It was five in the morning when Alfred went to the kitchen to grab a glass of milk after a long night of watching over his two patients. He had nearly finished the last few sips when he glanced over at the doors to Ops, startled.
A dark shape came through, looking very shifty. The shape moved to go through the doors that led to the bedrooms.
"Ahem," Alfred coughed.
The shape cringed and whipped around.
"Out late, sir?" Alfred asked casually, amused.
"Uh…" Batman said.
"Your mask is crooked, sir," Alfred said with a smirk.
Batman hastily fixed it, wondering how he was going to explain himself.
"I hope you had a pleasant time last night."
"Alfred…" Batman started.
"Miss Raven and Miss Starfire couldn't say the same. Neither could Master Dick and Master Beast Boy, I assume. Master Cyborg did not have a good night either."
Batman's eyes narrowed. "What's going on?"
"Miss Raven is still unconscious. Miss Starfire was severely burned by Scarecrow's toxin, and Master Dick and Master Beast Boy spent all night by their bedsides. Master Cyborg and I stayed up to watch over all of them."
"Oh…"
"Oh, he says," Alfred muttered.
"Starfire was burned?"
"Yes, it is why Master Dick rushed the three of them home so early," Alfred scolded him.
Batman frowned. "She shouldn't have tried to take Scarecrow alone."
"From what I gather from Master Cyborg, she did not have much choice."
Batman rubbed his chin, the frown still on his lips. "I didn't realize she was injured. It's even worse than I thought."
Alfred frowned himself. "Worse than you thought?"
"No one should've gotten hurt."
"Sometimes things happen, Master Bruce-"
Batman was oblivious and had already turned away in his own thoughts, going through the doors to his room.
Alfred stared after him, rinsing out his glass. He shook his head. He could sense another fight coming on.
When he returned to the medical bay, he sat back down in an office chair and tiredly surveyed the scene before him. Nothing had changed.
Beast Boy was curled up in cat form on the end of Raven's bed. His little face still looked worried and strained, even in his fitful sleep. Raven bobbed calmly above him, her skin pale and clammy.
Robin was sitting in a chair next to Starfire's bed. He had slowly drooped forward, and eventually nodded off using Starfire's stomach as a pillow, his body resting over her non-injured side. Starfire was sleeping soundly, most in part thanks to the pain medication.
Cyborg was sitting on a swivel chair next to Alfred.
"Long night," he mused, rubbing a hand over his face.
"Indeed, it has been," Alfred agreed.
"You know, if y'all want to get some sleep, I can stay here," Cyborg offered.
"I am fine, Master Cyborg. I can take a nap later, when Master Robin is awake. But thank you for offering."
Cyborg shook his head as he gazed at his teammates. "I'm worried about Raven. She's done this a couple of times, but… she didn't take this long to wake up."
"Mm," Alfred hummed. "I gathered that she is healing herself from Master Beast Boy. She goes into a coma to do this?"
"Well, yeah. It's really weird. She's never fully explained just what goes on when she does this. Raven's not very open when it comes to her powers."
"Perhaps it does not matter, as long as she gets better."
"That's kind of what we all figured."
Alfred and Cyborg continued to talk quietly until around eight in the morning, when Robin started to stir.
He sat up from Starfire's stomach and stretched his arms, then placed his hands on his lower back and grimaced at he stretched out his stiff muscles.
"Hey," he drawled, his voice still rough from sleep.
"Good morning, Master Robin," Alfred said.
"Mornin' Al, Cy," he yawned. Then he groaned. "Ugh, wow. My back's killing me."
"That is no surprise," Alfred said. "You looked rather uncomfortable."
"Bet your head feels fine," Cyborg said slyly. "You had a nice pillow."
Robin's cheeks tinted a little and he mildly scowled at the smirks on Alfred and Cyborg's faces.
Everyone tensed however when the doors to the medical bay opened and a tall dark shape came through.
"The dude scares me when he comes through the door all imposing like that," Cyborg whispered to Alfred.
Alfred chuckled and whispered back, "He still scares me too, and I live with him."
Batman gazed coolly at Robin's face for a moment before asking stoically, "How are they doing?"
"Miss Starfire is burned somewhat severely, but we do not think she will scar," Alfred said.
"And Raven?" Batman asked, flicking his eyes over to her ghostly pale form.
Alfred sighed. "Miss Raven has not shown much improvement."
Cyborg spoke up. "She should be all right. Her body can for the most part heal itself from anything, as long as she's still alive to do it. I've never asked Raven just how much damage her body can heal itself from, but she's…" Cyborg trailed off for a moment, unsure how to explain without making it sound bad.
"She's what?" Batman asked.
Cyborg sighed a little, and admitted, "She's part demon."
"Demon?" Batman repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't worry about her," Robin said hastily. "She's not your stereotypical demon. She's also half human."
Batman cocked his head just slightly, but did not express his curiosity of just how that one happened, so he dropped the subject.
"Robin," he said. "JCP called and wanted statements from you. They also want your written report."
Robin nodded as he rubbed a hand over his face, paperwork and police statements the last thing on his mind at the moment.
"We need to write up a file for this."
