Disclaimer: Well, you better hide your kids and hide your wife. Might as well hide your husbands too because I don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: So this week was better than last week. I had the most wonderful day Wednesday and…I'll tell this to anyone who'll listen: as I was working on this chapter at around midnight Wednesday about ten of our (both my roomie's and my) guy friends burst into my dorm room dressed in Army gear and wielding nerf guns. After a glorious battle cry they then started shooting my roomie and I. We screamed and chased them out of our dorm in our PJs and woke everyone up.

I LOVE COLLEGE.

Chapter 20: Sanity

-S-

11:28am

Jump City, California

Jump City Police Department

Starfire didn't know quite what to think of Robin's monologue about Gotham. As a warrior herself she was quite used to the idea of violence, but she didn't expect to hear anything of the sort from Robin.

"That was…unexpected," she said.

"Yeah, no kidding," Beast Boy said. "I don't know how Gothamites stay sane."

She watched Robin stride with military precision out of the JCPD. The way he described Gotham to the vandal was unsettling. The JCPD officers watched in silence as Robin strode past them. Some stared with their mouths hanging open while still on the phone, the voices on the other end of the telephones babbling away incomprehensibly. This must be quite a shook to them. The world grew up knowing Robin as the cheerful sidekick of Batman. To listen to his unsettling monologue about Gotham's underground must have shattered a lot of peoples' perception of him.

A real paradigm shift.

But, at the same time, his monologue reminded the world the real reason why he fought crime. He didn't fight to give a performance (even though dressing up in tights and a mask was a performance in itself) he fought because he wanted to bring criminals to justice. He fought because there were sick people in the world like the Joker.

"Perhaps we should call the Batman," Starfire whispered to Raven. "Perhaps we will be able to help—"

"I don't think that's a good idea," Raven replied. "There's a whole side of Robin that I don't think we're meant to understand. He has a life outside of being Robin."

"But he trusts me—"

"Of course he trusts us. But think about it: he has people in Gotham he needs to protect. Slade didn't just humiliate him when he forced Robin to take off the mask. He knew his secret identity, effectively betraying his former mentor's identity and the identities of half of the Justice League. The implications are horrible to think about. It was just our luck Slade didn't decide to sell Robin or Batman's identities to any other villain out there."

Starfire never thought of it like that before. She just thought it strange that she could become so emotionally close to Robin, yet never really know who he was. That was just a part of Robin that she had to accept—unless Robin choose to tell her his secret identity. Now that that issue had been brought to life it annoyed her somewhat that he didn't seem to trust her enough to reveal his secret identity.

But Starfire wouldn't obsess over it.

Back on the rooftop she had approached him meekly, as though afraid to set him off on a rampage again. Starfire had never seen him cry before. Of course, he had come close to crying multiple times. He just didn't like to admit it.

"Robin," she said, hovering before him. "What did the Batman say?"

He looked at her. For a moment she thought that he would snap back at her. Tears fell freely down his face as he looked away. Starfire understood just how touchy he was about Batman, but they had a huge argument. Everyone heard.

A few feet away Beast Boy stood, shuffling his feet and looking elsewhere as Starfire talked to Robin.

"He…he just…"Robin spluttered, unable to find words. "I don't believe it. I can't believe he just walked away…"

Starfire took a hold of both of his hands. They were trembling like aspens. After the events of the night before Starfire understood that she shouldn't try to understand Robin's problems. Like the Batman, Robin was reluctant to speak of his problems with other people. All that he needed were friends who simply accepted him for who he was.

She glanced at him again. Seeing him this angry didn't do anything to help their situation. Even though she was Tamaranean she knew that Robin only acted like this to vent out his frustration with the Batman. From what little she knew of Gotham's Dark Knight she could tell that he was…not an unpleasant man…but a blunt man. He would do well on Tamaran.

Still, talking about vomiting innards and dying of laughter wasn't something the Dark Knight would say. Well, maybe. She did not know.

