Author's Notes: I had meant to get this chapter out a lot sooner. But after getting out and enjoying the brilliant weather we've been having here, mourning England's lose in the World Cup (and by mourning I mean getting drunk), and of course having this chapter Beta'd by the amazing Daybreak25, this was as soon as I could get it out.

This chapter is written entirely from Robin's POV. I've only ever tried doing this once before with Five Minutes Peace and people seemed to like it. (If you didn't notice that was my not-so-subtle hint for you to go and read my other TT fic.) Enjoy.

Teen Titans: Blood, Earth and Shade

Author: The Omakeer

Disclaimer: Teen Titans belong to Warner Brothers and DC Comics

Beta'd By: Daybreak25

Chapter Nine: Sex, Lies and Unnatural Powers

I stood in silence for almost five minutes after I closed the door on Raven and Terra.

I wasn't sure why I had shared so much with them. Maybe it was because they had shared so much with me recently, maybe it was because they had similar feelings to their own parents… maybe it was something else.

Shaking the thought from my head I put on my uniform. I had enough to think about at the moment without thinking about the girls.

The clock on my wall said it was 7:30; I turned on the computer and opened up the secure line to the Bat Cave. Bruce would have returned from patrolling at four, had two hours of meditative sleep and then a quick breakfast. He would be in the middle of his morning exercises now while simultaneously checking up Wayne Enterprises. I called the cave and waited for him to answer.

I had meant to call him as soon as I found out that Slade was my father. But before my brain even had time to process the information properly Mumbo Jumbo had escaped from jail. And after waiting to see if the Titans could be returned to normal I had just placed everything to the back of mind.

Even after talking to the girls I still wasn't sure what I was supposed to be feeling. I was angry after the DNA test. I felt like going out and finding a criminal so I could beat him into a coma, or possibly just put him in traction. But I pushed all that anger down. It was pointless. I had no more control over who my parents could be than anyone else in the world. And I certainly wasn't going to cry about it like some petulant child. I decided to call Bruce to see if he had any information on my erstwhile parents. And also to get some perspective from the only person that knows me better than I know myself.

Bruce's image appeared on the screen as he answered the call. He dressed in full Batman costume, something he did to make his training more realistic. "Robin. What can I do for you?" No one else would have noticed the friendly tone in his otherwise monotone voice, but it was clear as day to me.

So I told him everything. The meeting with Lady Shiva, the intensive training she gave me and, of course, her startling revelation. Bruce just sat back and soaked up every word until I was finished.

"I wouldn't worry about it Tim," Bruce said, starting to type on his computer, "there is no discernable evidence to suggest homicidal tendencies are passed down hereditarily, except in cases of mental illness. And we both know you don't suffer from anything like that."

I let a small smile grace my lips. Only Bruce could be analytical and comforting at the same time.

"I'm emailing you everything I have on Lady Shiva and Slade and their various escapades," he said as he finished typing, "I'm sorry I can't do more for you Tim but I have to meet with the Justice League in an hour. The Legion of Doom are planning something big and they want me to look into it. Is there anything else you need before I go?"

I momentarily think about asking his advice on the whole Raven and Terra situation, but that seemed like it would be a long conversation. It could wait until there was more to talk about. "That's all for now. Thank you Bruce."

"I knew your mother was a killer Tim. And even if I knew who your father was, I still would have asked you to be Robin." With that said the transmission cut.

I felt better after talking with Bruce. He might not have said much but it was more than enough. I momentarily consider phoning one of my friends from Young Justice, Kid Flash or even Wonder Girl, but I decide against it. Pity was the last thing I wanted and I would no doubt get enough of that from Raven and Terra over the next couple of days.

Bringing up my email inbox I opened the files that Bruce had sent me. I skipped Lady Shiva's for the time being and go straight to Slade's. When I first started doing research on Slade I never asked for Bruce's help. I saw it as my problem and wanted to solve it on my own. Seeing how much more information he had than me, made me wish I had swallowed my pride earlier.

Slade apparently had an active career as a mercenary and assassin before he decided to take over Jump City. I wasn't really that surprised. What did surprise me however was finding out he had other children. Two boys and a girl, all roughly the same age as me. Growing up as an adopted child, I had always wondered if I had any siblings. Now that I knew I had three made me curious. I ultimately pushed the curiosity from my mind. The chance of us having a normal relationship with Slade as our father was likely impossible. And I'm certainly in no hurry to let Slade know that I'm his child.

I looked up at the clock and saw it was already 8:30. I closed down the files and shut of the computer. I briefly think about telling the other Titans about Slade. After all he is one of their villains too. But I realised no good would come from it. They'd be shocked at first, and then they'd feel sorry for me. But then, when we would eventually have to fight him again, they would hesitate. Not sure if I wouldn't want them to hurt him, or if I'd rather fight him by myself.

I shook the thought from my head. I never would have considered telling the Titans before. I had been getting soft since I came back from Gotham. I'd have to keep an eye on that. I left my room and made my way to the Ops Room, maybe seeing the others talking and laughing would make me feel a little better.