"Now?" he asked, trying to keep the whine out of his voice. Starfire was sleeping, but he still didn't want to leave her side. Also, he knew the file wasn't going to be the first thing they discussed. He shook his head a little and set his mouth in a tight frown.
"I think now would be best," Batman said firmly. He turned to leave, glancing back to make sure Robin was following him. Robin sighed, annoyed, and heaved himself up to follow his mentor out the door.
Cyborg and Alfred looked at each other, their worried expressions matching.
"That does not bode well," Alfred said grimly. "Master Robin is in for a rough time."
--
Robin trudged after Batman, just sensing the lecture that was coming.
Batman entered the evidence room and went and stood by the desk, before turning around to stare stoically at Robin.
Robin stared back, determined not to let his mentor shake him, but he also was well aware that they didn't have a great track record.
"First off," Batman cleared his throat, "I want to thank you and your team for your assistance in Scarecrow's capture."
So he was starting out with the aloof professionalism. Great.
"You're welcome," Robin said evenly.
"It's unfortunate the way certain events happened…"
And immediately after jumped right into the blame game.
"If you're trying to blame this on me, it's not going to happen!" Robin shouted, knowing what his father was insinuating. "That was a hell of a lot more toxin than he ever has, and how was I supposed to help Star?!"
"Calm down. Accidents happen," Batman said. "But sometimes certain things become a liability-"
"What are you trying to say?" Robin snarled.
"Your little girlfriend. Why didn't you notice that she couldn't fly?"
Robin pressed his lips in a tight line. "Well, she seemed fine. She was a little shaken up, but that's understandable. That damn toxin is nasty stuff."
"I'm not the keeper of your team, Dick. You shouldn't have sent her up there. What caused her powers to completely disappear like that?"
Robin sighed and looked down. "Her powers depend on her emotions… she can't fly if she's extremely hurt or upset…"
"So her powers depend on the way she's feeling? And you knew she was upset, and still sent her up into a failing aircraft alone with Scarecrow no less?"
"Oh fuck off. You snapped at her too, and none of us knew which airplane Scarecrow was in."
"What about Raven? Whatever powers she possesses, they seem very dangerous."
Robin whirled on him. "Don't you even start on this! Raven is a good person! It doesn't matter where she comes from, or how dangerous her powers are! She fights for good and saves people every day. She has her powers under control, and she would never hurt anyone."
"Don't get so upset Dick. I just want you to know that these things wouldn't happen if you accounted for your friends' weaknesses a little more. We shouldn't have let Starfire fight, and if I had known Raven's powers would react to Scarecrow's toxin like that I wouldn't have let her come, either. That was an extremely dangerous situation, and you are lucky Beast Boy managed to get through to her."
"Raven saved us all," Robin said firmly. "You didn't have enough antidote for all of us. If it weren't for her powers, we'd all be dead."
Batman regarded him silently. "Perhaps that's true. But now, she's in the medical bay, as is your girlfriend. Is Raven going to be okay? She looks deathly sick."
"She's healing herself, like Cyborg said. She'll probably wake up in a couple of hours."
"I don't know Dick," Batman said, shaking his head. "It just seems to me that if you're going to try and manage a group with this kind of power, you need to strategize more to prevent these kinds of things from happening."
"Fuck off, seriously," Robin muttered. "I do manage them… I do strategize! Sometimes things are out of my control, Bruce, and they're out of yours. What do you want me to do?! You never think I'm doing the right thing, you never think I can handle things; you never give me any credit. You know what? At least no one fucking died this time."
Robin turned on his heel and stalked from the room.
--
When Starfire finally woke up around ten in the morning, Alfred was the only other occupant awake. Robin and Batman had not returned to the medical bay.
"How are you feeling?" Alfred asked.
Starfire stretched a little, and winced.
"My injuries are very sore."
"Ah, well a little pain med will fix that," he said, rummaging for another dose.
"Miss Starfire," Alfred said, preparing the syringe, "you will feel a strange sensation when I inject this into your IV. It will feel cold and tingly."
"Okay," Starfire said warily. She had been too out of it before to notice the effects of the IV. Alfred injected the pain medication into her tubing. Immediately she felt a cool chill trickle up her arm.
"Oh! How very strange," she said, staring at her arm.
"It will subside in a moment," Alfred assured her.
He bustled about, before asking Starfire what she wanted for breakfast and informed her Cyborg was in the kitchen already. Beast Boy uncurled himself and stretched as he turned back into human. He immediately stood and gazed at Raven for a bit, taking her hand in his. He tenderly twisted the sparrow ring around her finger, and his sad frown deepened.
Starfire watched him, a sweet sad smile on her face when she saw just how deeply her friend cared for his girlfriend.
Beast Boy kissed Raven's forehead before heading to the medical bay's bathroom.
After he had gone, Starfire couldn't help but notice the empty chair next to her bed.
She turned her big green eyes over to Alfred, before asking softly, "Have… have you seen Robin?"
Alfred stopped what he was doing and gave Starfire a rueful smile. "I have not since he left with Batman this morning, but I am sure he will come see you soon."
"Oh," Starfire said, the dejection in her voice clearly evident as she looked down.
Alfred shook his head.
