A/N Sorry for the wait, guys. I lost my inspiration for a while, but no worries, I have it back now. Anyways...

Disclaimer This is...what? The eighth time? Do I even have to say it anymore? ...Fine. I don't own Teen Titans.

~Aiva

Robin opened his eyes groggily, then sat up quickly, glancing around the room wildly as he remembered what had happened. He relaxed some as he recognized the familiar interior of his room. Rubbing his throbbing head, he made a move to stand, but the door swung open then. Starfire rushed in, forcing him to lie back down even as she hugged him. "Robin!" she cried out cheerfully. "You are awake!"

"Starfire, what happened?" Robin asked urgently. "Where's Slade?" Starfire shrugged hesitantly.

"He…disappeared," she explained slowly. Robin nodded; he had expected as much. Absently, he rubbed his arm, where new cuts and bruises overlaid the faded scars already there. Apparently, marks from Slade never truly disappeared after all. Starfire, as if sensing the dark emotions within him, hugged him tighter. "We are victorious, Robin," she reminded him softly. Robin nodded again, keeping his doubts to himself. He was sure they would see Slade again. He just wasn't so sure about the outcome. One thing was for certain though; this was far from over.

"Robin…I am sorry we were not there," Starfire said after a moment, guilt clear in her voice. "I should have been there to help. Instead, I was absent. I could not find you." Robin smiled at her, an odd gesture considering what he had just been through. "But Starfire," he whispered. He broke the sentence in half as he kissed her briefly on the cheek. "You did find me," he finished. "Just like before."

Starfire touched the tingling spot where his lips had made contact with her fingertips gently, as if confused or surprised. Then her face lit up, and she wrapped her arms around Robin again, kissing him back. This one lasted longer as each of them savored the moment; it was just the two of them, together, in each other's arms. Just the way it was supposed to be.

Outside the room, they could hear snickering, and then the overdramatic sound of gagging. "Gross!" Beast Boy exclaimed, screwing up his face in what could be taken as disgust. "Dude, you just kissed! That's….ew!" he added, apparently unable to finish the sentence. Raven was glaring at him from the hallway while Cyborg seemed to be fighting the urge to either facepalm, or react the same way as Beast Boy. Finally, he settled on glaring at Beast Boy like Raven was. "BB!" he scolded. "I told you not to spy on them!"

Beast Boy's mouth fell open. "Dude, that's so not fair! It was your idea too!" As the argument escalated, Starfire and Robin shared a small, secret smile. Though, yeah, it was kind of embarrassing to have Beast Boy gagging behind them, the two teenagers knew that they would still treasure this moment. They were both together, happy for one brief moment. And as Starfire slipped her hand into Robin's, both of them knew they wouldn't have it any other way.

Robin was training again. Since recovering – again – he had spent a lot of time in the training area. His experiences were obviously still bugging him. "Where is your fight, little bird?" Robin gritted his teeth, feeling hatred bubble up inside of him as he launched himself at the training dummy in front of him. With every blow, he imagined the dummy was Slade. He continued to strike, letting his fury course through him freely. Eventually, the dummy was reduced to little more than scraps of firm cloth and filling, not even really recognizable.

Robin stared down at what he had done, a cold satisfaction rising up within him. "This 'little bird' is going to find you, Slade," he thought silently, "And then I'll show you my fight." Then he fully looked at the damage he had inflicted, and winced. Could he really do that to someone? Thinking about Slade, Robin had to admit the answer was a yes. He felt somewhat guilty thinking that; had torture really reduced him to that? He was supposed to be strong; no matter what he was forced to go through, he had to remain a hero. And that meant not hurting anyone like that, no matter how much dark satisfaction it would give him.

Robin turned away, expression unreadable behind his mask. Emotions raged within him, conflicting and confusing. After a silent, agonized moment, Robin shook his head and walked out of the room, leaving nothing but the broken form of the dummy behind him.

"Robin!" Starfire called as he left the room. "If you are done training now, may we do-"

"Not right now, Starfire," Robin interrupted quietly. "Not right now." He walked further down the hall, once again just wanting to be alone. This time, though, he would be sure to stay inside the tower. Robin escaped to where he had once before; the roof of the tower. Staring at the city, he allowed his mind to wander, thoughts colliding against each other randomly. He rested his arms lightly across his knees as he pulled his cape tighter around himself to fight off the chill of the wind and the darkness that haunted his mind.