As I approached the Ops Room I heard the sound of papers being rustled. This was weird as none of the others read the newspapers, at least not until after I did. And Beast Boy always waited until after I was done reading them before he took out the comics. I paused as I heard them talking.

"Well Beast Boy, I guess that blows your theory out of the water. Who knew Robin had it in him." Cyborg sounded shocked, and at the same time… proud? Happy? It was hard to tell on the opposite side of a door. The fact that it was something about me was a cause for concern. I tried to think of something I had done recently that was news worthy.

"Wow." That was definitely Beast Boy, the only person I know who doesn't attempt to be eloquent when he's shocked. If he was shocked then it had to be something to do with a girl. But I don't think any of the girls I've slept with would go to the press with their stories.

"I… I don't believe it…" Terra said. Deciding I wanted to find out what they were reading I stepped into the room. Starfire was sat at the dinning table; the other Titans were stood in the middle of the room, crowded around a copy of the Daily Planet. They all looked up at me as I entered the room.

Moving with speed I didn't know they possessed, Beast Boy and Cyborg were quickly stood in front of me, both sporting large cheesy grins.

"Dude, I always thought you were secretly getting busy with the ladies, but this is just mind blowing," Cyborg said, clapping both his hands on my shoulders. It took a lot of concentration to stop my knees from buckling under the force.

"Dude, you are a total hero. You're a god amongst men. I never knew you were such a ladies man, you gotta tell me the secrets of your success," Beast Boy said, bobbing up and down with excitement.

"Do you mind telling me what you're talking about?" I asked, looking back and forth between both boys.

Beast Boy shoved the newspaper into my hands. I almost groaned as I looked at the headline. "THE BOY WONDERFUL". I wondered what real news story had been moved to a later page so that gossip could take its place. As I looked at the picture of the girl who talked I did groan. This was the last thing I needed today.

"Dude," Beast Boy said, looking over my shoulder at the picture, "why didn't you tell us you slept with Supergirl?"

I ignored the question as I read through the related story. I couldn't believe this was happening. One of the reasons why I even slept with metahumans, other than the fact that I don't usually meet many regular girls, was because they're secretive by nature, usually only socialising with other metas. Now there was a story about me and my sexual prowess, the last thing I needed to think about with my parental problem still hanging over my head. It was mostly accurate; at least I could live with that, though I was still trying to figure out why she told the paper about it in the first place.

"Is it true that she broke your wrist and bruised your ribs?" Aqua Lad asked, walking over to stand next to Beast Boy. He didn't have the same cheesy grin that the other two boys had, but I could tell that he was just as excited.

"Actually that's the only part that isn't accurate," I said almost automatically, wiping a hand down my face in frustration, "she actually broke my wrist, dislocated my arm, fractured my collar bone, bruised and fractured a couple of ribs, left some deep scratches down my back and gave me some very uncomfortable bruising. She got a little lost in the passion, which is really dangerous when the person is invulnerable and has super strength. I'm lucky to be alive."

"But was it worth it?" Cyborg asked with a lecherous grin.

I didn't answer him. I was too busy wondering what people would think when they read this. My friends, my enemies, the other girls I've slept with. My mind drifted to what the Justice League would say when they found out. The Flash would have pretty much the same reaction as Beast Boy, though probably not as franticly.

"That's what I thought man," Cyborg said with an approving nod, "but why didn't you ever tell us about this?"

"I don't kiss and tell Cyborg, no exceptions no matter how… extraordinary the case maybe." I would have to avoid Hawk Girl for a while. She would accuse me of mistreating women and try to beat some sense into me with her war-mace.

"You don't kiss and tell?" Beast Boy practically yelled, "Dude, I'd be screaming it from the roof tops. I'd get t-shirts printed up. I mean, you slept with a living goddess and it's like you aren't even bothered."

"No exceptions, Beast Boy," I said in a serious tone. Wonder Woman would want to sit me down and have a frank discussion to make sure I was treating women right, and that I was using protection. That was a talk I definitely didn't want to have.

"Maybe Robin just sleeps with so many girls that it isn't that big a deal anymore," Terra said with a frown, her arms folded across her chest.

I momentarily wonder why she's so upset, but decided to focus on that later as the thought of what Superman might do entered my mind. He had a habit of being over protective when it came to Supergirl, so he'd either beat me into a fine paste or just be extremely disappointed in me. I personally hoped for the beating.

"When did this even happen Robin? The newspaper doesn't give that many details, at least not about that," Raven asked. She seemed genuinely curious, though I detected that she was a little upset too.

I really didn't want to tell them, but I knew none of the Titans would leave me alone until I told them something. "It was about three years ago. I was on the Justice League's Satellite waiting for Batman and the others to get back from a mission on Apokolips. Supergirl was keeping me company and one thing led to another…"

"Dude, you're a little player," Cyborg said as he put an arm around my shoulders, "what did the League say when they saw you all banged up?"

"Nothing much. I told them we were sparing and she got a little carried away when she flipped me over her shoulder. They patched me up and sent me home."