Since she did not know the Batman, she could not help but make comparisons between Robin and Slade again. They were similar…but at the same time they weren't. It seemed as though whenever Robin became stressed out he acted like Slade. He wasn't like that all the time. The incident with the dust just made him more obsessive than he usually was. What Slade didn't seem to understand was that Robin could be laid back and funny when he wanted to be. She glanced to the side as another memory crept into her the Titans burst into Slade's lair Starfire had heard the last bit of Slade and Robin's conversation.

"Don't…" Robin's voice said weakly, so faint that Starfire barely heard. "I'll do whatever you say."

Cyborg and Starfire exchanged worried looks. This only made them pick up their pace. For the past month no one had heard from Robin. Slade hadn't even been calling to taunt them and now…now…Starfire was afraid of what she would find. Cyborg reached the door first and slid it open silently.

The Titans stepped inside and saw the two standing a few feet apart. The giant television screens played live footage of the nanoscopic probes coursing through the Titans veins, a morbid reminder to Robin. Slade stood with his back to the door while Robin stood with his shoulders slumped in defeat. His head hung a little, as though he was afraid to look Slade in the face. At a glance Starfire could tell that the two recently fought…and it was obvious as to who won. Both Robin and Slade were breathing heavily, as though they just got back from a run. Sweat poured down Robin's face as he stared at the floor.

"Good boy," Slade said, "and from now on…I'd like you to call me Master."

Neither Slade nor Robin had heard the Titans come in. Slade's back was to the Titans. He was so focused on taunting Robin that he didn't notice anything else. Starfire's heart sank as an expression of shock momentarily crossed Robin's face. After a moment his face fell in defeat.

That did it.

At that moment she knew that Robin had never turned. Without waiting for the signal Starfire acted first. Anger bubbled within her, fueling the righteous fury she needed to throw starbolts. She hated Slade for what he had done. She hated him for tricking them all with the faux Chronoton Detonator and for injecting them with the probes. But what she hated most was how he used this to coerce Robin into serving him. With a roar of fury she flung a sizzling starbolt at Slade's unprotected back. To her satisfaction the force of it caught Slade completely off guard. The mercenary was thrown off of his feet and across the room. Robin started and snapped his head around, the eyeholes of his mask widening in astonishment and terror. Following her example, the other Titans stood ready for action as Starfire's glowing eyes narrowed as she watched Slade recover from the sudden attack.

She was pissed.

"Leave. Him. Alone."

"It seems as though the HIVE Academy must be behind this," Starfire said. "If no one else is."

"But who's to say this that isn't a new villain?" Raven asked. "Someone who's even more reclusive than Slade was…someone who's been waiting for an opportunity to arise to attack us."

Despite her optimistic personality, Starfire's mood did not improve when she heard this. It still puzzled her that the Batman was not coming to help. A few days ago—when the Batman called—he seemed overeager to help them. So eager, in fact, that he talked down to Robin in front of the other Titans. She could understand why Robin would be hurt. If she called Galfore for help she knew that her knorfka would drop everything to come and help her.

She feared for his sanity.

-C-

1:12pm

Jump City, California

Titans Tower

"Is there any way to contact the HIVE?" Robin asked.

Everyone looked at Cyborg. He had to admit that this was what he had been wanting to do all week. Ever since he managed to destroy the Academy he hadn't heard anything from the Headmaster.

"What do you hope to discover by contacting the HIVE?" Raven asked.

"Let's assume that Brother Blood is the one behind these attacks," Robin said. "I…" Robin frowned. "Actually, I'd rather talk to the previous HIVE Mistress."

"Why?" Beast Boy asked. "She's sort of MIA."

Oh yeah. Red X mentioned that, but Cyborg knew for the longest time that she was missing. It was one of the few things he tried to solve while working undercover at the HIVE Academy. To no one's surprise Cyborg found no trace of the previous Head Mistress. Robin continued to speak.

