I don't own Teen Titans.
Robin
"How bad?"
"We do not yet know, I'm afraid."
His heart leaps into his throat and his stomach drops onto the floor.
"How?" is all he can manage.
"The Joker," Alfred answers.
For a few seconds, Robin is lost. Lost in his memories of the redheaded beauty that was his first female partner, his first crush, his first kiss, his first actual girlfriend, and his first messy breakup.
He feels stirring on the couch as Raven moves closer, and immediately, he snaps back to the moment.
"What can I do?" he says.
"The master has requested your presence."
"I'm on my way."
"Please hurry."
The comm cuts off and Robin is already on his feet, heading for the elevator.
Raven follows right on his heels. They reach the elevator and Robin quickly presses a button. The doors close and gravity shifts as the elevator makes its journey.
"Robin," she says.
For the first time since he got the call, he turns to look at her.
"What's going on?"
"Miss Gor- Barbara is the daughter of Gotham City's police commissioner, and she is my friend."
She nods, trying to be reassuring.
"I'm taking the T-ship," he says. "It's the fastest way there."
She nods.
"I'm coming with you," she says.
He looks at her for a second, then shakes his head.
"No," he says. "You're needed here."
"I'm coming. With. You." Her voice firm, and determined.
"You're needed here," he says pleadingly. "We're already down by one member. BB and Cyborg can't handle it all on their own. They need you, Raven."
Terrible sorrow crosses her face, then is gone; replaced by a mask of false calm. She nods a yes and pulls her cloak over her head.
A few minutes later and Robin is in the cockpit, flying through the stormy night sky.
He had strapped himself in, and ran through a rushed pre-flight check. He hovered for just moment, and waved to Raven as she stood there, watching him go. That image of her would haunt him for a long time.
He pushes the T-ship to its limits. It seems an eternity at breakneck speed, but he finally arrives at Gotham General Hospital. He sets the ship to hover and removes his mask, stuffing it into his pants pocket. He sets the autopilot to fly in a holding pattern around the hospital, then hops out, falling briefly, then landing on the roof of the hospital. Light starts making its way into the black of the horizon. Sun's coming.
He makes his way down a gray flight of stairs, careful not to be discovered, then exits the staircase into a bright white hallway. The smell of rubbing alcohol overwhelms him. Nurses and doctors bustle about the busy floor. He feels naked being in public without his mask on and he has to keep reminding himself that he's not Robin right now. He's just plain old Dick. It seems like forever since he was just Dick.
Dick, the young ward of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. Dick, the aloof teen of privilege. Dick, the normal guy walking through a hospital in a hoody and black sweats.
Dick assumes the walk of someone who belongs, blending into the environment and crowd. He passes an olive skinned nurse in floral patterned scrubs.
She pays him no mind and goes about her work.
He turns into an elevator and pushes for the doors to close. He grabs his T-com out of his pocket and activates it.
"I'm here, Alfred," he says. "Which floor?"
A few minutes later, Dick rounds a corner and is met with a giant hug from his old friend. Tall, slender, balding white hair and wears a crisp suit like you would see on Downton Abbey.
"It is good to see you, master, Richard," Alfred says. "Though I wish the circumstances were better."
"Yeah," Dick says. "Me too."
He reluctantly breaks the hug.
"How is she?" he says.
"She is out of surgery and doing well."
He breathes an involuntary sigh of relief.
"The bullet hit her spine," Alfred says. "They fear she shall never walk again."
"Oh, Alfred..." he trails off.
Alfred takes him by the shoulders and guides him to a few chairs next to some plants. He sits down and Alfred kneels in front of him.
"She knew the risks of this life when she chose it" Alfred says.
"But Alfred-"
"It will be okay, child."
He keeps his hands on his shoulders for a few seconds more.
"Where's the commissioner?" Dick says after a time.
"Taken," Alfed says. "By the Joker."
"What? I should be helping Batman find them."
"Just stay here and rest. She will need someone here when she wakes up. A nurse will be along when you can see her."