Any further questions from the Titans were halted by a call coming in on the Main Screen. As Beast Boy hit the answer button Supergirl's image appeared on the screen, she looked slightly embarrassed, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.

"Hi Robin," she said with a nervous smile. Considering the amount of power she possessed I never thought I'd see her being nervous. "Hi guys," the other Titans just murmured in response, "I err… take it you've already seen the Daily Planet?"

"Yes Kara I have," I didn't say anything else in case I overreacted. I could feel the anger I had pushed down earlier bubbling to the surface. It wasn't that I cared what people thought of me. Not most people anyway. I just didn't like the thought of everyone knowing my private business. And just the thought of what the people I do care about might say… I just hoped they didn't think less of me.

Of course Batman wouldn't say anything. But he would laugh. Not with his mouth though, with his eyes. He had a look that only a few people knew meant he was laughing his ass off on the inside. I'd seen that look a lot more than people would think. A lot more than I'd care for considering how often it's at my expense. I'd been told I have the same look myself. If I have then I probably used it when I talked to him about his movie. There was no way that I wasn't going to see that look soon.

"I never intended for this to happen," Supergirl said, bringing me back from my thoughts with an apologetic smile, "I was telling a friend about what happened while we were in a club the other night and a reporter overheard me. She said I could either tell her the whole story or she would print what she already had. I thought the truth would be better than whatever she had picked up."

I personally thought it would have been better to just take the reporter to the middle of the Sahara desert and leave her there. But I didn't say that out loud.

"It's not the end of the world though is it?" she asked hopefully, "I mean I'm sure you've told more than your fare share of people already…"

"No Kara I haven't. I haven't told anyone."

"Really?" she asked, clearly shocked and confused, "I thought for sure that… not even these guys? I don't believe it."

"I haven't told anybody," I said, trying desperately to contain my anger. It was bad enough everyone knowing about my sex life without her calling me a liar too. "If I had told anyone I would never have to buy myself a drink again."

"You drink?"

My only response was the frown I'd learned off Bruce. It was more than enough to intimidate even her.

"I erm… I have to get going now," Supergirl said with a nervous smile, "I have this… this thing… I have to take care of with the Justice League. I'll… I'll give you a call you later." The image of her cut-out as she hung up.

"I'm going out for a while," I said as I turned around and left the room. I knew the Titans would barrage me with questions if I didn't get out right away. If I didn't leave now I'd end up snapping at them. I didn't want that to happen.

I checked my communicator as I walked towards the elevators. It was specially designed to hold more than two hundreds calls at once, while displaying the number and name of the caller on the screen. So if there were an emergency I could pick which ones to answer and which ones could wait. Almost a hundred calls were waiting to be answered. I knew all of them. I also knew what each of them was calling for. I shut them all off, setting the communicator to only except the emergency frequency that only the Titans and the Justice League knew. Something neither team would abuse just for gossip.

"Robin, can we have a word?" I turned back from the elevator as Terra spoke. She and Raven came down the hall and stood in front of me.

"Look, girls I'm really not in the mood for…"

"What's going on Robin?" Terra asked in an angry tone, "are you just trying to fuck your way through every super heroine in the world?"

"What?" I asked, I couldn't hide the shock in my voice. I wasn't expecting this, "what are you talking…"

"Or is it only certain girls?" Terra interrupted as she crossed her arms, "girls like Supergirl, or Wonder Girl or Jinx maybe? I mean here we are telling you how we feel about you and nothing. And yet you meet that tart Jinx in some club and suddenly you're bumping pelvises with her?"

It took about a second for brain to properly process what she had said. Just over an hour ago she was in my room to see if I was okay. Now suddenly she was yelling at me for sleeping with girls I didn't even know she knew about. "How do you even…"

"You need to calm down Terra," Raven interrupted, placing a hand on Terra's shoulder, "just because Robin has had sex with a few metas doesn't make him some sort of sexual deviant. He just isn't that picky."

"Yeah I…" again, my brain took a second to process what was said, "wait, what do you mean…"

"Or is this all part of some kind of plan?" Terra asked me, shrugging Raven's hand off her shoulder, "I mean why settle for bedding one girl when you can get two together and have yourself a threesome?"

"WAIT A MINUTE," I yelled. The anger I had been pushing down all day was bubbling back up, taking control over my mouth, "you two are the ones that started pursuing me, not the other way around. I didn't ask for the attention, I didn't even particularly want it. And I certainly wasn't the one using crazy potions that cause perverse daydreams. You don't like the fact that I have an active sex life? Fine. But don't you try to insinuate that I started any of this."

As I entered the elevator and pressed the button for the garage I was already regretting what I said. I was going to have to apologise later, but right now I just needed to get out of the tower and cool down.

The image of Batman's laughing eyes followed me all the way to my motorbike.

After I left the tower I went straight to my place in the city. When the Teen Titans first started working in the city, Bruce bought me a penthouse apartment. He did this for two reasons. One was that if I ever had to use my "civilian" identity, then I would have somewhere legitimate that I could call my home. The other reason was so that I could have somewhere to go in case I needed some time to myself. I liked to come here at least once a week.