"Slade was messing with us for the longest time, even before I was…uh…his employee. He didn't expect the HIVE kids to defeat us. He wanted to send us a message. Since Slade worked with the HIVE before she might have the information we need, and one of the HIVE kids might also have the information we need."

"What was the message?" Beast Boy asked.

"What?"

"The message that Slade wanted to send. I don't remember Slade sending us any message through the HIVE kids."

Robin coughed uncomfortably into his fist. Cocking his head to the side like a curious beagle before realization struck him in the face. It wasn't a message meant for the rest of the Titans to understand. Raven took charge.

"So what do you propose we do?" Raven asked. "The HIVE disappeared after Cyborg shut the Academy down."

Cyborg frowned. He didn't want to talk to the HIVE graduates—especially that little brat Gizmo. And it wasn't just because they were annoying enemies. Unlike the others, Cyborg had actually gotten to know the HIVE trio as people. They were kids just like the rest of them were. But unlike the Teen Titans, the HIVE kids had to respond to a higher power, namely their Headmaster or Headmistress.

Brother Blood.

"It looks like we have ourselves a natural," Brother Blood said. "Put him to the maximum."

The hooded HIVE agent nodded silently as he upped the controls. Cyborg groaned under the sudden weight. He was reminded of that time he fought against Atlas, that arrogant robot, when he had to push through his mechanical limits to win.

This wasn't a mission where he could do that. Sure, he could rely on brawn, but to effectively bamboozle the HIVE Headmaster Cyborg would have to use his brains. Sweat poured down his face as Cyborg struggled to keep going. The headmaster's snide expression suggested that he knew Cyborg's secret. Or was that how he looked all of the time?

With a loud grunt Cyborg managed to push the weights back upward. A smile crept across Brother Blood's face. As Cyborg lay on the bench panting the Headmaster glided towards him.

"That was excellent, Mr. Stone," Brother Blood said, holding out a towel. "I'm really quite impressed."

"Thanks."

Cyborg accepted the towel and wiped away the sweat from his face. That had been too close.

Brother Blood didn't seem to be the type of guy who would go out and fight. He talked too much. Cyborg was sure that he could beat Blood to a pulp if he wanted to.

"Walk with me, if you will, Mr. Stone."

The other HIVE students glared at him as Cyborg walked alongside the HIVE headmaster, especially that girl Bumblebee. Her wings fluttered animatedly as she huffed and looked away from them. From what Cyborg knew she was another one of Brother Blood's favorites. He avoided her gaze as he swung the sweaty towel over his shoulders. Honestly, it couldn't have been better to have Blood so interested in his alter ego. That meant that he could get closer to him than if he stayed in the shadows, just like his original plan stipulated.

"I normally don't ask this of my students, but I believe that you are a special case."

"In what way, Headmaster?"

"Only a few of the students at my school have had the nerve to actually break in. That is initiative. That's what I like to see in young people: initiative."

The undercover Titan studied Blood with his hard gray holographic eyes. Just the way Brother Blood talked reminded him of one of his coaches in high school.

"I heard about your school. Thought I might try something new."

"I'd like to know a little more about you."

The cybernetic teen stopped in his tracks. Did Brother Blood know who he was? Well, Cyborg reasoned, he must want to know all of his top students personally. It wasn't that strange really.

"You're going to have to be more specific than that."

"You have such potential. Tell me, were you trained by anyone in particular? The apprentice of a well-known criminal, perhaps?"

The Headmaster could be persuasive when he wanted to be. Cyborg still thought it strange that a school for young villains existed. For some reason, Cyborg was reminded of the time when Robin lived with Slade.

Brother Blood was a flamboyant figure compared to Slade. In a way, this was similar to Robin's apprenticeship. The difference was that Cyborg didn't have to live with a psychopath twenty-four seven. At least he had a dorm room to himself and other people to talk to. From what Cyborg could tell Slade tried to force Robin to bond with him by cutting off all other connections to the outside world. This school was the exact opposite of that kind of coercion.

