FudoTwin17: Hey, guys. I wasn't planning on updating this in a while (hoping that nothing big would happen), but today I realized that my knee was swelling up again. That's really, really bad. The entire day I was freaking out it was so bad. I started limping again and everything. Plus, I didn't have the brace, not good at all. Plus, I think I'm sick or have some food poisoning or something. It's bad as well. And on top of that, my sister is making me angry. She acts like she's God and like me and my parents should bow down to her. When I told her straight out that she wasn't any better than the rest of the human race, she slapped me and claimed that I should learn my place. She has gotten on my last nerve, and she also said that I should stay away from Superheroes, because they make me "forget who's above me" and crap. So, I'm updating to relieve the stress. Anyway, I want to thank all of you for reviewing. Thank you to Alex Skywalker, Mixxi, The Strong Silver Flower, Batmanfan2400, PrincessLazyPants, Cunningham0208487, WriteOnForever, Fighter1357, Robin Fan Forever, Aranel43, dreamwritergoddess, Emarie, and InvisibleNinja1234. Thank you all for reviewing my last chapter! It makes my life so much easier.

The Story

A twelve year old Robin cackled as he jumped from building to building. He was enjoying patrol too much for his own good, but that didn't stop him. This was his life. This was his job and it was what he wanted to do.

He could hear the hum of the Batmobile from below him. They were on their way to a site that the Joker had been sighted stealing a number of crates. For the Joker, that was odd, but the dynamic duo went anyway, doing their job.

It wasn't long before the two had made it to the storage facility. Robin dropped down beside Batman, nodding in understanding when Batman gave him a look. He went to the roof quietly, ready to bust in as soon as Batman gave the signal.

Megan frowned. "How did you know what he meant?"

"It's batspeak." Wally answered for Robin. "Go on."

Robin glared at Wally, knowing that Megan wouldn't be able to handle it at that moment. He didn't really expect them to be quiet all the way through, but at least they were being quieter than they might have been had he not told them not to. He began again.

Finding a window on the roof that he could use to see the signal and enter though, Robin watched and waited. The Joker was laughing and talking to Harley-

"Who's Harley?" Conner interrupted curiously.

Before anyone else answered, Robin quickly replied. "She's the Joker's girlfriend. She's a little more sane than the Joker and has an accent."

"Like this!" Wally said, gaining strange looks.

"I can't wait 'till Bats and the boy blunder get here!" The Joker said excitedly, examining a body on the floor. It was a young man with a cell in his hand. Robin figured that the call was fake and he had just forced the guy to call and killed him afterward. Which brought up the question of what they were really doing there.

But Robin didn't question it too much as Batman had just sent the signal, a flash of his cape.

"I just can't wait! Think we'll have fun, Mr. J?" Harley asked.

"Of course, my little clown! We'll have the best time in the world!" Then the Joker laughed, moving over to grab her hand. She sighed in an overly romantic way.

Quietly, Robin slipped in, moving through the rafters and waiting for Batman to make the first move. And indeed he did. A batarang flew from his mentor's hand and hit the Joker. He turned, smiling his signature, insane smile with a touch of laughter in his cruel eyes. "Hey, Batsie! Long time no see!"

Robin let out a cackle as he launched himself through the air and landed next to his mentor as they stepped into the light.

"Finally!" Harley smiled. "You show yourselves!" She let out a little giggle, smiling at the Joker. "Now, boss?"

The Joker smiled. "Go ahead, Harley!"

The room filled with a dim green fog. He and Batman managed to get out their gas masks, but not in time to save them from it. The last thing Robin remembered was laying there and hearing the Joker ask, "Why so serious?"

Kaldur stared at him in shock. "What happened after this?"

Megan leaned against Conner in fear and stared wide-eyed at Robin. "Yes. We need to know what happened to you!"

Robin smiled politely at her. "You know I came out all right."

