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Previous Chapter:

"...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.

Chapter 10: Paralyzed

Cyborg looked up.

"Wonder how things are goin' over there..." he mumbled to himself. They'd received no word from either Raven or Robin. Especially Raven. That was his main concern. He hadn't really made himself clear with Robin about Raven's .."feelings". The cybernetic man scratched his scalp as he settled back into repairing a "loosened screw" on his latest innovation.

"Any word?" Starfire inquired as she stepped into his lab. He looked up, shook his head and peered back down at the "invention". "Do you believe they are fine?" Cyborg stopped what he was doing, and really looked at the alien girl. She had her arms wrapped around herself.

"Yea, Star. I think they are. Why do you think so otherwise?" she swallowed and looked back toward the way she had come.

"It is how Beast Boy says: "I have the bad feeling about this"...

She broke apart from him and leaned against the opposite wall. Which wasn't much since the stair way was so constricted. Her eyes were wild.

"What the hell are you doing?" she whispered venomously. Robin licked his lips and looked into her eyes, a sudden nonchalant expression on his face. Talk about bipolar.

"I kissed you."

"No shit, sherlock," she wiped at her mouth. The stairway rattled. No way those people upstairs could have missed that. She looked away, towards the door they had gone through. He kept his gaze on her hair hidden face.

She was starting to withdraw. She would deny it but in this mission, she had allowed herself a few slips of emotion here and there. A smile. A few outbursts. Anger.

But now she was withdrawing. And he wouldn't allow that.

Okay, the kiss was probably a bad move. But...he couldn't help himself! This feeling – no matter how corny and unoriginal it sounded – was starting to ache in his chest at the sudden idea that this malevolent entity was able to get to Raven in her telepathic level of subconscious. And, counting the fact that he was in league with Eric... it was an emotional overload! This thing could really hurt her. And they hadn't even met the thing yet.

"Why?" she demanded, braking him from his thoughts.

"..I'm not saying I'm sorry. Or that I regret it," he answered instead and turned, walking up the stairs.

The fear wasn't gone. It simmered right underneath his mask of courage and leadership he now wore. He could feel her angry behind him. The feeling through their bond made him pause mid way the staircase.

"Why damn it?!" she almost yelled.

"Because I might not see you again." He didn't turn. He felt her almost still at his remark. He'd said it before. But now it was Leader Robin who had said it. It wasn't the Robin who had kissed her. He heard a sharp exhale of breath.

"I'm not a woman who can you discharge your urges with, Robin! Don't believe that for a minute, do you hear me?" she warned.

"Right," he answered.

So..the feeling wasn't mutual. As he had believed.

His chest ached. He didn't move as she finally harbored her sudden hate for him under her false identity and reached behind him on the stairs.

"Go."

He continued on his way.

"They're here." Eric stopped himself in mid drink. The woman's eyes flashed. The body guards' eyes followed suit. He connected his gaze with the albino man. Eric's own eyes flashed.

"Let them in."

They stepped inside. The same theme of the hallway, velvet walls and shadow displays behind them decorated the VIP room. The albino bodyguard – having somehow walked up into the VIP room ahead of them – held the door open. Robin shot him a smile, to appear grateful for the gesture. He wasn't sure what Raven had done. The man's facial expression changed however.

The door shut behind them.

"I thank you two for finally joining us," Eric started. The woman sat on the edge of his couch/chair, "massaging" his shoulders. His white hair seemed red. His eyes were cast in shadow. Robin wasn't able to read them.

"Sorry we're so late," Ben apologized, meaning nothing of it. He felt the tension between the two parties, Eric's party outnumbering them.

"We were ... enjoying the facilities," Ruby played along, flashing Eric and the woman a coy smile. She gripped Robin's hand. Her nails dug into his hand. He showed no reaction. The woman hid an embarrassed giggle and rose to the private bar.

"Drink?" she offered. Both Titans shook their head no.

"You're at a club. Enjoy yourselves while you're still young," Eric redirected their attention.

"I can't," Ruby replied, "My condition won't allow me." Robin inwardly flinched.

"Condition?"

"I'm pregnant."

The air almost immediately froze in the room.

Eric's 'partner' stopped in mid reach for a glass on the display box illuminated by a neon light underneath it. The other bodyguard's nostrils flared. The albino man was out of their line of vision, having stayed at the door.

They were accommodated in front of one another. A double seat couch/chair was offered to the Titans – which they took – and Eric on the lone piece of furniture in front of them. To the Titans' right, was a balcony like wall that allowed the viewer to peer down onto the still dancing crowds. The structure of the balcony was disguised as a head of a gigantic gargoyle inside the club. The bass was felt through the floor but the noise level was done considerably, allowing both parties to talk without having to shout.

"Congratulations," Eric recuperated. Robin could have almost sworn that he saw the man sweat.

'Bastard,' he swore.

"Thank you," he spoke out loud, grasping Raven's hand more firmly in his own. "It's our first." He smiled a fake smile towards Raven. She returned an even more superficial smile. The other three seemed spooked now. "Everything alright?" he called attention to the remaining of the party.