This school made him feel…special. Living here for a week had changed his perspective on the HIVE kids. He never expected them to act the way they did…especially when Jinx asked him to the Sadie Hawkins dance. He felt welcomed in a semi-normal society. Living as a mechanical hybrid did nothing to boost his self-esteem once he integrated back into society.

"No. I learned crime on the streets." Cyborg felt uncomfortable. "Look, Headmaster, can we talk some other time? I want to take a shower before heading off to dinner."

"Of course, Mr. Stone."

Cyborg watched Brother Blood walk away and shook his head. He couldn't afford to get in too deep.

That was exactly how Stockholm Syndrome worked. He wasn't about to pull a Patty Hearst. No matter how much he felt welcomed here, Cyborg had to remember that only Stone the Criminal was welcomed here. Not Cyborg the undercover Teen Titan.

"Cyborg?"

Cyborg looked at Robin oddly. For the longest time he thought that he had little in common with the Boy Wonder. Even though Slade messed with Robin, did Robin ever feel the same way? He lived with the guy for a month after all. Weren't there moments when he felt a little happy? Or moments when he felt as if he could sympathize with Slade? Did Slade ever give Robin the chance to be happy?

That was an odd thought.

He suddenly felt angry at himself. There was nothing Brother Blood had ever done to make him feel welcomed. The villain was full of lies. All villains were full of lies. Brother Blood could only give the illusion of what Cyborg wanted—his real body. A chance to start again.

"Knowing Jinx, Mammoth, and Gizmo like I do, I bet they're floating around causing trouble somewhere."

"But last time they ran off, since we had Flash with us," Beast Boy said. "Why would they come back for seconds?"

"Because they're idiots," Cyborg said. "The HIVE teaches crap to its students. They're nothing but juvenile delinquents."

"We're running out of time," Robin said, slamming a fist into his hand. "We can't work on the assumption that they may be out committing crime. Is there any way to contact them?"

"You're one of us, now," Jinx said, handing him a HIVE communicator.

"Yeah. There is." Of course, why didn't he think of it before? It wasn't as if he was stupid enough to throw it away after coming home. "I got the HIVE kids to trust me enough for them to give me a communicator. I deactivated it, but we can use it to track them down."

"Dude, that's brilliant!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us about this before?"

Cyborg looked down at Beast Boy while the others waited for an answer. The truth was, Cyborg didn't want to mention it because he didn't want the others to know just how deeply he seeped into the HIVE Academy. Yeah, he told Starfire about how he felt welcomed because he trusted Star to talk about these things. But no one else really understood what he went through.

"Never mind that," Cyborg said, "I'll go hook it up right now so that we can trace their signal."

As he turned away he could the eyes of everyone boring into the back of his neck. Well, so what if he kept secrets? Everyone else did.

-CK-

3:39pm

Metropolis

The Daily Planet

"Clark? Clark, are you okay?"

Lois' voice snapped Clark out of his stupor. He turned his head upward to see Lois standing next to him. She looked especially pretty today, with her black hair up in a bun.

"I'm fine, Lois," he replied, smiling at her.

He took her hand off of his shoulder and squeezed it gently. The white computer screen reflected off of his glasses, reminding him just how little he had written today.

"You seem a little out of it today."

There was just so much on his mind. The massive fight between Dick and Bruce left everyone in a melancholy mood. They were supposed to be father and son. The Dynamic Duo! Whenever internal conflict happened among anyone it seemed to affect everyone, especially when it concerned those two. And Dick…Dick needed a father. Clark knew that he couldn't be the one to act as Dick's father. Bruce had to be it.

"There's just a lot of stuff going on right now," he replied, taking off his glasses and wiping his face. "Family issues."

"Are your parents okay?" Lois asked immediately, concern etched in every syllable. "Do you need some time off or—"

"No. Time off is the thing I need the least." He was touched by her concern. "I just…have issues with a…uh…nephew of mine."