--
It was nearly afternoon turning into evening before Robin came through the medical bay doors. Starfire's IV had been removed, but she was still feeling too weak to get up. Alfred advised she stay in the medical bay until she went to bed, then she could sleep in her own room.
She looked up as he entered, a mixture of happiness and hurt in her eyes.
Robin sighed as he came by her bed. "Star," he said tiredly. "Beast Boy," he nodded to the green cat still curled up on Raven's bed. The cat gave a small mew in response.
"Hello, Robin," Starfire said lightly, trying her best to sound normal. "You have been busy today?"
"Yeah, I guess," he said sullenly. He glanced over at Raven. "How are you two doing?"
"Friend Raven has yet to awaken. I am doing better today."
"That's good…"
Robin glanced over at Raven's listless bobbing form. He closed his eyes painfully. He was hoping she would be awake by now… he was beginning to worry that something was terribly wrong.
Starfire's eyes narrowed just slightly when she noticed that Robin had been avoiding making eye contact with her.
"Are you the okay?" she asked, concerned.
"Yeah Star, I am. Don't worry about it."
"But I do worry," she said.
"Don't. It's nothing," he said shortly.
Starfire bit her bottom lip. Something was wrong, but he obviously was not in the mood to talk about it. So she changed the subject.
"Alfred says I may sleep in my own room tonight," she said meaningfully.
"Really?" Robin said lightly.
"Yes. I believe I may require the help undressing, however," Starfire said, a tiny smile on her lips. There was a protest mew from the other bed.
Starfire giggled. "Oh, I am sorry friend Beast Boy, I forgot you were here."
Beast Boy gave a mock growl and turned his back to the couple, pressing his paws against his ears.
When Alfred helped Starfire up from the medical bed that night, Raven still had not woken up. Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were standing around her bed, very concerned, despite the fact that her vital signs had steadily been improving.
Starfire hobbled over to the group and also shared in the worry for Raven's health.
"She has never been unconscious this long, has she?" she asked somberly.
"No, she hasn't," Beast Boy replied back, his voice mournful.
Robin felt a wave of guilt assault him. Her heartbeat was still very slow, but her breathing was steady and rhythmic, and her skin wasn't quite so deathly pale now. Her face was peaceful. Why hadn't she woken up yet?
Starfire gently touched Robin's arm. He started from his thoughts, glanced at her big green concerned eyes before looking back at Raven. Finally he sighed and turned away.
"Come on Starfire, let's get you to bed," he said, defeated.
On the way to her room, Starfire looked at Robin out of the corner of her eye.
"Please, is there something wrong?" she asked meekly.
He didn't answer for a few paces, his face tight with worry and strain.
"Star, please. I don't want to talk about it." He glanced at her. "How have you been doing since Scarecrow's toxin hit you? You were… acting really weird after that. You couldn't fly."
At this Starfire became very silent. She absently rubbed her arm.
"I am the okay now," she answered very quietly, looking down.
"That stuff is really creepy. I've been under it before. It really… messes you up. If you saw some scary things, don't worry about it. It's not real."
Starfire's eyes darted to his face. He was still walking forward, not looking at her. She bit her bottom lip as it began to tremble.
They arrived at her bedroom, and Robin opened the door for her. She directed him to some shorts and a t-shirt. He helped her undress and slip into her pajamas. He led her to her bed and helped her get in.
She stared up intently at him.
"Are you going to stay?"
Robin stared back at her for a second before giving a nod. He began pulling off his uniform, tossing it on the floor. He slipped in beside her. Starfire waited for a moment, then moved closer to him, pressing her body along his. She buried her face into his shoulder.
--
The air in the tower was very strange. While Raven was unconscious, all of the Titans were quiet and somber. Cyborg and Alfred took turns watching over her, and Beast Boy rarely left her bed.
Robin busied himself with police reports and avoided Batman. The Dark Knight himself had retreated to his room, and no one but Alfred saw him.
Starfire was upset, and spent a lot of time in the medic bay petting kitty Beast Boy or moping in her room. Robin slept with her the first night, and the second night he barely said one word to her before he climbed in and restlessly tried to fall asleep.
--
It was three days after the Scarecrow incident, and Alfred and Beast Boy were still tiredly watching over Raven in the medic bay.
Beast Boy was pacing nervously, and Alfred was watching him with a sympathetic gaze.
"Why isn't she awake, Alfred?" he asked mournfully.
"Her vital signs show she is well, Master Beast Boy. I am sorry I do not know more about how Miss Raven's healing powers work."
"She's gotta wake up," he said, his ears drooping sadly as he flopped into a chair. Alfred patted his shoulder compassionately.
Both looked up, startled, as a beep alerted them.
Raven's body had ceased its peaceful bobbing and had finally come to rest on the bed. She was waking up.
The two jumped up to Raven's beside as the others in the Tower came running, their coms having been alerted too.
Raven's eyes shot open and she sat up with a strangled gasp, her hands grasping at her throat and rumpling the blankets around her.
She looked around wildly as Beast Boy grabbed one of her hands.
She placed her other hand on her chest, slowing her sudden panting breath, her eyes wide, as she stared at the concerned faces around her.