Normally, they probably wouldn't let you visit a patient so early after spinal surgery, but when you're the ward of the great billionaire Bruce Wayne, people tend to bend the rules a little. Not that Dick would ever take advantage.
He nods.
"Is she still in danger from Joker's crew?"
"We do not know for sure, so assume that is so, and stay on your toes. I go to help the master."
Alfred stands back up to his full height and straightens his black dinner jacket, then nods and strides down the white hallway.
(******)
Raven
Raven tosses and turns in her bed. They need you, Raven, Robin's voice echoes in her mind.
He couldn't have known how much him not needing her had hurt. He was right though. There can be no denying that, without her to babysit them, BB and Cyborg would probably burn the whole tower down in about twenty minutes and in honesty, Robin wouldn't need her. His friend has been shot. He'll probably just sit at the hospital and wait for news. It's not like he'll be walking through the valley of the shadow of death, or anything. She tries to reassure herself, but can't shake the growing anxiety.
She had watched him fly off into the night, then she woke up Cyborg and Beast Boy. She told them about Robin's urgent departure and that they'd be without their leader for the time being, then she went back to bed.
She feels hot, so she throws the covers off, then feels cold, so she pulls them back up. She grumbles under her breath and yawns again. She says a quick prayer for Robin, his safety and his friend's safety. She pleads for just a little bit of shut eye. She focuses on the bond- that warm feeling in her chest that says she's never alone. Her troubles fall away and her mind calms. She drifts off to sleep with images of a certain boy wonder running through her mind.
(******)
Robin
Time had blurred by for Dick, sitting in that chair, his body begging for rest, but his mind unwilling to grant it while there may still be danger. He noted everyone coming and going, all the nurses, all the doctors, even the janitors; especially the janitors. He watched everything, saw everything.
Finally, a nurse finds him and tells him that he can see her. She leads him to a small private room with armed guards at the door. He knows them from many police functions that he and Bruce attended and of course from when he dated Barbara. They nod and let him enter without a word. The lighting is dimmed to a warm glow rather than the stark white one would expect. Next to the bed is a window that peers out to the city skyline, across from that is a flatscreen tv mounted on the wall.
Dick enters the room and sits down on the cushioned chair next to the bed. He hasn't looked up at her yet, steeling himself for the sight. He finally looks up and it takes all his self control to hold a straight face. Oh, Babs...
Tubes and wires go from her body to various machines that beep and whistle. He's seen them all before, too many times. She hasn't awoken yet, and now he realizes that he got the hard job. She's going to wake up and it'll be his job to tell her that her father's been kidnapped by the murdering psychopath who shot her. She doesn't deserve this.
Their breakup hadn't exactly been mutual. When Dick broke away from Batman, he hadn't intended to lose Barbara too. Looking back, he should have known that her loyalty was to Batman. She refused to see him, stopped returning his phone calls, and even un-friended him on facebook. She completely cut him out of her life. That's why he left Gotham for Jump City. He didn't intend to make friends there. He didn't intend to form relationships. He was looking forward to working alone. But life doesn't always go as planned.
After a long while, Barbara finally reached out to apologize for her behavior. They've had a tentative friendship since then.
The red-headed beauty stirs on the hospital bed, breaking Dick out of his thoughts. He leans forward and takes her hand in his, trying with everything in him to put on a reassuring smile.
"Dick?" she croaks.
"Hey, Babs," he says.
"What are you doing here?"
"You think I wouldn't come when my friend gets shot?"
She smiles weakly at him.
"Thanks," she says.
He nods and she looks around.
"Where's dad?" she says.
He takes a breathe and holds her gaze.
"The Joker took him."
Her face goes even paler and the machines start freaking out. She does not take the news well, and it takes a tremendous amount of effort for Dick to calm her.
"Stop," he says. "Batman is hunting. He'll find them and bring your dad back. You know he will. He doesn't know how to fail."