He locked eyes with Wally whose own green pupils were far away in a land of no hurt or pain, where he hadn't heard that story or thought about what might have happened if he were there. He looked upset, mind going back to how Robin was after that day, denying when he was hurt or how he thought.

Robin sighed, continuing.

When the twelve year old opened his eyes, he was elsewhere. He didn't recognize where, but the room he was in was spacious, had one entrance and exit, very dull, cracked walls, and was filled with toys-but not the toys that children would play with. No, they were different.

They were the Joker's toys.

And he, tied up on a table was now one of them.

"Mister J! He's waking up!" Harley exclaimed, her smile brilliant and awkward against her pure white makeup.

Robin blinked as the Joker came into view. "Hey, boy blunder. Ready to play with Uncle J?"

"Not really." Said boy replied.

The Joker smiled. "Good!"

Robin glared at the Joker, waiting for him to continue.

"Hm, are you hungry, Robin?" The Joker asked, beginning to walk out of the room.

"Why would you care?" Questioned the boy wonder, suspicion and slight panic creeping into the back of his mind.

"Well, you're gonna be here a while to play! We don't want you losing your strength, now do we, pudding?" Harley asked, touching his nose in a way that might be considered affectionate if it hadn't been from a psychopath who was about to aid another criminal in torturing him.

Right then, the Joker walked in, a sandwich in hand. "Okay, Uncle J brought snacks!"

Robin felt his heart drop into his throat. The sandwich had brown and purple substances on the inside. This was not good.

Harley undid his hands, but bound his wrists so that he couldn't use them to reach his feet. Once she had accomplished this, the Joker handed the kid the sandwich. Robin looked at it, not bringing it anywhere near his mouth.

"What's wrong, hon?" Harley asked, pouting.

"I'm not really a fan of-" At that moment when his mouth was open, Harley pushed the food into his mouth.

"What?" Exclaimed Artemis in horror.

"He knew about your allergy then." Kaldur stated, trying to clear his confusion.

"No, he found out after." Robin replied simply.

"Go on." Wally urged.

The two boys connected eyes, emerald to cobalt, hidden through the glasses. The boys understood one another. As best friends, brothers, they knew everything about one another that they couldn't bare to say. Anything that had to be spoken was communicated shortly, but understood more than a scientist could understand the climate of a desert. They knew. And so, Robin continued, meeting Wally's eyes every time he needed a boost.

Robin started coughing, holding his throat. It wasn't long before he was rasping with his throat closing in on itself and red, itchy patches formed around his mouth. His sight, blurry and imprecise, landed on his belt.

"What's going on?" The Joker asked, fear of losing his new toy in his voice.

"Pe-Peanut bu-tter," Rasped Robin to the best of his abilities, "Ep-EpiPen-Third pocket on-on left-Pleas-" His coughing interrupted anything else he might have said as Harley stabbed his leg with it.

Once Robin was healed enough to stare quietly, but able at the Joker, the Joker questioned him.

"I'm allergic to-to peanuts." Robin replied dryly, his voice cracking somewhat.

"Oh, why didn't you tell us?" Exclaimed Harley as if she weren't a few minutes prior hungry for his blood and screams. "Well, it's okay, pudding. At least Uncle J knows now."

"Yes, Uncle J does." The Joker said dangerously.

"And then Batman busted in, beat up the Joker and Harley, and rescued me." Robin replied shrugging.

"Wow." Artemis said. "Good ending."

"Yes, it is good that you were saved, my friend." Kaldur said. "Speaking of which, you must have time to heal. We shall give you time to rest."

They all nodded, leaving silently. Wally, the last besides Zatanna, who hadn't moved from his side yet, sent back an understanding look and walked out hesitantly. He knew the whole story.

Zatanna sighed beside him. He grabbed her arm. She looked back and, seeing the look on his face and imagining the look in his eyes, she sunk back down. He positioned himself so that she fit under the covers with his arms and legs wrapped around her. She leaned in, welcoming the warm embrace and smiling.

"Go ahead." He whispered in her ear.

