"Yes," he replied curtly. She felt his warmth radiated onto her "semi-naked" figure, and shivered. The stairway wasn't vast. Rather, it was slightly constricted, making them crush in almost together. She could hear his breath a bit harshly near the crown of her head.

"Robin?"

"Hmm?" She shifted as to be in front of him and slightly turned. "Ladies go first?" She heard him intake a quiet breath – one could hear everything because the music from outside was no longer able to be heard – and suddenly, a hand grasped her wrist as she took the first step upwards. She became slightly unsteadied by his quickness but regained her momentum. "What do you think you're doing?!"

"We need to get this over with," she replied, slightly tugging on her wrist. His skin against hers was... tepid. And it scared her how used to it she had gotten to it since the beginning of their mission. Close quarters made her nervous when with him.

"...wait a second," he responded. Shifting around her, he stood on the same first step as she did and stop mere inches from her own body.

"Robin?"

"I don't know how this is going down. ...I warned you we were going in blindly, in the car, so...I'm asking you to be extra careful. Please."

"So you've warned me," she reminded, slowly, searching. What was he getting at?

"...Raven...

"Yes?"

"...One of us could get hurt tonight. I don't know what the outcome of this meeting with Eric and his Reaper will be to us, to these people, to Trinity, to Gordon! But ...what ever happen...know that..."

"...Christ, Robin!...you're scaring me," she mumbled, slightly shaken. She knew where this was heading at.

"No," he swallowed, "...we might not get a chance again..."

"Don't talk like that – !"

He closed off her statement with a kiss.

A/N: totally expected ending. Might have been to rushed. Or maybe it's just me? I felt they got a bit OOC in this chapter but... meh.

ATTENTION: this will be the last update for UFOM for a while. I started school up again and might no have enough time right now. Right now is the first week and things are easy going right now. They won't next week. So, I'm taking the chance today to upload chapter nine.

Hope y'all liked.