The place was very modern. Open planed, hardwood floors and the latest entertainment centre. A cleaner was paid to come in once a week, about the same time a grocer came to make sure the kitchen was filled with fresh food. Thankfully all the really important equipment was hidden behind various secret compartments.

I turned off the alarm and entered through the skylight. After making myself a light breakfast I decided to get changed into something more comfortable.

I put on one of the black Armani suits Bruce had purchased for me. It was ideal for moving around any city more easily, no one questioned you when you wear expensive clothing. And no one would be looking for Robin the Boy Wonder in this outfit. After making sure my hair was slicked back and that I wasn't wearing my mask, I left through the front door and made my way out on to the street.

I spent most of the morning wandering through various stores, trying not to look at any newsstand selling Supergirl's story, before stopping off in a book store. I didn't do as much reading nowadays as I did in my youth. There was always something that needed to be done, some training to do, some research to follow up on. I left the place at midday without buying anything - there wasn't much point really.

The Pizza Parlour was my next stop. I could certainly afford to go somewhere more upscale, but I wanted something quick and simple for lunch. The place was virtually empty, but I still picked a table at the back of the room, it made it easier to see who was coming and going. I was happy to see that no one recognised me, not even Amy, the waitress that usually served the Titans.

After my food arrived I was prepared to sit in silence and eat my lunch. I had no such luck however as I spotted Cyborg, Beast Boy, Aqua Lad, Starfire and little Matthew the Wildebeest entering the Parlour.

I was a little worried that they might recognise me. It turned out I needn't have worried, they sat at the second table to my right and didn't even glance at me. I knew why people I know never recognised me out of uniform of course. When they saw me in full Robin gear they didn't see me as a normal person, they only saw me as a hero. The Titans often said that they sometimes forget I'm human. I never knew if I should take that as a complement or not.

I tried to focus on my meal, but the other Titan's conversation took up most of my concentration, mostly because it was about me.

"Dude, I still can't believe he slept with Supergirl," Beast Boy said. Judging by the fact that both Cyborg and Aqua Lad rolled their eyes and sighed in frustration, this was probably about the twentieth time Beast Boy had said that.

"Okay, BB, we get it. You have issues with reality." Cyborg replied as their pizza orders came. He gave flirtatious smile to Amy as he always did. She went back to the counter trying to hide a blush.

"It's just that this morning we were talking about setting the guy up and now we find out he was slipping it to a blonde bombshell," Beast Boy said before shovelling a slice of pizza into his mouth.

I smiled at the thought of the guys wanting me to have a girl. Though I was a little annoyed that they didn't think I could get my own. Although if there was a choice between that and them knowing about my sex life I would have jumped at the chance.

"What do you think Star?" Beast Boy asked after inhaling another slice.

Starfire was sat with Matthew on her lap and a thoughtful look on her face that looked out of place on the alien princess, "I… did not believe it to be real."

"Why? Because you… like Robin?" Aqua Lad asked her. I doubted the others noticed the slightly nervous, slightly jealous tone to his question. Though I personally thought that his affection for Starfire couldn't have been more obvious unless he had her name tattooed across his chest.

"No, I did not believe that the stories of couples in the newspapers were true," Starfire said with a confused frown, "on Tamaran our newspapers come with fanciful stories of couples written by aspiring writers. I believed the ones in Earth newspapers and the glamorous magazines were the same. When I read of friend-Robin and the Supergirl I was shocked that two real people I knew had a story about their coupling. When friend-Robin confirmed it to be true my level of shock reached new heights."

"Is that why you were so quiet this morning?" Beast Boy asked. I was wondering the same thing myself.

"Yes. I was remembering all of the other stories of the moving picture stars I had read, and realised that these stories were now much more interesting. Does this mean that everything in the newspapers are real?" When the other boys nodded, Starfire smiled brightly, "then I must find the boy name Charlie Brown so I might meet his funny dancing canine."

"Okay, maybe not everything is real Star," Beast Boy said with a frown. I smiled to myself, Starfire's innocent ideas always made me feel better.

"So what do you think of Robin and Supergirl, Star?" Aqua Lad asked.

Starfire had a thoughtful look on her face for a minute before she answered, "I think that perhaps friend-Robin should find a sexual partner that does not cause him quite some much physical harm."

The small amount of laughter that escaped my lips was drowned out by Beast Boy and Aqua Lad roaring with laughter.

"Can we please talk about something else please?" Cyborg asked grumpily. His was picking topping off his pizza. Something was obviously troubling him. Normally I would have asked him what was wrong, but I couldn't really do that now. Thankfully Beast Boy was perceptive enough to notice that Cyborg was troubled.

"What's up with you dude? You've been in a weird mood ever since the "Boy Wonderful" took off." I had a feeling this wasn't going to be the last time Beast Boy called me that.

"It's just…" he paused momentarily to let out a heavy sigh, "it's just another thing that he's never told us."

"What do you mean?" Beast Boy asked. I had a sinking feeling that I knew exactly what he meant.