She swallows and nods. The machines return back to normal after a few seconds.
"If you need anything," he says. "I can ask the nurses."
A middle-aged man wearing a long white coat walks in. He tells Barbara that he's her doctor and then moves to check the machines readouts.
A nurse with short blonde hair and light pink scrubs walks in and goes right to the doctor. They talk in hushed tones, then turn to Barbara.
"Nurse Jones is going to give you something to help you rest, okay? We'll talk more in the afternoon," the man says.
He turns his back and walks out of the room.
The blonde nurse walks over to the I.V and prepares to inject a drug in it.
"Excuse me," Dick says. "What is that?"
"It's just a light sedative," she says.
"I'd like to see that for myself, if I could."
He tries to sound polite, but he's tired and on edge. He wouldn't be surprised if it came out like a threat.
"If you're implying that I would deliberately harm a patient-"
Dick holds his hand up.
"Ma'am, this is Gotham City. Sometimes bad things happen here."
The nurse raises an eyebrow, then rounds the bed and hands Dick the bottle.
His eyes scan it quickly, noting that it is in fact what she claimed it was. He offers it back to her, then offers an apologetic smile.
"Carry on, please," he says.
The nurse nods and rounds the bed. She does her work, then excuses herself.
"Dick," Barbara says. "What if they come for me while I'm here?"
"Now, you listen to me, if they come for you, then every single one of them will wind up laying broken on a bed somewhere in this place."
She smirks slightly.
"I'll stay with you until he comes back with your dad, okay?"
She nods and her eyes start to fall.
"Rest, Babs. Just rest."
Her eyes close and her face relaxes as she passes out.
Dick sits back in the chair, ruffling his short hair. That had gone better than he expected. His heart breaks for Barbara. What will happen if the Joker kills her dad? Would Bruce take her in? He'd have to, wouldn't he?
His mind reels from the events of the last few hours and he remembers how it all started with a nightmare. He's tempted to call Raven, but she'll probably be asleep. She was so tired when he left her. He wishes he hadn't had to leave her, but it was the right decision and that is of some comfort.
An hour later, a well built, white haired man rushes through the door, going right to the bedside without even noticing Dick was there.
"Oh, Barbara!" the man says.
Tears stream down his eyes and he leans heavily on the bed.
Dick has never seen commissioner Gordon so distraught. He feels like he's intruding on a private family moment and tries to discreetly leave the room.
"Thank you," Gordon shouts behind him.
Dick halts at the door. I guess he did notice me.
"I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you being here for her," Gordon says.
"It's what friends are for, sir."
With that, he steps quietly away.
(******)
Raven
"Where in the world did all these rats come from?" Cyborg says.
Rats march down the streets like the stream of a river.
"Get offa me!" Beast Boy shouts, then transforms into an eagle and flies.
Standing back to back with Cyborg, Raven tries to survey the area from her position next to the T-car, but can't see anything but rats everywhere. Finally she spots a man wearing a green cloak, standing on a rooftop, playing a flute. She remembers Robin showing her images of the Pied Piper and telling her something about him using his flute to control not just rats, but people too.
Raven holds back a chuckle as Speedy screams and rushes away from a sea of rushing rats, wearing his red outfit and yellow hat.
After waking up, Raven had been tempted to check the tower for Robin, but she knew he wouldn't be back yet. She was tempted to call him, but figured that he would be busy and didn't want to bother him, so she went to the living room to check on BB and Cyborg. She found Speedy there, grinning like he owned the place. Her anger flared immediately. Cyborg explained that he had called Speedy the night before and asked him to come help out while Robin was away.
But Raven knew that Speedy had other plans. It was the look in his eye, the smirk on his lips and the cocky strut when he walked up to her. Raven knew that he was always jealous of Robin; she had seen it every time the two were in a room together. The thought of that arrogant pug going around the tower in Robin's absence, acting like he owns it; it makes her skin crawl.