He was fond of Lois, but he didn't need to trouble her with his anxiety over the trouble with the Titans and Bruce. Besides, he didn't have the right to share Dick's problems with anyone outside of the Justice League.

"I didn't know you had a nephew," she said.

Before he could explain or come up with a lame excuse Lois left his side. Clark turned his head to watch her go. Who was he kidding—she loved Superman, not Clark Kent. If only she knew the kind of things and people he had to deal with…

His hands hovered over the keyboard. What to write about next?

He was miffed that Bruce hung up on him. Clark understood that Bruce didn't trust him, but this was getting out of hand. Someone needed to slap Bruce back into rationality. Even for Bruce, the man was acting more crazy than usual. Everyone else in the League agreed that something had to be done.

Should he send Barry out to Jump City again? Alfred said that Dick called to Bruce asking for help. Clark wasn't sure if, after this particularly nasty fight, Bruce would keep his promise and fly out to Jump City. It would be too easy for Clark to call the Justice League together. With the combined skills of the Titans and the League they would be sure to solve the mystery in a heartbeat.

"Clark!" Perry shouted. "Where's my article?"

"Sorry, Chief!" Clark called back. "It'll be ready in ten minutes!"

"If you can get it out any sooner the better!"

Clark began to type madly, not even registering what he was writing. He wrote like some zombie, the words mechanically flowing from his fingers as thoughts of Bruce festered at the back of his mind.

It concerned him that Bruce was obsessing over the Joker. Well, at times he had to be obsessed to defeat the Joker, but this was becoming irrational. Everyone had their own problems, of course. Clark had to continually deal with Lex Luthor. There was the Shadow-Thief, Ra's al Ghul, and so many other villains to contend with that it was a wonder anyone had time for anything else.

But somewhere the line had to be drawn.

That was the only way Clark could stay sane. When Clark called Dick he meant it when he said that having a sidekick was the best thing that ever happened to Bruce. Dick was the only person who could make Bruce smile. Having similar origins with the deaths of their parents allowed them to bond together like a true father and son. Clark was worried that their strained relationship was only throwing him into deep oblivion, a place where no one could follow. Sometimes, when Bruce did act like a prick, Clark couldn't help but fear for his friend's sanity. Even if Bruce thought it pretentious when Clark took control of the League, sometimes Clark did it to hold Bruce back.

Surreptitiously, he checked his JLA communicator as Perry turned his head away to shout at someone else. The others failed in their attempts to talk to Bruce. Well, maybe it was time for the Justice League to show up for a little reunion in Wayne Manor tonight. There would be no need to tell Alfred. He would understand. Bruce, maybe not so much. After punching some sense into that thick head of his Clark would take the Justice League and any reserve members who could come to Jump City.

It was time this dust business was done and dealt with.

-AP-

4:02pm

Gotham City

Wayne Manor

With Master Bruce fast asleep, Alfred tried not to make too much noise as he bustled through the manor. Once he came home Bruce collapsed onto his bed and passed out into a deep slumber. After last night's unsuccessful encounter with Clayface Master Bruce needed as much sleep as possible if he really wanted to get this business done with as quickly as possible.

Master Bruce and Master Dick's fight that morning left Alfred in a despondent mood that seemed to last for the entire day. He always acted as the peace maker between them. Yet this fight was different from all of the rest.

He gathered the remains of Bruce's lunch and stacked them onto a tray. All at once he felt proud of Dick for gathering up the courage to talk about that horrible incident and disgusted with Bruce's initial reaction. It just…it just wasn't the right thing to say. And Alfred meant it when he said that Bruce knew better, because Bruce did know better. It baffled him sometimes to believe that Bruce Wayne the billionaire playboy who took actresses on exotic cruises for kicks was the same person as Batman.

