A/N: Wow, I say I'll update sooner and then don't update- I suck, I'm sorry! MORE CHAPTERS ARE COMING AND I'M GOING TO FINISH THIS STORY. I swear and you are free to be very angry with me if I don't do so (assuming you haven't already given up on me which is within your rights).
Barbara finished brushing her teeth and crept silently (with practiced ease) back into her room, closing the door once more and crawling into her bed. Her eyes were only beginning to flutter with sleep when her communicator began flashing.
"Batgirl here," she half groaned into the device.
"Slade escaped, went right through the Titans to do it." Barbara sat up quickly at Bruce's statement.
"Are they alright?" Bruce gave a positive grunt. "Good. I'll be at the cave in fifteen at the latest."
"How's Beastboy?" Cyborg asked as he entered the medical bay with Starfire at his heals. Raven stepped away from the bed Dick was sitting on, lowering her hands from his head.
"I think I'm doing pretty well!" Beastboy offered, starting to sit up but quickly leaning back on his pillows as Raven shot him a glare.
"He needs rest," Raven stated. "But there shouldn't be any lingering damage. The lack of a brain still can't be reversed."
"HEY!"
"Any progress on Slade?" Dick injected before the argument could continue.
"No luck so far," Cyborg replied. "He appears to have dropped back off the grid." Dick nodded, hopping off the bed and starting for the door only to find Starfire and Cyborg in his way.
"Friend Robin, you should not stress yourself with your evidence stacks," Starfire said. "We shall order the pizza and embrace the 'gelling.'" Dick opened his mouth to protest but the Tameranian drug him from the room.
"NO MEAT ON THE PIZZA!" Beastboy called as the doors shut. Cyborg took one look at the younger boy before racing out of the room.
"Can I order the pizza?" he demanded as he caught up with Starfire and Dick. Both shrugged. "MEAT LOVER'S SPECIAL!" Cyborg seized the phone from the counter in the kitchen.
"Make sure there's something vegetarian too," Dick requested as he was drug to the couch and pushed onto it by Starfire. "Beastboy did just about get blown up."
"Shall we watch the action movies?"
"Star, I'm not sure more explosions-" The doors swished open.
"Beastboy demands vegetarian pizza," Raven stated before walking over to the couch. "Where is my book?"
"Which book?" Dick asked as he looked around.
"Can I have a large- or do we want an extra large guys?"
"Oh! Perhaps we shall watch a flick of chicks!"
"The one you three threw across the room while you played videogames."
"Raven, I didn't throw-"
"Extra-large meat lover's then, and then do you have anything for weird people who don't eat meat?"
"Cyborg, if you read books instead of throwing them you'd know they're called vegetarians," Raven snapped as she overturned cushions with her powers to look for her book. Dick was looking under the couch.
"Why do we care about this Hannah from Montana?"
"No one wants to watch that movie Starfire," Cyborg called before putting the phone back to his ear. "Yeah, probably a small one of those then too."
"What- do I want to know?" All four Titans froze and turned to face the red-head who had appeared on the screen with one eyebrow cocked beneath her cowl.
"Dinner," Dick replied, getting up from where he was looking under the counter and crossing his arms to look a little more put together.
"I take it you don't have any idea where Slade went?" Barbara stated.
"We'll figure it out."
"Can you keep us in the loop? Since he's clearly made himself our problem too."
"We have it handled." Barbara crossed her arms to mirror Dick's position.
"We want to help."
"We don't need help." The two paused for a second.
"Robin."
"Batgirl." The two glared at each other while Starfire and Cyborg glanced between the black haired teen and the girl on the screen. Raven just quirked an eyebrow as she watched. Barbara gave a small frustrated growl then the screen went blank.
"Why do we not want to talk to the Girl of Bats?" Dick shook his head as he sat back on the couch with Starfire.
"I just don't want to waste time talking Batman through our operations." He turned to Raven. "Hey, didn't the book land out in the hallway?"
The pizza had arrived, and after a good ten minutes of badginging, Beastboy had been allowed out of the infirmary to join the rest of the team on the couch as they all watched the movie Starfire had selected.
"Star, I'm impressed with your movie selection," Cyborg offered as he munched up the rest of the popcorn from his giant bowl. "Get Smart's super funny." Beastboy let out a loud snore from his spot on Cyborg's shoulder. Starfire looked a little hurt.
"I told him he needed to just sleep," Raven grumbled, shooting the green teen an irritated look over the top of her novel (which had been located in the hallway earlier). "Idiot." Cyborg laughed.
"I do not understand. Why did he inhale the dart?" Cyborg turned to face Starfire who was sitting on the same side of him as Beastboy.
"It's the joke Star." Starfire nodded and turned to Dick.
"Are you not enjoying the movie?" Dick jerked his head back up, covering his yawn with the back of his green gloved hand.
"I'm just a little tired," he mumbled. "It's a good movie." Starfire seemed appeased and returned to watching the screen while Dick leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes again only to jerk back awake a few minutes later as the TV emitted a clattering noise and Cyborg and Starfire laughed. He caught Raven raising an eyebrow at him on the other side of the couch. He nodded at her and stood up. "I think I'm going to bed before I wind up like Beastboy." He waved to his teammates before heading for his room.
Dick was about to climb into bed when he paused at the sight of his open closet. He made his way over and gingerly picked up the cardboard box again before walking back to his bed and placing it on his lap. He laid the old uniform and communicator next to him before taking a closer look at the photos. There were a few of a cross looking Alfred- Dick was fairly sure it was the time he'd broken a chandelier by swinging on it and Barbara had decided to take pictures for unknown reasons. He found another of him and Barbara sprawled on the training mat side by side staring at the ceiling of the Cave as one might stare at stars. Things changed. He laughed dryly as he moved to the next picture.
The angle was rather strange as though the photographer was shaking (Dick figured it was with laughter) but you could still make out Bruce laughing as he ruffled the hair of a younger version of Dick who was trying to escape the headlock but failing due to peals of laughter. Dick grinned. He was pretty sure this was the only picture of Bruce that had made it into his box due to the anger at his mentor that triggered the move in the first place. 'he's shutting himself off from the rest of society. He's barely talking…' Dick put the photos down with a sigh and closed his eyes against the words. 'Alfred always makes extra for Monday night dinners.' Dick allowed himself a small smile- he was going to have to take Bruce up on that.
This resolution made Dick feel better as he started packing the memories back in the box. He'd find time then to talk to Barbara too; their friendship had always been easy and natural and he owed it to both of them to fix what he'd broken. He finished packing everything in the box and shut it before putting it on the desk to be returned to its hiding spot in the moment. He then climbed into bed and sleep overtook him shortly after his head hit the pillow and didn't relinquish its hold for the faint beeps escaping the box.