He heard light, tentative footsteps behind him. Robin didn't turn around. "Robin?" Starfire asked hesitantly. When she received no response, she sat down next to him silently. Knowing her next question would be asking if he wanted to talk, Robin let out a small sigh. Then as a fresh onslaught of memories washed over him, he decided to spill. "He said he was going to come after you too," Robin recalled quietly, an edge to his voice. It was an edge of fear, the almost overpowering terror that he was going to lose someone all over again. He couldn't let that happen.

"He will not hurt us, Robin," Starfire assured him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Robin shrugged it off as sudden anger coursed through him. "Maybe you're wrong!" he practically shouted. Breathing hard, he looked down as he added, "I can't watch anyone else fall." Starfire frowned.

"Fall? No one has fallen," she said, confused. Robin shook his head, a bitter, grieved look on his face. "Yes, they have," he whispered. "They fell, and I couldn't do anything."

"Who fell, Robin?" Starfire asked as she wrapped her arms around the obviously anguished teenager. He didn't bother to move away this time, allowing her to hug him. "They did," Robin whispered, breaths jerked harshly out of him. Then realizing that answer might not be helpful, he swallowed hard, forcing himself to say it. "My parents."

Starfire, though concern was dominant, couldn't help but feel curious; Robin had never shared his past. But the memories were quite clearly troubling him, disturbing him deeply. "You do not have to tell me," she replied softly.

"I have to tell someone," Robin replied, shaking his head. "When I was little, I was…part of a circus," he began, voice faltering as he stumbled over the words. "Me and my parents were acrobats. I-it was just a normal performance. I couldn't have known anything would go wrong." Robin was pleading, as if trying to convince Starfire it wasn't his fault. And trying to convince himself.

"It was not your fault," Starfire assured him gently.

"But…they fell. The line snapped, and they just…fell," Robin shivered, a small tear leaking out of the bottom of his mask and dripping down his cheek. The memories still hurt, worse than any one of Slade's blows. "Then…they hit the bottom. I saw them, their faces before they fell. That's the last thing I ever saw of them before they…before they…" Robin was unable to finish, voice breaking off painfully. "Then Batman took me in," he finally continued. It was really the first time he had spoken of Batman in front of the team. "Gave me a home…a father. That's when I became Robin. That's when I was able to become a hero. Without that…without him…I don't think I could've gotten over it."

Robin took a deep breath, then pulled away from Starfire, though he remained facing her. Slowly, he pulled off his mask, revealing his secret identity for the first time. Clear blue eyes met Starfire's green ones. "My name is Dick," he said quietly. "Dick Grayson." Starfire stayed silent for a moment, then rushed to embrace him again.

"Dick…"she whispered quietly into his ear, as if trying out the name. She glanced at his face, amazed at how much more open and vulnerable he looked without the mask. Bright blue eyes stared back at her, and Starfire found herself drowning pleasantly within their depths. Dick cleared his throat awkwardly, then replaced his mask, as if uncomfortable to have it off for even a few minutes. "Don't tell the others yet," Robin finally said. "I mean, I trust them, but…" unable to explain himself, he allowed his voice to trail off.

"Robin…Dick…your secret is safe with me," Starfire responded quietly as she kissed him lightly.

It was a few hours after Starfire had left. Robin had opted to stay behind on the roof, even though with night approaching it was growing quickly colder. He merely paced a bit faster along the edge, too lost in thought to really notice the low temperatures. He couldn't let the team get hurt, just on his account. Slade wouldn't hesitate to do it; he had proved that before. So as Robin paced the rooftop, sky darkening along with his thoughts, he came to the conclusion that he'd have to go out and find Slade himself. Robin had to find him and end this before anyone else got hurt. Robin slowly headed back inside the tower. He wouldn't go right now; the team might still be awake, for one. But soon. Tomorrow, perhaps.

As Robin slipped into his room, lying down on his bed silently, he allowed his thoughts to consume him for just a brief moment. The thought of confronting Slade again made the Boy Wonder shiver slightly, and he rubbed his arms where cuts and bruises, though fading, still lingered. Even if he didn't succeed, even if he…didn't make it, maybe his death would be enough to save the team. Robin could hope.

Because as he laid there, shadows growing and creeping along his walls, he knew it was his responsibility. It always had been, really. He had to protect the others. He was their leader. He was their friend.

And he couldn't let anyone else fall.

A/N Ooooh...so is our little Robin really going out to face Slade? Okay, brief note here; I would really appreciate some reviews. I only got ONE review for the last chapter...ONE. That's...kind of pathetic. I'm not trying to sound whiny here or anything, I just don't have much motivation if I don't think people are reading. So...review?