Alfred glanced at the kitchen table and saw the Joker's files spread out across the deep mahogany tabletop. At first he thought that Bruce had only grabbed one or two of the Joker's recent files, but it seemed as though Bruce had dumped his whole filing cabinet on the table. Alfred picked up one of the newspaper clippings. It was at least a few years old.

The old British butler shook his head and placed it back down on the table. If only Master Bruce could put this much effort into maintaining his relationship with Dick. At times the man didn't seem to have his priorities straight. He spread his hand upon the files and began to stack them more neatly. As he stacked them he noticed other files hidden amongst the Joker's psychotic face. There were some files on Clayface and Deathstroke the Terminator.

Well, at least Master Bruce seemed to be reconsidering his cold response to Dick's call.

A few minutes ago Clark called him and said that he got a hold of Dick. It was a wonder that the poor boy hadn't had a nervous breakdown yet. Back in the early days of the Titans—before the apprenticeship—Alfred talked to Dick regularly. Whether the kid knew it or not he acted more like Bruce than he realized. Just as Master Bruce always obsessed over the Joker so Master Dick obsessed over Deathstroke. Yet it was an unhealthy obsession—one that eventually turned against him in the cruelest way possible.

As he dusted the shelf above the fireplace he came across several framed photographs. The most recent one—taken just before Dick bailed and moved to Jump City—showed a smiling Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson in identical black suits. If Alfred didn't know the history behind these two, he would have assumed that they were father and son. Both had dark hair and blue eyes. The only thing that would throw anyone off was the age difference. Bruce looked too young to be Dick's father. He was too young to be Dick's father—about mid-thirties.

He sighed and looked at the other pictures on the mantelpiece. A picture of a young Bruce Wayne and his family sat next to a family portrait of the Flying Graysons. There were other pictures, some with Alfred in them. Dick looked so happy. That was all Alfred wanted the boy to be: happy. Dick didn't need to become Robin. Alfred never really approved of this superhero business when Bruce decided to take up the cape and cowl, much less so when Dick donned the Robin costume.

What saddened Alfred was the fact that most of the time Dick and Bruce fought over the little things. First and foremost, however, their disagreement engendered from a little thing called trust. Bruce's personality simply did not allow him to trust everyone while Dick formed attachments much more easily. From personal experience, Alfred could understand why Master Bruce would not completely trust Dick. The boy was still young. He had a lot to learn. But at the same time he could sympathize with Dick. He was young, but he wasn't a child anymore. Master Bruce shouldn't still be treating him like he was still ten.

Even though Alfred wasn't a detective he thought it strange that Bruce was obsessing so much over the Joker. Being the patient man that he was he didn't ask why Bruce thought that the Joker was involved. But now…

Alfred glanced up the flight of stairs, as though he believed that Bruce would come down any moment to go back to the Batcave. Knowing Bruce the way he did, it wouldn't surprise Alfred if Bruce woke himself prematurely just to continue working on this case. Well, whenever Master Bruce did wake up, Alfred would make sure that the man kept himself alive and sane. Alfred walked pat the grandfather clock that was the entrance to the Batcave.

The overwhelming silence of Wayne Manor made the ticking of the grandfather clock sound as loud as war drums.

A/N: Hey peeps!

So…yes. Okay, so this chapter is a little slow. Lots of internal monologues. Alfred's POV turned out to become all internal monologue. But this is the eye of the hurricane. We need a breather every once in a while. I needed a little breather. Just…yeah. Pounding out 6,000+word chapters a week while in college with a side job isn't the easiest thing in the world. My roomie thinks I'm crazy. I don't know how I feel about this chapter…could be better but at the same time this semi-calm atmosphere is needed.

As for the HIVE communicator, I always thought it was weird that Jinx gave it to Cyborg and then it was never mentioned again. So I put it to use!

And there's so much misunderstanding in this chapter!

AND ALFRED HAS A POV OMG!:D Who doesn't love Alfred?

Reviews are always welcome.