"I mean what do we know about Robin? He has black hair, knows martial arts and is a detective. And that's it. And what does he know about us? Almost everything." Cyborg pushed his plate of pizza away from himself. It was the first time I ever saw Cyborg push away any kind of food that wasn't cook by Starfire or made of Tofu. "I mean we don't know anything. What are his folks like? What was it like working with Batman? What heroes has he met? Has he ever had a girlfriend? What's his real name? Hell, I'd settle for just knowing what colour his eyes are. I think of him as one of my best friends, but I sometimes wonder if he even likes us."

Cyborg's words hit me like a knife in the heart. I barely noticed as the other Titans left the Pizza Parlour as my own guilt washed over me. I couldn't argue with what Cyborg said as it was all true. I had started the Teen Titans so that Raven could have some friends to help in case her father surfaced. I never intended to make any friends myself. If the Titans ever disbanded like Young Justice did, I didn't want to lose contact with another group of people.

But somewhere along the way I had grown fond of all the Titans. Starfire's innocence and childlike joy, Cyborg with his car and his big brother type attitude, Beast Boy always trying to make everyone laugh, Raven and Terra…

But I was still keeping them all at arms length. It was easier to open up to the kids in Young Justice, mostly because of Wonder Girl's influence, which if I'm honest with myself was the only reason I did open up. But now my Titan friends wanted me to be more open. I wanted that too.

But I shook the thought from my head. I had far too much going on in my head already. I paid my bill and left the Parlour and headed to my apartment. I needed to do more than walk around in a fancy suit.

I changed back into my Robin suit and went out on patrol. I moved across the roofs at a lacklustre pace. It wasn't as easy to clear my head as I would have hoped.

Thankfully I soon heard an alarm going off two streets over. My adrenaline kicked in at the very sound of it. I made it over there in record time. As I looked down at my opponents I wished I hadn't bothered.

Fang and Kitten, quite possibly the weirdest couple I had ever encountered, were walking out of the broken remains of the jewellery store door. Fang was wearing a number of rings, bracelets, and necklaces on his four spider-legs, while holding a large bag in his right human hand that was no doubt filled with more jewels. Kitten was wearing a fair amount of jewellery herself, including a large tiara. She had her arm linked with Fang's free hand and was grinning like an idiot.

I was tempted to turn around and head back to my apartment. But my sense of duty wouldn't let, no matter how hard I tried to fight it. I somersaulted off the roof of the building, landing a few feet in front of the couple and giving them my best Batman glare. It didn't work as I hoped it would.

"Hi Robbie-Poo!" Kitten screeched, her eyes lighting up. My skin crawled as she used the dreaded nickname and I resisted the urge to grind my teeth. I definitely wasn't in the mood for this. Which of course meant things would get worse.

"I read about you and that Supertramp in the paper this morning Robbie-Poo," I repressed a shudder, "if I had known you was so good in the sack I would have pursued you more." I couldn't stop my next shudder.

"Dude, you are a total hero," Fang said, giving me thumbs up before his eyes narrowed, "but if you think for a second that my Kitten is going to be another notch on your head-post you have another thing coming."

I'd had enough of this, "don't worry about it Fang. I'm into quality not quantity."

Kitten's playful demeanour switched to blind rage almost instantly. She left Fang's side and charged at me. I easily side stepped her, sticking out my leg and tripping her up. I took no small pleasure in that thought that she landed painfully on all the jewellery she was wearing.

Seeing his girlfriend fall caused Fang to act. Thankfully all the jewellery he was wearing slowed him down considerably. It gave me enough time to get the gas pellet designed specifically for the arachnid boy. With a quick flick of the wrist, I threw the pellet into Fang's face. He dropped to the ground, instantly unconscious.

I turned back to find Kitten back on her feet and lunging at me. I was deciding on what debilitating move to use on her when something surprising happened. A large net shot from the right hand side, wrapping around Kitten and incapacitating her instantly.

I looked up to where the net came from and forced down a groan. A slim, athletic, blonde girl was floating down towards me with aid of a jetpack. She wore a tight deep red jacket, with flame motif around the upper arms and a yellow V that started at her shoulders and ran down to her stomach. She had tight red pants with red thigh length boots. She wore thick red gloves, and a yellow belt with various compartments. Her mask covered the top half of her face, with yellow tinted goggles over her eyes.

She landed next to me with a big smile on her face as though she had done something amazing. I wanted to leave as I could tell this wouldn't end well, but I had to wait for the police to show up and take care of Fang and Kitten. I could hear sirens in the distance; I'd unfortunately be here for at least two more minutes.

"Hi," she said, her voice bubbling with excitement, "I'm…"

"Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Kane, the tennis prodigy," I finished for her, hoping that it would sufficiently intimidate her.

"…Flamebird," she finished with a shocked look on her face, "how the hell do you know my real name?"

"It's my job to know," was the answer I always gave when I didn't want the other person to know the truth. The truth was that Beast Boy hadn't shut up about the young tennis star for almost two weeks. He had watched all her tennis games, and even had a poster of her in her tennis uniform. It was easy for me to spot her features even with the mask on.

