(A/N: Sorry for the long wait! You won't be disappointed, I promise. This chapter is really long and eventful, and it only gets better from here. I will give you one warning- the scene at the end is not graphic, but it is a little rough. And there will be more carnal situations and flashbacks, but I'll try to keep it tasteful.)

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The Joker turned the crumpled heap of girl on the floor in front of him around with his foot. He nudged her none too gently in the stomach until her battered face was turned towards him. "I really wish we could'a had more time to get to know each other, Bird Girl," he sighed wistfully, wiping a smear of blood off of his white painted cheek. "But Uncle Riddler and Auntie Ivy are coming to take you to Scarecrow's house."

Wren didn't respond. She curled in on herself, prompting him to kick her. "Are you listening?"
From her place on the wall, Harley Quinn pouted and sobbed loudly, causing her makeup to run in streams. "B-but I d-don't WANT h-her t-to GO!" she wailed. "I-it ain't f-fair, M-Mista J! W-we found her F-FIRST!"
The Joker crossed his arms and puckered his lips, nodding. "I know, Harley honey. We had some fun, didn't we?"
"WAAAH!"

"CLOWN!? Where are you? We've got an appointment to keep!" Clad in all his green suited, top hatted finery, the Riddler strolled into the basement dungeon. "Aww, you messed her up! She's all ugly now."

At the sight of him, the Joker gritted his teeth and tightened his gloved fists. He didn't like the way Riddler was walking and talking and swinging his cheap cane like he damn OWNED the place...not one bit. "I'm right here, Mr Sphinx." he sneered. "And here she is, just like I said." He threw another savage kick into Wren's stomach, tossing her at the Riddler.

"Joker, Joker, Joker." clucked a sultry voice. "Now you know that's no way to treat a little lady." Poison Ivy wound her way into view around her companion, accompanied by the click of high heels and the heady smell of plant perfume. Joker and Riddler both straightened up and cleared their throats. "Oh, scuse me...course not, ma'am...pardon my brutish behavior." Joker wheedled, smoothing down his hair while greedily oogling the way the low lighting played along the generous curves of her clinging green bodysuit.

Ivy placed a hand in her hip and wagged a perfectly manicured red nail in his face, tsking. "Mm. Poor thing... she looks dreadful." She kneeled down and ran her fingers through Wren's hair. "You're such an abusive bastard, Clown." She looked up and smiled saucily. "I love that in a man..."
"Well, GOLLY..."

Harley let out an unintelligible screech and stormed over to them. "Listen here, you tree hugging bitch! That's MY puddin' yer talking to!" Joker immediately turned and backhanded her sharply across the face, knocking her back. "Harley, you're embarrassing me..." The Riddler snickered. "What do you call a slutty mouse with a big mouth? Joker's girlfriend!" Joker grimaced and dug into the pocket of his violet suit. "Look, you hippity hoppity son of a-"

"As much as I'd love to watch you two tear each other apart," Ivy broke in, a bored expression on her beautiful features. "We actually do have somewhere to be." She stroked her fingers over the wide cracks in the cement floor. Seconds later, weeds began to sprout from them, quickly growing in size. The vines slowly coiled themselves around Wren's body in a thick green cocoon. Wren watched with wide, frozen eyes as the plants wrapped her up like a to go order.

"It's not FAIR, Mista J!"
"Cheer up, Harl. Hey, think about it- there's another Bird twin out there somewhere!"
"Oh, Mista J! Yer so SMART!"

Wren was able to let out one pitiful, pleading whimper before the vines closed over her face, and the aroma of the blossoms plunged her into darkness.

«»«»«»

Robin watched in amazement as Starfire smiled at him and walked away, long red hair swaying to and fro behind her back. He didn't know whether to be scornful of her carelessness, disgusted by her confidence...or just plain impressed by the sheer ballsiness of what she'd just done. Never mind the fact that she would have been disemboweled if she'd been caught. She had been unarmed and locked in a tight space with HIM...willingly. As if she didn't know who he was, and what he was capable of. As if she didn't hate him.