She blinked. She wasn't going to do it, but . . . .

"Go ahead." He repeated.

Zatanna felt her breath shallow. She couldn't. No, she-

"I trust you, Zee." Zatanna didn't know why, but she couldn't stop herself anymore. She just . . . .

"Wohs em eht yromem." He let his head rest on her shoulder reassuringly as she was taken in by the memory.

"We can use this to our advantage, can't we, Robin?" The Joker asked.

Robin shook his head stubbornly, ignoring how much the patches at the side of his mouth stung and itched. Nothing was going to happen. He had to keep telling himself that. Nothing was going to happen.

"Oh, but boy wonder! It will be so much fun!" With the statement, he burst into hysterics with his clown girlfriend. Whipping away a nonexistent tear from his eye, the Joker smiled. "Now, where were we? Ah, yes. Play time."

He bounded out of the room, laughing and returned with a jar of peanut butter and a knife. Robin's eyes widened. Crap.

The Joker tossed Harley the knife. She continued to slit open his costume so that everything but his face from the waist up was visible. She smiled. "Have fun, cutie!" She bound his arms once again to make sure that his fighting was to a minimum. He glared in reply.

Harley laughed as she tossed the Joker the knife. He opened the peanut butter jar and dug the knife in, walking toward Robin slowly. When he reached the boy, he began smothering the boy's skin with the peanut butter with the knife that occasionally even cut the skin like butter. Soon, Robin's breaths were labored and his eyes were shut tight.

The clowns couldn't help, but laugh. But it wasn't good enough.

So Joker set down the jar, knife ready for the cutting.

Robin's eyes widened in shock as the knife cut flesh wherever the Joker slashed him. At first it was nauseating pain that made him dizzy, but then it burned. And soon, it was complete agony. Not even being beaten with a crowbar felt worse, and he knew from experience. The boy wonder let out a pained yell, working not to evolve into screams. It hurt so much. But he had to be strong-

Another slash, another yell.

No, he couldn't yell. He had to focus. Batman would be here soon. No more pain. He would go back to patrol. He would get to go to school. He would play around with Wally and Roy and-

One more slash, more pain, more burning-

Kaldur and they would all do something completely stupid that would be completely worth it. Then they would all go back to their different homes, but would remember to think of new things that they could tell each other. And then, maybe, just maybe-

"GAH!"

He would go and bet on stupid things with Alfred, who would disapprove of gambling and then wager on his opinion, naturally winning, causing Dick to pay him all his money, a somewhat rough ordeal, and Bruce-

More burning, more infected wounds.

Bruce and him would laugh and then don their masks, saving lives. Maybe he'd hear about it on the news-or-or-

"AH!" His lips parted once more.

But after that, there was no new pain. The sound of the knife clattering to the floor could barely be heard against the sound of flesh meeting the ground. He could hear the struggle. He could imagine it.

He let his tightly squeezed lids open. It hurt so much. So much.

There, in front of him, stood Batman. He began undoing the bindings and once Robin was laid on the ground comfortably, he began trying to remove some of the peanut butter. Robin, however, let out a scream of pain that he had been working so hard to hold back. Batman froze instantly, resorting to holding Robin to his chest and whispering that it would be okay.

Robin sighed, knowing that he was safe.

It hurt.

But it didn't matter. Batman would help him.

Zatanna faded back into the room, feeling her heart in her throat. She didn't speak. She let her arms wind themselves around his sides, onto his back. She didn't dare speak, worried of how badly it would crack. Instead, silent tears raced down her cheeks.

He must have had scars to that very moment. The pain. The burning. She couldn't imagine how scared he must have been, but she had seen how brave. She had seen it and understood it. This was Robin.

Her Robin.

FudoTwin17: Okay, I feel a lot better. So, anyway, please review. Oh, and I have no idea what I'm going to write next, so please tell me what story you want me to update or anything specific you would like to see in this story. Thank you for caring, friends. Bye.