There was only so much Raven could do. She was weakening. We all could see it, but she refused to stop. When Beast Boy suggested she rest, she wasted precious energy hurling him back through the door and slamming it shut behind him.

"Batman's heading this way," said Batgirl from the computer where she had retreated. Anxious looks were exchanged by all but me. I had seen the grief on his face and knew that our presence in the Bat Cave would be the least of his concerns. If anything, it would be keeping him from interfering with Raven's work.

"This may get ugly," murmured Alfred softly. All heads turned as the Batmobile screeched to a stop. The doors opened and Batman leapt from the driver's seat. He skidded to a halt when he saw the Titans assembled in front of him, then his eyes flew to the glass room where Raven worked.

"Status?" he barked.

"Stabilized, Sir," said Alfred at once. "Miss Raven has been working most diligently. There was extensive damage done to his internal organs. She says he has nearly been lost to us twice already." The only acknowledgement to this was a slight tightening around his eyes.

"And Joker?" Batgirl asked, though her tone suggested she did not care.

"Detained. Your father stopped me from beating him to death. He took him into custody."

"You left him with my father?!"

"He was in no condition to pose a problem." It chilled me how easily he dismissed her concerns. He walked up to the glass and stared at Robin stretched out on the table. Raven had bared him to the waist so she could see the extent of the damage. He was a mass of bruises and several ribs jutted at unnatural angles.

"How much longer can she keep t's up?" he asked quietly.

"Not long," said Cyborg. "But good luck telling her that. She threw us out the last time we tried." Batman sent a cold glare over his shoulder. I dare her to throw me out. He went to the door and shouldered it open. Raven barely looked up from where she was trying to mend the most obvious break in his ribs on the lower left side.

"You're done here. Alfred and I can manage for a while." She shook he head.

"This rib will puncture his lung again if I don't fix this."

"Fix it and then get out. You'll be no help to us if you run yourself dry."

"I will leave when I am finished," she growled. Red eyes blinked open on her forehead.

"Ten minutes, then I'm taking over here." He moved to stand on Robin's other side. She had done nothing to mend the cuts and bruises on his face and they had purples grotesquely. Batman stood perfectly still, and I gained a sudden insight into the man who had helped Robin become the hero that he was. He said nothing when he felt most deeply. It pained him as much or more than it hurt the a Titans to see him laid low, but he would betray nothing. There would be no tears or outpourings of grief from this man. If Robin thought he did not care, he was greatly mistaken.

i do believe they underestimated each other. Raven managed to repair two ribs and the collarbone before Batman bodily removed her from the room. He was successful only because she had no energy left to repel him with magic.

"Rest. We can take it from here." He deposited her on the ground outside the room where she swayed. Beast Boy steadied her with an arm around her waist. "All of you get some sleep," he added, scowling at us. Cyborg had no choice but to comply. He was sorely in need of the recharge. Beast Boy glanced at Raven questioning ly, but she shook her head and looked at me.

"You're burns. Let me-"

"Do not dare!" I said fiercely, stepping out of her reach. "They will be healed by morning. Batman is right. You need to rest."

She rolled her eyes. Alfred approached with a bow.

"Allow me to show you to a room." He offered to assist, but Beast Boy said, "S'okay, I got her." His hand tightened possessively around her waist, and I saw her hand lightly touch his chest before she moaned and pressed her fingers to her forehead. There was no more arguing after that.

"Barbara, go home and make sure your father didn't run into any trouble," barked Batman.

"But-"

"I'll call if there's any change." Her lips pressed together in a form line, but she did as he instructed, going off to change into her civilian attire. That left me alone with the Batman.

"I suppose I should thank you," he said gruffly with his back to me. "You were the only one who could have gotten to him in time."

"I wish I had been sooner," I mumbled. It was not because I sought to be comforted by him, I recognized that he was not a man to offer comfort in such times, but because it caused me physical pain to see how close we had come to losing Robin forever. Batman tensed and looked over his shoulder at me.

"He doesn't talik about you when he calls to check in. I hear all about Cyborg's upgrades, Raven's increased control, and even his frustration with Beast Boy but hardly a word about you."

"Oh," I said, doing the deflating. I did not understand his reasoning for wounding me so, but it hurt to know that Robin did not mention me to his father when they spoke. Surely our friendship warranted some acknowledgement. Despite myself, my head ducked.

"That tells me more than anything that would have come out of his mouth." He spoke in riddles now, or else I was simply too tired to comprehend.

"Ahem," said Alfred from the shadows where he had quietly reappeared.