A flash of pain and the sense of falling breaks her from her thoughts. Her head hits the ground and she feels dizzy. A man stands over her with a baseball bat, a blank look in his eyes; like there's nobody home behind them. Two more large men enter her now fuzzy vision, each with the same blank eyes. The Piper, she tells herself. The Piper is controlling them.
Cyborg knocks one of them away with the swing of his massive arm, then he is engulfed by a sea of rodents.
Instinct kicks in and Raven, forms a black bubble of energy around herself, then hovers a few feet above the fray.
"Alright," Cyborg says. "That's IT!"
A blue blast explodes from the ground and Cyborg stands up, picking rodents off his back, neck and shoulders.
"Cyborg!" Raven says. "The guy on that building!"
She points to the Piper.
"Titans, GO!" Cyborg shouts.
Beast Boy flies next to Raven, heading for the building as an eagle, then crows fill the sky, blocking their path.
Cyborg sprints across the ground, then halts as a sea of people block off the street.
"His flute," Raven says. "That's how he's doing this."
Three red feathered arrows plant themselves in the middle of the people blocking Cyborg off. A cloud of smoke envelopes nearly the whole crowd, making it possible for Cyborg to get through. At least Speedy did something.
The crows split their attention between the ground and the air, giving Raven an opening. She wills herself faster, weaving through massive groupings of black birds, looking to peck her eyes out. She lands in front of the green cloaked Piper.
"Enough of this," she growls. "It's over."
The Piper changes tunes.
Raven starts to feel even dizzier and her arms and legs go heavy.
The Piper stalks towards her ever so slowly, coming closer and closer.
She can feel her will sleeping and feel his music breaking into her mind, hypnotizing her. She can't seem to keep her eyes open and she has to fight to stay conscious.
He continues to come closer, now only a step away. He grins and plays softer.
Raven stands on wobbly legs as her knees go weak. She can no longer feel her arms and her vision is going dark. Panic hammers her heart at the realization that this could be her last moments and at the horrible, evil, disgusting things that the Piper may make her do. She can't seem to fight the music burrowing into her brain, so she tries a different tack: she pictures Robin. His face, his smile, heck, even his mask.
"Azarath, metrion, zinthos!" she hears herself say.
A great blast of black energy emanates from her body, sending the piper flying back, landing a good fifteen feet away.
His music stops.
She blinks a few times to focus, then stomps towards the piper, teeth bared.
The piper rolls to see her coming at him. He raises his flute to his mouth, then it turns black and flies from his hands.
"No one. Messes. With my. Mind!" she says.
A black bubble envelopes the piper and his loud screams echo in the distance.
Author's Note
Well, that was part two. I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm still a bit sick, but nothing like before, so if you see spelling/grammar mistakes, it's prolly just me. Sorry.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate. I hope you review to let me know how I'm doing.
Raven is the daughter of a demon, I figure she kinda has to believe in God, so I simply said she prays. As to what God, or any of that, I shall leave that up to your imaginations. It doesn't have to go any further than that. I promise I won't preach at you. I'm just trying to write a good fanfic.
Thank you Templetongal, I'm so glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for the kind wishes, it is much appreciated.
Thank you ahsokalo for the review. If you think Robin has it rough now, just you wait.
Thank you TexMurphy! The Raven/Robin scene was meant to be the "meat" of the opening, so if you enjoyed it, then mission accomplished. I have to agree with you, the Starfire part was a bit heavy handed. I hate love triangles- I really, really do. I tried not to be heavy handed, but the Starfire plot serves a lot more to the plot than just getting her out of the way. You'll see what I mean as the story progresses. Thanks so much for giving me a chance and letting me know honestly how I did. I appreciate it so very much!
Thank you ahsokalo for favoriting.
Thank you H'sfreedom, acj27, TexMurphy, nnasivad, psychic,soul, ahsokalo, and templetongal for following.
And thank you everyone who bothered to read so far, you are all awesome people! And thanks for being an awesome fandom!
PS: Any suggestions on the summery? I don't think it's very good.