"Erm… I'm a huge fan of yours," she said with a nervous smile, "I started with the whole crime fighting thing because of you."

Now that got my interest. The last girl to tell me that she became a vigilante because of me, had died fighting some lunatic. I certainly didn't want another death on my conscience. I had to put her off this idea.

"What do you think of the costume," she asked, giving me a little twirl, "isn't the jetpack great?"

"What happens if you're fifty feet up in the air and the power fails of gets knocked out?" I asked, using the most condescending tone I could, "what happens if it gets shot and blows up on your back?"

"Erm…" she obviously hadn't thought of that, "well, err… that's why I wanted to meet up with you. I thought you could give me some pointers. You know, some advice."

"You want some advice? Go home, throw that costume away, go back to tennis and give up any and all thoughts of being a crime fighter." I turned my back on her and walked over to Fang to make sure he was still out.

"HEY," she yelled, getting indignant, "who… who do you think you are telling me I can't fight crime? What gives you the right?"

The anger I had been trying to keep down all day jumped up out of my throat, "I'll tell you what gives me the right. I spent my entire life training to become a crime fighter. I was learning how to fight as I learned to walk. I gave up on a normal childhood, to become a master detective, gymnast and martial artist. I spent seven years fighting on the streets of Gotham; I've led two super teams and have buried friends, lovers and family, all who died to defend the greater good. I am not some spoiled, rich, bored little tennis star, who decided to try fighting crime after seeing some guy on TV. That's what right I have. Now get out of my sight. And if I ever see you in this costume again, you won't have to worry about the criminals, I'll put you in the hospital myself."

I could see the tears brimming in Flamebird's eyes and her lip trembling, but she still managed to look angry, "fuck you Robin. Fuck you."

Her jetpack lit up and she took off into the air, disappearing over the buildings. I felt a small pang of guilt, but it was a necessary evil. If she still carried on with crime fighting, then at least it wouldn't be because she idealised me.

"That was a little harsh don't you think?"

I turned back to see who spoke, then I looked her up and down, "I never thought I'd hear the day when Jinx would say I was too harsh."

Jinx pouted when I said her name, she must have thought her disguise was foolproof, to anyone else it would have been. She wore a short black wig covering her pink hair, blue contacts over her normal eyes; she had fake tan on to hide her pale skin, and wore a black Armani pants suit. She had a couple of different clothing store bags in her left hand.

"I worked all day on this disguise and you see through it in five seconds," Jinx grumbled.

"It's a gift."

"So… what are you up too?" Jinx asked with a playful smile.

"Trying, but failing, to stop my life from spiralling down into the abyss," I said with a mirthless smile.

"Oh," Jinx said, looking around before turning back to me, "well if you're failing anyway, do you want to come over to my place?"

I was surprised to find out that Jinx's new apartment was across the hall from mine, though I didn't mention this. I knew how much the place cost; it would have taken a hefty chunk out of her million dollar payment from the government. Unless of course she had some money hidden away from before she went to jail. Not that there was anything I could do about it with her government pardon, even if I wanted too.

I sat on Jinx's sofa while she was in the shower getting rid of her fake tan. She came out ten minutes later, her wet hair hanging loose. She gave me soda and sat next to me on the sofa, folding her legs underneath her. We both sat in silence. If she was waiting for me to talk she was going to be waiting for a long time.

"So…" Jinx said finally, "how did you Titans meet anyway? I always imagined you all met in high school, kinda like The Breakfast Club."

"…which one am I then in this scenario?" I asked with half a smile.

"Oh you are definitely the bad boy. Gives me shivers just thinking about it," I laughed in spite of myself, "so what's bothering you Boy Wonder? Does it have something to do with that newspaper story? Because that seemed pretty flattering to me."

I let out heavy sigh, "I was so happy being inconspicuous." I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, "and it's just one of many things that have gone wrong over the past two days. You aren't going to tell your story too are you?"

Jinx had a look on her face as if she was actually thinking about it, "nah… they probably wouldn't pay me enough."

I smiled at her comment. She was obviously trying to cheer me up. And it was working.

"You know what though?" Jinx said as she took my drink and had a sip, "this morning I thought Wonder Girl was the most famous girl you'd had sex with."

I sat up straight and stared at Jinx. How the hell did everyone know about me and Cassandra? "How do you even know about that?"

"Oh she told me all about it at the Tournament," Jinx smiled.

"Who told you… what Tournament?"

Jinx looked as confused as I was, "you mean the girls didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

And then Jinx told me all about the Tournament. Now I understood how Raven and Terra knew. I also understood how Terra must felt. It must have seemed like I was leading them both on while sleeping with every other girl I came across. I now felt even worse for what I said to them both before I left this morning.

It was then that I realised why I had been getting softer recently. At first I thought it might have been the death of my foster father, but it wasn't. it was Raven and Terra, they were getting under my skin. With their vampire confessions and their martial arts training, their missions turned dates and being kidnapped my their emotions. I wasn't even entirely sure it was a bad thing.