"Fine," the woman replied, and drowned a cup she had intended to serve. Eric's sharp exhale brought back the Leader's attention to the resuscitated man.

"And tell me, young lovers, what do you think of the facility?"

"It's amazing," Ruby commented, "Especially the decor." Eric raised his chin as she continued, "The demons and gargoyles are my favorite."

"Quite a unique decoration you chose there, Eric." Ben shrugged in mild interest, "Any specific reason?" Eric nodded, smiling in a sort of way one did when one knew of a secret joke.

Robin didn't like that smile.

"Inspiration and honoring of an event in my life," Raven felt Robin still in her hand. "I dedicate this club to an associate of mine. Who without him, I wouldn't be here today." Both Titans froze.

The albino man clicked the door locked.

Both men took out their guns.

Beast Boy looked up. Terra was asleep on his lap. They had just finished a movie and were now relaxing into a rare state of serenity. Seems the criminals needed a little R&R every now and then, too.

Lifting the pretty blond's head and replacing his lap with a pillow, he made his way around the room. Nothing had fallen. His enhanced hearing had told him something had moved.

But what?

He was pretty sure Starfire had gone to bed. And Cyborg hadn't emerged from his lab in a while. He mildly wondered what the man was inventing now when he suddenly heard the noise again.

"Hello?" he called out. He felt slightly silly, calling out the reply in his own home but ... oh well.

"Your defense systems need updating," came the baritone voice behind him. He spun around. Not all the lights were on. Mostly the kitchen's. And plus, Terra and himself liked to look at the movies surrounded in atmosphere, meaning turning off all the lights except the TV's. So, everything was pretty dark.

Not that he needed aid to look into the dark.

But where had the voice come from?!

"What do you want?" he growled. He spared Terra's body still asleep on the couch. How had someone sneaked in?!

"Calm yourself, changeling," came the voice in the shadows again. Beast Boy gave a small squeal of surprise. The voice was behind him again, closer. He spun. A tall shadow emerged from the others, darker. A gloved hand handed the changeling a few files. Beast boy took them. The shadow stepped back and disappeared. The changeling looked down. A piece of vinyl looking paper was stuck on top of the files. The emblem of a bat.

Beast Boy blinked.

"Cyborg!" he yelled. Terra woke behind him calling out his name. But the changeling was already well on his way towards the cybernetic man's lab.

"What's going on?" Ben asked, grasping his fiancée's arm. She gripped his arm as well, seeming to hide into his tall and intimidating form.

"Drop the facade, Robin, old boy. It doesn't suit you." Both Titans stilled. "As fun as it was to play dress up, don't you think it's a bit too old for us, being as we're such close friends?" Eric smiled. His eyes bled all black.

Slowly, the Titans separated. The shimmering spell on Robin's face disappeared as soon as he placed on his glasses. Raven returned to her natural pigment and her facial features returned, her hair too changing back to mauve.

"That's better, don't you think?" Eric laughed, his voice empty.

"Why the hell are you alive?" Robin seethed.

"Why? Dear boy, I have a strong will to live." The woman sat herself on top of the bar table, crossed her legs and with pitch black eyes, peered curiously at the Titans.

"You bastard," Robin growled, "You died."

"Correction, you let me die," Eric taunted, still seated. The teammates remained standing, staring him down. Eric's gaze traveled sideways to Raven. Robin took a step before her. A thoughtful expression filled Eric's face but it disappeared as soon as it came. "Isn't that right?"

"If I did, you wouldn't be here."

"True." The woman suddenly rose and gave an animal-istic growl.

"Enough conversation-"

"Silence. He gave me time."

'He?'

"Who are you working for, Eric?" Robin demanded. Eric smiled.

"You haven't figured it out? Amazing. Your title is deceiving, Circus Freak. You are not the master mind detective I have been lead to believe, if you haven't figured that out by now." Robin took a step forward.

Guns clicked.

"Don't!" Eric warned, his voice underlined with an inhuman voice. "Shoot this one and he really does die." He leaned his elbows on the resting arms of the chair and held his hand on his chin. The picture of nonchalance.

Yea right.

"I have your friends." The unexpected remark caused both Titans to flinch.

"What have you done with them?" he growled venomously. No point in denying it.

"They're ...safe, for now."

"They are of no concern of yours," Raven mumbled darkly.

"Ah! She speaks!" the woman scoffed. Raven hissed at her. Robin raised his hand in slight motion, silencing the feud before it began.

"What do you want with them?"

"They're the lives that hang in the balance, Boy Wonder," Eric replied. "It is up to you what happens to them."

"Right. Of course."

"Really, making them snoop for papers in my office? For my 'bad connections'? Pitiful, Robin. Why not go for 'look for the bodies of the people he's killed'? You'd be better off finding stuff there."