Robin shook his head and rubbed his own digits through his damp hair, remembering her slim, cool fingers moving over his skin. He had enjoyed that way too much. Nobody but Wren had ever touched him with so much...caring, and tenderness. Maybe there has been another one, even before his sister... another person that held him and stroked him like they loved him. Unbidden in the back of his mind, flickers of images like pieces of old film floated to the surface-warm blue eyes surrounded by laugh lines, petting hands, a voice singing in a language he didn't understand but felt like he had once known and that made him feel safe and protected.

And then it was gone, swallowed by a wave of pain and fire, and he was back in his dark cell, confused with a strange hollow lonely feeling in the pit of his chest. It wasn't often he had flashes of what he assumed was his life before Slade, but when he did, they never failed to leave him feeling the same way.

Robin jostled himself angrily. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered but getting out of here. Starfire's weird, fake kindness didn't change any of that. Whatever new approach the League was using, it wasn't going to work. If they really thought that some giggly little alien was going to get him to spill his guts...not that he even had any guts to spill! "Don't fall for it, Robin." he muttered to himself. "Remember Wren. Remember Batman. Lite Brite doesn't give a shit about you."

'But what if? What if she did?' hissed a nasty, traitorous little voice in his brain.

"But she DOESN'T." he growled. "It's a trick. It's always a trick with these people." He couldn't give in to the illusion that somebody here actually cared about him.
'No one cares about you. No one ever has. That's what being a villain means.'
'But what if we didn't have to be that? What if-?"
"Shut up," he grumbled, knuckling his throbbing temples. "Shut UP." He didn't need this right now. He needed a plan.

Robin drew his legs up to his chest and rested his forehead on his knees. He smirked into his thigh. He hadn't missed her blush and stutter act when she pulled his shirt off. Maybe he could use that to his advantage...once he got her to trust him, that is. If she came back. Which he doubted.

«»«»

Starfire kept her promise, to Robin's utter surprise. Any time that she could slip away from the tower, and any time that Mt Justice was mostly empty, she visited Robin in the detention cells. The time length of her visits varied. Sometimes she stayed for a few hours, other times she could only stay for ten minutes. She stitched his cuts, cleaned his wounds, and put salve on his bruises. And she talked to him, constantly.
She told him about her life on Tamaran, and the sister she'd left behind, about how the Titans had helped her and made her a member of their team.

It wasn't pleasant at first. Robin was hostile and sarcastic and paranoid, and in the beginning he simply refused to talk to her at all. He glared at the wall in surly silence, giving her nothing more than an eye roll.
Eventually, in the middle of her explanation of Tamaranian holidays, he snapped. "Don't you ever shut up?" he asked hotly. Starfire's response had been a smile. "No."

They talked, and teased, and engaged in mental combat. Starfire felt herself being drawn to Robin the longer she was around him. She would catch herself drifting closer to him when they sat together, and following his movements. The smallest touch left her hot and bothered, unable to look him in the eye. His customary goodbye- a smoldering glance and a muted "See you soon, Princess" sent her heart fluttering.

Unbeknownst to him, one day when he was strong enough to exercise, she watched him from outside the cell. Later that night, visions of Robin's gorgeous blue eyes, focused expression, and glistening body had her panting and trembling in her bed, gasping his name through clenched teeth. His handsome face was fixed in her mind as waves of pleasure washed though her, over and over.

After that, Starfire could not deny her attraction to Robin, though she knew it was wrong. Batman and Superboy's rage terrified her ...but she could not stay away.

«»«»«»

This time, when she opened the door, Robin was waiting for her, and be was smiling. "Hello, Glow Stick." Starfire felt her own mouth spread into a grin, and a mixture of fear and excitement warmed her chest. 'Dear Felidae...what has become of me?'

He was sitting down, and she frowned in confusion. "Why are you not standing, Robin?" The junior criminal shrugged unconcernably. "I over extended during my exercises... I think I re twisted my ankle. No big deal." He absently kicked a random fork across the room and leaned back. "So... now I have a question for you." Starfire folded her body in front of him, crossing her legs daintily. "Yes?"

"Why are you here?"
Starfire blinked and scrunched up her nose. "I have already told you this. I am here to help you." Robin shook his head, making his dark bangs sway. "No. I mean why are you here NOW. I'm all better. I don't need your help anymore." he told her bluntly. "So...what's the plan? Why are you still coming to see me?" Starfire fought with her entire body to keep herself from blushing. "I-I'm not sure what you mean." Her answer only seemed to irritate him. "Come on," he snapped. "Let's not play this game anymore. There's a plan, right? What is it? I haven't told you anything- I told you a long time ago that I wouldn't. So there's only one reason you should still be here."