I couldn't even think of a reason why a relationship them was a bad idea anymore. Raven being a vampire certainly wasn't a problem, I knew she would never intentionally try to hurt me, and even if she did I already knew several ways to take her down. And no sane male would turn down to opportunity to be with two girl, not even Bruce.

The only thing I could think of was that none of my relationships had lasted very long, and if the relationship did end then two girls would be upset instead of one. But recently I realised even if that did happen they'd still have each other. I just still wasn't sure about my feelings. Seventeen years of repressing your emotions can do that to you.

"What are your thoughts on love Jinx?" I looked at her as I asked the question. She looked shocked at first, then she looked thoughtful.

"I… I'm not sure. Why what are yours?"

It took me longer than her to think about that, "…I used to think that love was only something that could be shared. You know like mother and child, brother and sister, husband and wife. And that people that thought they were in love with someone but that person wasn't in love with them back, weren't really in love, just infatuated. Now I'm not sure what I think."

"Why the change of heart?" Jinx smirked.

I rolled my eyes but answered anyway, "I found out a couple of days ago that someone is in love with me."

"Oh, who is it?" Jinx asked. I gave her a look that told her I wasn't going to tell her that, she seemed to take the hint, "Well, are you in love with them?"

"I don't know," I said with a shrug, "I know I feel something for… her. But I don't know what. It also seems like it would be a really complicated relationship. And with all the other crazy shit going on in my life at the moment…"

Jinx moved up close to me and put an arm over my shoulder, "you know what I think you should do?" she waited till I shook my head before she continued; "you should give it a try. You don't want to be sitting alone in a room twenty years from now wondering what could have been. If it's not meant to be then at least you'll know. Carpe diem, seize the day my friend."

I was surprised, this wasn't the Jinx I used to know, "Thanks Jinx, I think I will." I started to get up when she stopped me.

"But wait. There is one very important thing that you need to do first," Jinx said with a large smile. Before I could ask what, she grabbed my head and kissed me, forcing her tongue in to explore my mouth. When she came up for air, she breathed out lustfully, "I need you to take me into the bedroom and fuck my brains out one last time."

Now this was the Jinx that I knew.

It took almost eight hours before Jinx was sure she "had enough to last her" I tried not to think what she meant by that, but she seemed happy enough. After a shower, which Jinx joined me in for anther few rounds, I put my uniform back on and left through the skylight.

Feeling a lot more relaxed than I had all day, my thoughts finally seemed to be flowing freely.

It had been my experience that really bad, life changing events always happened in threes. First I found out that my parents are Lady Shiva and Slade, something that shook the very foundation of my being and would no doubt haunt me for a long time to come. Then my sex life was exposed, which caused my friends to become upset with me. I wasn't sure if what came next would be worse than these two, I just hoped it happened soon.

My feeling of relaxed calm was quickly fading as I realised this. There was only one way to get it back. I needed to find someone I could beat the crap out off. But I didn't just want some mugger or purse-snatcher; I wanted a murderer or a rapist to be counting the few teeth he had left with his broken fingers. So I made my way to the corner of Victoria and 42nd.

Victoria and 42nd was basically Jump City's red-light district, though it also had a number of seedy hotels where a lot of underhand deals were made. This was the perfect place to find someone to cripple. If there wasn't a gun shot every ten minutes the people that lived here would probably throw a parade.

I was barely sat on a building roof for a minute when I heard gunshots coming from the top floor of the Swan Hotel across the street. I swung across the street, throwing a blackout into the window, black smoke obscuring everything inside. I turned the night-vision lenses in my mask on and swung into the now smashed window.

That's when things went wrong. Some unknown force slammed me into a wall, holding me in place, knocking off the night-vision in my mask. An unnatural wind blew all the smoke out of the broken window. I looked down at what was holding me in place so tightly. When I saw a large, black hand holding me I thought it might have been Raven's work. But this didn't look like her mystical energy; this looked more like a solid, living shadow.

"Hello Robin, it's a pleasure to make you acquaintance."

I noticed the two men standing in the room for the first time. I didn't know the five foot tall man. He was completely bold and had a whisper thin moustache and pointed ears. His shoes, pants and jumper were dark grey. He was twitching nervously, as if he was anticipating something. I had a sinking feeling that it probably involved me.

I did know the other man however. He was known as the Shade, and he worried me. He was six foot tall, wore smart shoes, a black suit, sunglasses, a top hat and a cane. It was his power that was holding me in place. I wasn't sure on what exactly he could do, I just knew it had something to do with controlling shadows.

"I think it is prudent that I introduce us," the Shade said, tipping his hat slightly, "I am the Shade; my companion is known as Multi-Man." I remembered hearing the name somewhere, but I wasn't sure what he could do. "Now, I'm sure you're asking yourself why we've captured you."

I just nodded. I thought it best to conserve my energy for trying to escape. Though after flexing all my muscles I couldn't find a weakness in the large, black hand.