Her bottom lip trembled as she stared at Beast Boy intently, her eyes glazed. He said her name softly.
"Raven, are you okay?" Robin asked.
Alfred bustled, checking the machines and Raven's health.
"She is perfectly back to normal," he assessed.
A table on the other side of the room became engulfed with black energy and upended, spilling its contents all over.
"Friend Raven, please, is everything all right?" Starfire asked worriedly, her voice almost shrilly at the strange sort of panic still evident in Raven's eyes. Raven began to get up, and several hands kept her on the bed with protests.
"I have to go," she said shortly, strangely, struggling to get off the medical bed, and Beast Boy had to swallow the lump in his throat at the sight of her frantically trying to escape.
Raven's eyes turned white as she phased through the bed and disappeared. Beast Boy caught her emerging in the hallway, using the wall for support as she tried to flee to her room. He raced out after her.
"Raven, wait!"
She didn't spare him a glance, kept stumbling against the wall, her eyes wide and her breaths coming in pants, her medical gown hanging on her loosely.
A blade of energy surged up before him to block his way but he darted around it, catching up with her.
"What is going on with you? Raven, please!" Beast Boy said, frightened over the way she was acting. He grabbed her arms and pulled her to him.
Raven buried her face into his neck before pulling away saying hoarsely, "Don't follow me." She phased through the floor.
"Damn it," Beast Boy said passionately, running for her room.
Raven phased up through the floor of her bedroom. Immediately she fell to her knees and her body began to shudder as sobs wracked her body. Her magic picked up objects throughout her room and began breaking and tossing them. There was a strange sort of tingling still pulsing through her, the essence of her teammates' pain and memories that hadn't left yet.
Tears dripped onto her hands and the floor as she dug her fingers into the carpet.
Beast Boy flew into her room. He dropped to his knees next to her, pulling her into his arms. Raven let him, hanging limply as she still poured out the feelings pent up inside her. Her friends had not been able to cry over what had happened to them. It was like a weight was constricting her ribs, making it difficult to breath. The pain nestled in her chest, feeling like a black tar that clogged her lungs.
Raven suddenly pushed away from Beast Boy's arms and stumbled to her bathroom, slamming the door closed. He winced when he heard the sounds of Raven emptying the contents of her stomach, though he wondered how she had anything in her system to even expel.
After a few moments it sounded like she was done, so he waited for her to come back out. When she didn't reappear for several minutes, he tentatively knocked on her bathroom door.
"Rae?"
She didn't answer.
"Babe? I'm coming in."
There was no protest, so Beast Boy opened the door.
Raven was sitting knees spread, hugging the toilet with her head resting on her arm.
"Raven," he said shakily, "Raven please, what happened?"
When she didn't answer he tried again. "What's wrong, please Raven… I've never seen you like this before," he said, his voice shrilly and scared.
"I can't… it's… noth-" she mumbled incoherently, shaking her head.
Beast Boy lifted her up into his arms. She felt extremely weak. He set her on her bathroom counter and got a glass of water for her. She took a sip, swished it around her mouth and spit it out in the sink. She rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand, and he took a towel and gently wiped her cheeks. Raven's eyes were closed, though tears continued to leak from them. Beast Boy hugged her to him, resting her head on his shoulder and cradling her bottom in his arms. He carried her to her bed and laid her on it.
"You- you should go," she croaked. "Not safe in here."
"No, I won't leave you."
He ducked his head when a stone statue cracked and pieces flew towards him as he crawled up himself, pulling her into his embrace and cradling her back against his stomach. She continued to cry as he stroked her hair and whispered into her ear. Objects around her room persisted to fly and break, her magic uncontrollable.
--
Finally, two hours later, her hard sobs became sniffles, and things only randomly broke every once in while. Beast Boy had hugged her the entire time, offering her consolation, even though he had no idea why she was so upset in the first place. She turned around and buried her face into his chest.
Beast Boy ran his fingers through her hair. "Do you think you could eat something? It's almost dinner time."
Raven shook her head no.
"We should get you out of that hospital gown. Where are your pajamas?"
She shrugged, eyes still glassy.
"All right, I'll get up and find some," he said, kissing the top of her head. He scanned the bedroom with wide eyes. "Jeesh, I'll never find anything in here… it looks like my room," he smiled. He began picking through debris, attempting to find something for her to put on. He found some black pajama pants and a gray tank top.
"Here babe, you can put these on." He rubbed her foot and showed her the clothes he hand found. Raven listlessly looked back at him.
"Gonna make me dress you? I can do that." He grinned, but Raven showed no emotion.
He held back a sigh… she was really worrying him... no quip or snide remark. She made no protest when he untied her gown and gently pulled it off her. Her pale gray skin glowed in the evening dusk, the lacy set he had seen before still accenting every curve. It took all his will power not to touch her, but once again it would be inappropriate considering the situation.
"Here Rae… put your feet in here." Beast Boy frowned as he held up her pants for her to get in them. Her eyes were glazed over, and she was more or less acting catatonic. He slipped her pants on, maneuvered her tank top over her head and arms.
"Rae. Rae… Raven," he said. She said nothing. "Rae-Rae. Ravie-poo. Ravie smookie smoopy muffin."