"They weren't suppose to get that involved." Raven could tell this was taking a big hit on Robin. Forgetting the kiss incident for the moment, she felt sympathy for her leader. He always took the blame. For everything.

"But they did. Now they're paying for it." Both Titans noticed the volume of the music go down almost into mute as the temperature in the room dropped.

Everyone stood paralyzed.

The back door – the only other way of getting out of the VIP's room, opened.

A shadowed figure stepped forward.

The Titans immediately assessed the man. Taller than all of them, he dressed in an expensive suit and wore animal leather skin shoes. He walked with a cane, a cane that was carved with strange markings that ended up in a bright ruby stump at the top. The jewel sparkled from the lights of the club. He had pitch black hair. Darker than they had seen. His skin was pale as leprosy. And his eyes. Black. Black as the rest of his party.

Except, he had blood red irises.

"I am mister Eric's associate. You can call me, Mr. R. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"Wish I could say, "the pleasure's all mine" but I'd be lying."

"Ah, Robin, I presume."

"You presume correct," He replied. He felt Raven steady herself behind him. This was him. This was the Reaper. "Tell me something, Mr. R, was it?"

"I'm an open book."

"Why bring Eric back?" he had stepped into deep water. They, had stepped into deep water. Mr. R laughed. A chill spilled down the Titans spines.

"Bring him back? From where?" his voice changed. "From hell?"

"Where it is he went to."

"Straight to the point. I like in a formidable opponent."

"Mr. R -"

"Don't interrupt when the adults are talking, Eric," Mr. R allowed Eric to growl.

"You said I'd get my chance!"

"And you shall."

"Screw this!" Eric roared as he launched himself at Robin. The music's loud volume returned. Both men landed harshly beyond the double seat couch. Raven spun, and faced the woman. Said woman snarled and snapped her teeth.

"That's a hideous habit of yours," Raven snapped.

"Jealous?" The woman replied, before she raised a hand, to send of a malevolent force. Raven braced herself and crossed her arms before her, creating a sort of shield to ward off the force. Not letting her recover, the woman launched herself at Raven.

Robin kicked Eric off of him. Eric growled. Robin raised his hands, readying.

"You really can't let anything go, can you? I did not kill your beloved mother-"

"Shut the fuck up!" Robin's deadly hands gripped the possessed man and allowed him to dig his knee into his gut. Immediately, he stepped back and gave him a round house kick. Eric went down.

A bullet missed and dug into the wall behind Robin's head. A hail of bullets followed suit. Robin dove out of the way and into the cover of a furnace. Footsteps followed. Black energy blocked a few stray ricochet bullets from hitting his spine. Promptly, the woman was thrown in a case of black energy against the wall. She fell limply.

Robin dove out.

He threw a pellet of smoke into the room and pummeled the albino massive man. The gun fired. Robin's eyes widened as the bullet grazed his chest. With a hiss, he dug his fist into the man's face. A flex of his wrist later, the gun was on the floor, across the room. He fought dirty and kicked the man in between the legs. The man winced, kneeling over. Robin took the opportunity and rose his knee upwards on the man's face. Knocking him out.

Another bullet nearly hit his head.

Eric rose.

The room was become murky with the smoke.

"Raven!" Robin yelled. Wordlessly, the two Titans ran for the balcony and dove off. The began to fall head first.

"Oh my god! –"

"Shit! –"

"What the hell!? –"

The crowds began screaming.

Robin's body quickly caught up to Raven's , who immediately evolved them in her black aura. The crowd flinched and ducked out of the way.

But the bodies never made it to the floor. They disappeared.

"I had the chance...I had the fucking chance to kill them and you did nothing!"

"I would have harmed her. And he'd have lost his spirit. His will to fight. Would you have fought him then?" Eric growled and emptied the gun into the corpses of his bodyguards. The woman rose, blood spilling from her mouth.

"Mr. R-" Mr. R turned and walked calmly towards the woman. She screamed. She turned and ran into the wall. No! No escape. Eric flinched, blanched and looked way. The woman's scream stopped in mid action as Mr. R touched her forehead. Her eyes bled white and her regular irises appeared, rolling upwards in a silent scream. Her skin withered and her limbs twitched. Mr. R smiled, his filed teeth shining inhumanly.

Finally the woman fell limply to the floor. Finally dead.

"So, after we've served our purpose, you dispose of us?!" Eric yelled. Panicked party-ers began to file out of the club. He noticed to law enforcement officers among them, but they were old. They posed no threat.

"You killed off two of my men."

"They were useless."

"So was the girl."

"..." He spun around to face Mr. R. Somehow, he had traveled the length of the room and now stood before Eric. "And once I have had my revenge on dear old Dick, what then? Will I die too?"

"No."

"Will she?"

"...In a matter of speaking..."

A/N: A page shorter than chapter nine. Sorry about that. I didn't want to pile it all up in one chapter so I sort of ...divided it. :D

So I hope it was good. Another revelation in this chapter. Whoopee.

From this point on, this is where the cow poop really hits the fan. ...and I mean that. XD enjoy!