"First of all I must tell you a little about us," the Shade continued, oblivious to my escape attempts, "we are both immortals though each of us also have different abilities. We will far out live any mortal alive today. But in the sort time that we have been immortals, we have grown to dislike it. But I have since found a way to remove these curses. I first tried to get rid of my power alone, however I discovered that whomever I tried to pass this curse onto died, instantly sending the power straight back to me. However I did discover Multi-Man here on my travels. I had intended to pass on my own power to him; however we came to an agreement. You see if we passed his curse onto someone else, then I could pass mine on to the same person. But it has to be to a physically superior person."

I froze. It was alarmingly obvious where this little story was leading, "You mean…"

"We were originally going to go after Batman tonight and use him. However he is currently occupied with the Legion of Doom. We were going to give up and try another night as we had no desire to tangle with the League. But then luckily, for us at least, we happened upon this morning's copy of the Daily Planet, and saw that you had survived an evening of passion with the Kryptonian girl. You seem to be a valid candidate," the Shade smirked.

I ground my teeth silently. Whoever wrote that story was going to pay dearly when I got out of this. If I got out of this.

"Enough talk Shade," Multi-Man said, looking me up and down. He probably doubted this would work, that didn't make me feel any better. I struggled harder against the hand. It didn't help.

"Of course my friend, step forward," I watched curiously as Multi-Man stepped up next to the Shade. My curiosity turned to horror as the Shade's hand sank into Multi-Man's chest, yet left no mark or blood. Dark energy was twisting out of Multi-Man's hand, twisting along the Shade's arm.

My struggles were useless as the Shade's other hand plunged through my body armour and into my chest the same as Multi-Man. I cried out in pain as I felt his hand clutching my heart. The energy from Multi-Man suddenly shot up the Shade's arm, across his body, down the other arm and into my chest. It was pain unlike anything I'd ever experienced before, every nerve in body felt as if it were on fire. The top half of my costume burned away with black fire. I blacked out.

I came back to consciousness fully expecting to be dead; it already felt like I was. I could feel blood dripping out of every orifice on my head. My blurred vision, started to come back into focus, though it was still very fuzzy. Multi-Man, or possibly a hobbit since I was probably hallucinating, was bobbing up and down with excitement.

"It worked, I can't believe it worked," the Multi-Man/hobbit said joyfully. Then he suddenly stopped bouncing, "we have to make sure though. You know what to do Shade?"

"Of course my friend," who I assumed was Shade said, thought it could have been Mr. Peanut. He reached inside his jacket pocket and pulled out what looked like a fish, pointing it at Multi-hobbit, "goodbye."

BANG

The loud bang shocked me. I scrunched up my eyes, to get them to focus properly. As I looked on with fresh eyes I saw it was the Shade and not Mr. Peanut, he had a Desert Eagle, not a fish in his hand, and the man laid on the floor with a hole in his head certainly wasn't a hobbit.

Though I could barely grasp what was happening, I tried to say something, anything. But all that came out of my mouth were a couple of feeble, gargled mumbles. Though it did have the desired effect of having the Shade look at me.

"One last time Robin," I tried to protest, I didn't think my body could take anymore. But again all I could manage was some mumbling, "Don't worry. It'll all be over soon."

This felt different than the first time. Though my veins still felt like they were pumping fire, it also seemed like I was filling up with something. I watched as the shadows from all over the room moved across the floor, up the wall and sank into my skin. I saw the black drain from the Shade's clothing, moving down his arm and into my chest, leaving his clothes pristine white.

Then, what little conscience I had left, noticed the large, black hand melting into my body. And since I had no other support, once the Shade pulled his hand from my chest I dropped to the ground like a dead weight.

I valiantly tried to push myself up on to my hands, as the darkness started to come in around my vision, beckoning me into unconsciousness. My arms wobbled under the strain and I collapsed to my side.

I watched as the Shade took my communicator out of my belt, there was nothing I could do at this point to stop him. Out of my sight I heard him open it and talk to someone.

"Hello, your friend Robin is here with me. We are in the Swan Hotel on Victoria and 42nd. We are on the top floor, room 7B. You'd best hurry; I think he might need some medical attention."

All I heard after that was the sound of the hammer being pulled back on the Desert Eagle as I blacked out.

BANG

To Be Continued…

Author's Notes: Yet another cliff-hanger, I'm going to a special kind of hell. The same place they keep the people that talk during movies.

I don't know how it is in America, but in England gossip takes up more space in the newspapers than actual news. My annoyance at this partially inspired this chapter.

Since Raven is a vampire, and Terra will eventually become one, I wanted to make Robin something else. I wanted him to have similar powers as Raven, but I also wanted him to have something else, which is were Multi-Man comes in. I think some of you will know who the Shade is, but the only person I expect to know who Multi-Man is, is my loyal reviewer leader. But that's only because I think he has read the comic where Nightwing killed the Joker. If anyone else knows who he is I'd be pleasantly surprised. Don't worry if you don't though, I'll be explaining more about him and the Shade in either the next chapter or the one after.

Next Chapter: Death of a Titan… although not exactly.