Beast Boy's eyes widened when she did nothing, no reaction whatsoever. He started to shake. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. She didn't even glare at him, much less look at him.
Beast Boy backed out the door, and ran to find Alfred.
Alfred was in the living room with a somber group attempting to get back to normal by mindlessly watching tv.
"Alfred," Beast Boy said breathlessly, bursting through the door. The other three looked up at him.
"Yes, Master Beast Boy?" Alfred asked.
"Can I see you for a minute?"
"Of course."
Beast Boy grabbed his hand and pulled him out into the hallway.
"Something's wrong with Raven," he fretted, leading him down to Raven's room.
"Is she ill?"
"Well kinda… she's not moving. She won't say anything, she just sits there staring off into space, and her powers were going crazy, I don't know what to do."
"My word," Alfred murmured when he looked into Raven's room.
They stepped gingerly over the debris and went to Raven's bed. She hadn't moved.
"Miss Raven?" Alfred said. No reaction. Alfred grabbed her hand. It was cold. He felt for her pulse for a moment. It seemed to be normal.
"She's just in a bit of shell shock, I would assume," Alfred said.
"Is she gonna be okay?" Beast Boy asked worriedly.
"She'll snap out of it," Alfred said, his mouth set in a grim line.
"One can only hope," a voice said from the door.
Alfred and Beast Boy turned to see a tall dark figure blocking the threshold.
"Sir?" Alfred said.
"Can I speak with you for a minute, Alfred?"
"Of course," he said. "Stay with Miss Raven, and keep her warm under blankets. She'll be all right," he addressed Beast Boy.
Beast Boy nodded solemnly.
Batman led Alfred to a room where they could talk in private.
"What's this all about, Master Bruce?"
Batman stood for a moment, sighed and looked at the floor before turning his back to Alfred. Alfred frowned. It was not often that Batman looked this affected over a situation.
"Dick… thinks Raven saw things."
"What things?"
"The visions he and the others experienced under Scarecrow's toxin."
Alfred digested this for a moment.
"Meaning Miss Raven knows-"
"Everything? Yes."
"Oh dear."
"I have to talk with Dick again, because… well frankly I don't know what this means. She… could potentially be a very dangerous girl."
"I don't think Miss Raven would pose a threat, Master Bruce. She is Master Dick's good friend."
"Doesn't mean she couldn't accidentally betray us, or have the secret tortured or leveraged out of her."
"I think you're being a bit irrational. You haven't exactly been discreet lately either," Alfred said, a bit slyly.
Batman narrowed his eyes. "That's a bit unfair."
"Oh come now, Master Bruce. It is obvious that Miss Kyle is well aware of Bruce Wayne's secret, and she has a tendency to be on the wrong side of the law. You trust an amoral free agent over a member of your own protégé's team? You're dangerously close to being hypocritical."
"Sometimes you talk too much, Alfred," Batman said stubbornly.
"You can be as cranky as you want, Master Bruce, but you know I speak the truth. I think Miss Raven is going to need to know that she has friends behind her after an ordeal like that. Master Dick's memories are no less than shocking. It is no wonder she bolted from that medical bed and is currently in the state that she is. I can only imagine what else she saw from those other two as well. Both Master Cyborg and Master Beast Boy look as though they have also had tragedy in their lives."
Batman nodded.
"Has Master Dick recovered well?"
"He looks as though he's more worried about Raven than himself."
Alfred nodded. "Only to be expected."
"I suppose."
"I wouldn't worry about Miss Raven, Master Bruce. I'm sure she can be trusted. She is a good person."
"About what… Cyborg said about her heritage-"
"You shouldn't be the one to judge that," Alfred said firmly. "Her actions betray where her heart truly lies, not the blood in her veins."
Batman nodded slowly.
--
Two days later, Raven had come out of her stupor but had refused to leave her room. Beast Boy was a mess, and was either hidden with her behind her closed door or coping in his own room when she requested that she wanted to be alone.
Raven had more or less retreated into herself and huddled on her bed, just barely containing her powers to her own room.
Batman stood outside Raven's room, staring at her nameplate. Finally he raised his hand and gave a couple taps on her door.
There was a moment of silence as he waited for her to answer, before he heard her flat and strained voice muffled from the other side.
"What."
"It's Batman."
A hesitance, and then the door slid open.
Batman entered slowly.
He raised his eyebrows. Her room looked like a nuclear war zone. All her books were tossed on the floor and her clothes had been scattered, her dresser drawers hanging open and askew. Several light bulbs were broken, and her window had a large spider web crack in it. There were pieces of things shattered and broken all over the place. Raven herself sat huddled on her bed, drawing her cloak around herself.
"Your powers do this?" Batman asked lightly.
Raven slowly nodded, still staring vacantly at her comforter.
He cleared his throat. "I haven't come to lecture you, if you're worried."
"No."
"Robin is convinced you… saw things, while under the influence of Scarecrow's toxin."
Raven bit her bottom lip and stared vacantly into space.
"Look, you can tell me if this is true. I need to know if you saw their visions. It's very important."
He watched her carefully while she fidgeted, uncomfortable.