"Miss Starfire, please allow me to show you to a room.". I wanted to refuse, but a glance at Batman's rigid profile and I knew I was not wanted or needed here.

"That would be most welcome."

I walked to his side, glancing back just once more. Did I think Robin would suddenly wake and call me back? It was so rare to see him damaged. He always insisted that he was the okay, and if medication was administered that made him drowsy then he forced himself to stay awaje by sheer stubbornness.

"Forgive me, Miss Starfire, but I couldn't help overhearing," said Alfred once we had stepped into an elevatoR and the doors closed behind us. "I wish to correct Master Bruce on one point. He does speak very highly of you. It is difficult for him to discuss matters of a personal nature with Master Wayne, but he has shared many things he has learned about your culture and planet. I understand you are of feline ancestry?"

"Yes," I replied not wishing to discuss Tamaran or lineages. "Why is it difficult to speak of me when he can talk about the others with him freely?"

"If I may be so bold, I believe your arrival on Earth left a lasting impression on him. The language transference you administered may well have been the first time he's ever been kissed. If his feelings go deeper for you than friendship he wouldn't wish for Master Bruce to know. There are...rules." He sighed heavily, giving me clear insight into his thoughts on the rules. The doors opened and I found myself in a room of such opulence that it frightened me.

"This is the family wing. It is completely shut off from the rest of the house. No one will see you here." Alfred walked out as if the glossy wood paneling and thick drapery were of no more interest than the dirty sneakers that littered the floor of Beast Boy's room.

"This is your home?"

"This is Master Wayne's home. I am merely a caretaker."

"He trusts you above all others. You are surely more than a k'norfka."

"Pardon?"

"On my planet k'norfka means caretaker," I explained, "though our k'norfkas are charged with the care of our children, not dwellings, though with such a palace I understand the need." He chuckled softly.

"Yes, I can see that you are a breath of fresh air." It was one of the sayings I did not understand. As it appeared to be a compliment I did not ask.

He led me from the room of sitting into a corridor. He paused and frowned.

"I hope I am not being presumptuous, but as Raven, Beast Boy, and Cyborg have taken the remaining three guest rooms in this wing there is no other place that would be near them in location." He led me to a door with a plaque engraved with a large D stood proudly at eye-level. I knew whose room this was immediately, and I was suddenly afraid to enter. Could I sleep there, surrounded by his scent? Would he find it an invasion of his privacy? Alfred did not seem to think so.

"There are other rooms of course, but this one is nearest your friends and the Cave. I can find you someplace else if you prefer," he said, reading my face well. I shook my head.

"I am just afraid," I admitted. Saying it out loud to this man did not feel like betraying a weakness. Alfred was kind, and he would listen without judgment.

"This has been a terrible time for us all, but he will pull through. Your friend's healing capabilities are extraordinary." He offered me a kind smile that I greatly appreciated. excusing himself, he left me to enter the room alone. It was nothing like what I expected. His room at the Tower was very bare, with his desk and bed being the only furniture. This room was as large as the kitchen with a great wooden bed that had four posts that reached nearly to the ceiling. Dark blue curtains surrounded it. There was a large television perched on top of an ornate dresser and two of the wardrobes that stood on either side of a closet the size of the my bathroom.

There were posters on the wall, all of a trio of figures in bright red, yellow, and green costumes similar to the one he wore as Robin. 'The Flying Graysons,' read the caption. The others had said that was s true name, Dick Grayson. These thorn were his parents. The woman was beautiful with curly red-brown hair and a wide smile that illuminated her face, and the man was very handsome with the strong jaw and black hair he shared with his son. They were gone, these smiling, happy people, and the boy with the wide grin from the poster had been taken in by the grim, brooding Batman.

"Robin," I murmured sadly. Did I even know him? I had learned so much about him since coming to Gotham about a life he had never mentioned. But then, I could not truly fault him for that. I shuddered to think of the way he would react upon hearing what I had withheld. But there was Batgirl and Alfred. Why had he never mentioned them? It seemed that Batgirl was aware of us. It troubled me thst she disliked me. There was much I felt I could learn from her, and not just about Robin. I was in short supply of the female companions and Raven did not enjoy the girly activities such as the painting of nails and consumption of chocolate as much as I did. I held little hope that Batgirl would accompany me to the mall of shopping. What was she to Robin? Her jealousy indicated something more than mere friends. It confused me, but I tried not to dwell on it. With Robin still clinging to life, such petty concerns seemed irrelevant.

I laid down on his bed and it smelled of him just as I thought it would. I inhaled deeply. With the scent of him wrapped around me like an embrace I gave in to the healing sleep I so desperately needed.