"Yes," she finally croaked, her hand tightening on her cloak. "But I didn't mean to. I didn't mean to do any of it. My powers… acted on their own. I'm… sorry. I would never…"
"I know you wouldn't, but it's a good thing your powers did. You saved them all."
There was a pause as Raven digested this.
Batman emitted a small sigh.
"Dick is very worried about you."
At this Raven finally made eye contact with him, her eyes wide, red and swollen under her hood.
Batman stared back at her intently for a moment.
"Look, it's all right that you know who we are. Dick trusts you. You know how important this secret is, and if it were ever to circulate, many people would be in danger, could be killed."
Raven nodded.
"Good," Batman said. He glanced around the room. "How have you been feeling?"
Raven looked back at her comforter. "Physically… fine."
There was silence as Raven stared at her wall, and Batman studied her. Finally he spoke.
"I know what Dick has experienced. It's terrible. There's been a lot of pain and tragedy in his life, but I think you knew that already, without him having to say it. Someone else has made you react this way."
Raven said nothing for a moment.
"I… don't know what to do," she said finally, her voice broken.
"If your team members are in trouble, or someone is hurting, you need to help them," he said.
Raven looked up at him, her eyes sort of haunted. "They surprised me. All of them. Everyone has… gone through such horrible things, and no one has ever said anything... I mean, some of them, you know they went through something terrible, just by looking at them. But-" she hitched, her voice wavering, "one of them… experienced something extremely horrifying-" Another one of her small statues cracked into pieces engulfed with ebony energy. Her body shuddered.
"I never saw that coming…" she whispered, turning away, huddling her cloak around herself again.
Batman had a guess as to which Titan Raven was referring to.
"Is she all right now?"
Raven drew in a shaky breath. "She's still scared… still scarred."
"Has she told anyone what has happened to her?"
"No. None of us knew."
Batman paused.
"Is this something… that Dick needs to know about?"
Raven shook her head at a loss.
"If she… if she can tell him. It wouldn't be fair, coming from me. But…" she sighed. "They need to know. I think they need to know."
"It sounds like something that she needs help with. She can't get over it unless she accepts help," Batman said seriously.
"Yes," Raven agreed.
"Since you know intimately what happened, I suggest you talk to her about it. Maybe talk to everyone… it's rather obvious you all have been keeping secrets from each other. And that's understandable; I've kept my share of secrets too. But if you're going to trust each other, and be part of a team, this seems like something that shouldn't be kept in the dark. Especially when someone is hurting."
Raven nodded, agreeing.
"Alfred and I are planning on going back to Gotham tomorrow. We can't stay much longer than that, but if you need help…"
"Thank you… but I think I will be able to handle it…"
"Okay."
Batman turned to go.
"Bruce?"
He looked back at her with a slight turn of his head.
"Thank you," Raven whispered.
Batman gave a tiny nod before leaving.
--
"Dick… there's something we need to talk about. Regarding Raven."
Robin looked up from his office chair and report on Scarecrow's apprehension.
He spun in his chair to face Batman. "Is she all right? She saw the visions, didn't she."
"She did."
"She's a good person, Bruce. She won't betray us."
"I… I know."
"Honest Bruce, she's amazing. She would never hurt anyone. She has helped us out of more scrapes than I can count, and she's-"
"I get it, Dick," Batman cut him off. "Just be careful."
Robin nodded. "Of course."
Batman sighed. "I'm worried about your friends. It seems like everyone has kept some pretty big secrets from each other. Raven is concerned about all of you."
"To be expected, I guess," Robin said, growing quiet. "I mean, I know what she saw from me. I can't imagine how much worse it could get…"
Batman was quiet for a long moment. He rubbed his chin.
"Has Starfire ever… talked to you about her past?"
Robin shrugged. "Yeah, a little. Why?"
"Raven is… very worried about her."
Robin looked puzzled. "Star? Really… I mean, I know Blackfire wouldn't exactly win sister of the year, but as far as I know she was princess of Tamaran. What could've happened to her?"
"Possibly anything. Just because she's a princess doesn't mean something bad couldn't happen to her."
Robin mused for a second. "Well… actually she did arrive on earth after she escaped from the Gordanian bounty hunters. They were taking her to the Citadel. Maybe that's what was affecting Raven."
"She was held captive?"
"Yeah. Had these huge handcuffs on her and everything. But I mean, she was fine after that. How bad could it have been?"
"I wouldn't assume anything, Dick. Raven looked pretty shook up."
"Over Star? Or over everybody?"
"Well, over everyone. But I'd keep an eye on her."
Batman turned to leave.
Robin rubbed his chin. "If something bad had happened to her, she would've told me."
Batman stopped, and looked down. "Maybe that's true. But you should be prepared if that isn't the case."
Robin shook his head. He and Starfire could talk about anything. It just didn't seem like her to withhold something like that from him. He was sure she would've spoken up in the five years they had been best friends.
"She would've told me."
--
Robin hadn't seen Starfire around for a bit, and now that he was done moping over Batman lecturing him, he realized he had been slighting her lately. He felt a wave of guilt for ignoring her, especially when she was still injured.
He went to her bedroom, punched in her code, and immediately was worried when he heard sniffling.
"Star?" he called.
There was a muffled squeak before a reluctant answer.
"In here, Robin," she said weakly.
He crossed to her bathroom, and peeked inside.
"Hey," he said softly, leaning on the door frame.
Starfire was sitting on her bathroom floor next to her tub and crying, rubbing her eye with her non injured hand.
"What's wrong?" Robin asked gently, kneeling down next to her.
"I-" she hiccupped, "I am attempting to do the showering, but my arm hurts so badly. I will not be able to wash myself," she sniffled. "I am in need of a shower; I do not like to be the smelly!"
Robin chuckled. "You smell fine, Star."
Her nose crinkled when he laughed.
He pecked her on the cheek.
"Come here, you're impossibly cute."
He started the water to fill the tub, and helped her take off her tank top.
She started to look a little uncomfortable.
"Are… you okay with this?"
Starfire looked down. "Yes…"
He looked concerned. "I… already helped you once, I mean…"
"I know, I know," she said quickly. "I do not like feeling this way."
"What way?" he asked.
"I feel… vulnerable," she mumbled, looking down.
"Aww, Star it's just me," he said, squeezing her hand.
She still looked worried.
"I can help you," he said soothingly.
She nodded slowly then, her brow still crinkled. He helped her slip off her shorts, then helped her take off her bra and wiggle out of her panties.
"You shouldn't go in with the bandages on; we'll have to unwrap you."
Starfire whimpered a little as he unwound the bandages from her arm and thigh. Her burns were still an angry red, and her skin was shiny and oily from the burn cream.
"Oh," she fretted. "They do not look like they are healing well."
"They're fine Star," he said, pulling her forehead in and giving it a kiss. "And you're as beautiful as ever."
He dipped his hand into the low water and made sure it was cool enough so as not to cause her pain.
"Kay, I'm gonna help you into the tub now, all right?"
"Okay," she said hesitantly, still sounding unsure.
He helped her to her feet, put his arm around her waist and helped her step in and sit down.
She winced as it stung when the water lapped against her thigh.
"Is it too hot?" he asked immediately.
"No, it is painful to begin with," she hissed.
He let her get used to the water while he rolled up his pant legs and took off his socks. He grabbed the tumbler from her sink counter and set it on the edge of the tub.
Then he sat on the edge himself and dipped his feet in, and Starfire rested her head against his knee.
"Tip your head back," he instructed softly.
She did as she was told, and Robin ran his fingers through her hair, making sure it was all behind her face. Then he dipped the cup into the water and poured it over her tresses, getting it wet. It took several dips to get her hair fully damp.
He grabbed her shampoo and squeezed some into his palm. He began rubbing it into her hair, massaging her scalp, and Starfire's eyes closed, seemingly able to relax a bit. He grabbed some more shampoo and began washing the rest of her mane.
"I'm gonna rinse it now," he said, picking the cup back up and pouring the water through her tresses, washing away all the traces of suds.
He picked up her conditioner and massaged some into the ends of her hair.
"Wow, I never realized just how much hair you actually have," Robin said.
Starfire gave him a look, then a smirk as she turned away.
After he was finished with the conditioner he grabbed her mesh sponge and body wash. He dipped the sponge in the water to get it wet, then poured some soap onto it and slowly began to wash Starfire's back, up over her right shoulder.
For awhile the only sound was the dripping of the water, or the sound of it lapping against the side of the tub when Starfire shifted.
Robin finally broke the silence.
"Hey Star?" he said softly.
"Mm?" she hummed, moving her right arm up so he could wash it better.
"I… was wondering… about your past."
Starfire instantly stilled.
"What about it?" she finally said, very slowly.
"What happened that day we met? Why were you… being taken as a prize for the Citadel?" he asked lightly, hoping not to upset her.
She bit her bottom lip, still not making eye contact.
Then she looked up with wide fearful eyes.
"I… it is difficult to explain," she said with a tremble.
"Try me, I'll listen," he said gently, trailing the mesh sponge along her stomach.
"Robin, please…"
Robin's brows furrowed. "What did the Gordanians do to you?"
Starfire lowered her head. "They overpowered me, placed the restraints on my hands, and transported me in a large dark cell. I was very angry."
"Star," he said sympathetically, rubbing his fingers on her cheek. "But you escaped and came to Earth?"
"Yes."
"You were mad. So that's why you were messing up everything," he chuckled lightly.
"Well," she started. "Actually, I was attempting to get the handcuffs off."
"Oh…" Robin said.
A very small smile graced her lips. "And then you attacked me."
Robin's mouth dropped open. "Oh… oh God Star! I didn't even realize… I thought-"
"That I was trying to destroy the city? Would harm Earth's inhabitants?"
"Well, yeah," he said, sheepish.
"I was attacking things because I did not understand. I was angry, but I was also confused. I knew the Gordanians would be coming for me soon, and being restrained while on an alien planet was frightening."
"Of course it would be, after going through something like that."
"Yes," she said uneasily. She lifted her uninjured leg so Robin could wash it, and crinkled her nose when he washed her ticklish foot.
Robin sighed. "At least we saved you from going to the Citadel. You said they were 'not nice'. I would hate to think what would have happened to you if we hadn't saved you."
"I would not have… survived… if I had been taken there."
"Good thing you never had to go then, right?"
Starfire went silent.
"Star?" he questioned. He became a little worried. "You never went to the Citadel, right?" he pressed.
She looked up at him and made her expression as earnest as possible.
"No, I… never went to the Citadel."
"Good," he sighed, looking very relieved. "Cause…"
Starfire couldn't help the tears that sprung to her eyes. She wrapped her soapy arms across her chest, and drew her knees up.
"Robin, please… I do not wish to talk about that place anymore."
"Okay, okay," he murmured.
He used the cup to pour water over her body, rinsing the soap away. He finished rinsing the conditioner out of her hair, then grabbed her fluffy purple towel and helped her dry herself off, being mindful of her burns. Then he helped her re-dress, making a cheeky comment about how it wasn't as much fun to put her clothes back on as it was taking them off. Starfire didn't react much.
He snaked his arm behind her back and kissed her. She kissed back very demurely.
"We have to take you back to the medical bay now, and re-bandage you."
She nodded.
He smiled again, and swooped her up into his arms, carrying her bridal style. She rested her head against his shoulder, seemingly melting into his safe embrace. He carried her down to the medical bay and sat her on a bed before crossing to the cabinets and digging for the bandages and burn cream.
His hands were gentle as they rubbed the cream on her wounds, and Starfire watched his face intently as he did so, trying her best to hide her painful winces. The guilt bubbled up inside her; he didn't deserve what she had just done. It was on the tip of her tongue to say sorry, but when she realized she could not explain why she was sorry, she kept her mouth tightly shut as he lovingly wrapped the bandages around her thigh with care. His fingers brushed underneath her shorts as he did so, and she repressed a shiver.
He glanced up, seeing the mood in her eyes change.
The smirk started spreading on his lips, and he purposely brushed his fingers higher.
Starfire's eyes grew a little wider.
Now that he was finished bandaging her, he pulled her hips forward and nuzzled her cheek.
Starfire's mouth parted a little, he had not shown any sexual interest in her for the past few days, no doubt he had been too stressed over Raven and Batman. However, Starfire had reason to suspect Robin enjoyed her bath more than she did.
At the moment he was running his fingers over her non injured arm with a feather like touch and trailing down her neck and right shoulder with slow hot pecks. Starfire's hands pawed at his shoulders, her head tipping back and her eyes closing. She could feel Robin was really starting to work himself up, his hips pressing into hers, his hand cupping the back of her knee.
His lips found their way back to hers, the other hand slipping underneath her shirt and creeping up.
"Babe," he whispered into her ear. "I've missed you. We haven't been close for awhile-"
"A-hem!"
Robin jumped, and Starfire started in his arms. They both twisted around to stare at the door.
"I come down here cause the alert for the cabinet doors are goin' off, and what do I find? My teammates makin' out on the beds that aren't supposed to be used for that nefarious purpose. First BB, now you and Star. Can I trust anyone in the damn tower?!" Cyborg exclaimed.
Robin coughed and pulled away from Starfire, embarrassed. "What do you mean, Beast Boy? What did he do? And you have alarms on the cabinets?!"
Last Halloween, Beast Boy had decided he was going to have the best costume ever. Never mind the fact Raven always pointed out that he said this every year, and every year his costume never quite hit the "super amazingly awesome fantastically realistic" standard Beast Boy so desperately tried to achieve. Raven also did not fail to point that out every year, too.
So, Beast Boy had vowed last Halloween that it was going to be the year he proved Raven wrong.
He had snuck into the medical bay, took all of the rolled bandages and dirtied and tore them before rolling them onto his body, for maximum mummy affect. There may or may not have also been some reused stankball socks in there. Nobody could really tell for sure, although he certainly smelled suspicious. His green skin with some brown face paint made for rather effective decay.
There were several youths in Jump City who developed a phobia that Halloween, and Raven grudgingly admit that it was good.
Beast Boy was pleased.
Needless to say, Cyborg however was none too pleased to see the tower's medical supplies ransacked.
"And that's why I installed alarms on the doors, so I'd know when BB was snoopin' around up in here, or when someone might be hurt and lookin' for stuff."
"Oh…" Robin said. "That was a… really long and pointless story."
Cyborg shrugged. "Either way, you shouldn't be gropin' all up on poor Star. She's still healing!" he chastised Robin.
Robin's eyes closed half way and he pressed his lips in a line, crossing his arms. He would never admit it, but Cyborg had a point. Starfire was still injured.
"Come on, Star, let's go watch a movie or something while Cyborg does 400 laps around the tower."
She giggled as Cyborg scoffed. "Like hell, bird brain. Get out of my medical room."
Robin glared as he led Starfire out the door.
Cyborg waited until they left, then grinned slyly when he glanced at the sensors on his arm. Robin and Starfire's elevated heart rates and chemical levels were getting further away.
Cyborg had known exactly what had been goin' on in his medical bay.
Yay! It feels so good to finally have time to work on this! Once again, thanks to everyone who reviews and has been so patient.
Next Chapter: Alfred and Batman have to go back home, but not before Batman has one last talk with Robin. Take a guess as to which talk that is. -grins evilly-