"There is no-"

"All that secretive stuff...that's pure crap, isn't it?" He kept going, laughing with zero humour. "They know you're here. That's what it is- 'Send in the beautiful covert alien girl, and maybe if he thinks he's doing something wrong, then he'll-'"

"You are a fool, Robin!" Starfire yelped, finally losing her patience. "I have told you a thousand times I am not here to trick you. I am here because I have come to enjoy your company, though I am beginning to think that maybe I was wrong. You are hateful and cruel and sharp with your words." Robin's tirade stopped in its tracks, but she kept going. "Why do you refuse to believe something that is right in front of your eyes?" She waited hotly for a response, but none came.

Robin was staring quietly at the opposite wall. His head was bent, and his hair covered his eyes. His shoulders were hunched, and he looked utterly defeated. Her heart immediately broke, and she felt awful for her outburst. She leaned forward tentatively. "Robin?"

"Hateful and cruel." he echoed listlessly. "You hit it dead on, didn't you? You get out what you put in. Put in hate..." He paused, and made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a sniffle. "That's all I am. I can't love anything. I can't trust anything. I'm broken."

"But your sister..." Starfire whispered. "My sister is the same way." he told her. "She's broken too. We just fake it." He turned his head, and Starfire was shocked to see the glimmer of a tear rolling down his face. "No," she breathed, scooting closer. "No, Robin. Broken things can be fixed. You only need to let someone fix you."

"It doesn't matter. I've done too much hell in my life. They won't want to fix me because I'm too much work. And they'll never trust me. There's nothing I can do." Starfire moved closer until they were nearly nose to nose. Her heart was pounding. She was close...she could feel it. "You could start by helping us." Robin licked his lips, and a tormented look crossed his face. "He'll kill me for this." he whispered. Starfire's breath caught in her throat.

"He...he didn't tell us personally what he was going to do. But...but Slade might have encrypted it on our data pads. They're in our backpacks. The packs only open to our DNA- mine and Wren's. If the Leauge has the backpacks, I can open them and help them crack any codes." Telling her that seemed to exhaust him, and he slumped. Starfire exhaled shakily and closed her eyes, smiling widely. She'd done it.

"Thank you...thank you, Robin." When she opened her eyes, he was brusquely rubbing his face. "Yeah, well. You have no idea how hard that was." He snorted and shivered, then chuckled darkly. "I guess I'm just a sucker for a pretty face." Starfire couldn't stop her flushing face this time. "I...w-we...you should get off of this floor. It...it is dirty, and I need to wrap your ankle." Robin shrugged and pushed himself up with his arms. He allowed Starfire to wrap an arm around his waist and help him hobble over to the chair. "So now what?"

Starfire frowned thoughtfully. "Now I shall inform the Leauge of your cooperation, and they will decide what to do from there." "Are you going to get in trouble?" he asked delightedly. Starfire rolled her emerald eyes. "Yes, I am. And I suppose you are happy about that."

"Better believe it." Robin grinned. "It's the least you deserve after wringing a confession out of me." She smiled in response, and then narrowed her eyes, peeking at him through her lashes. "Did you mean what you said? Do you really think that I am pretty?" Robin froze. "I never said that." he said quickly. Starfire giggled. "Yes, you did. And you called me beautiful."

"I NEVER-" Startled, he stumbled and nearly fell. Starfire lunged and caught him. A whiff of his natural musky scent caught her nose, and his arm brushed the bare skin of her waist as he tried to right himself. Starfire shivered and broke out in goosebumps. She lowered him into his chair, not looking at him. "You must be more careful not to injure yourself further." Robin stared at her until the intensity of his gaze forced her to meet his eyes. "Why? When I have you to take care of me?" he retorted quietly. Starfire swallowed dryly and tried to breathe deeply. The tension was almost tangible, but it was a different kind of tension. "D-did you mean what you said?" she whispered, unable to stop the question. He was too close, she was too close... her brain was screaming at her to step back, but her body wouldn't move.

Robin pinned her with his magnificent eyes, letting his arm linger on her waist. "About what?" he said, slowly drawing her closer. Her lungs didn't want to work right, and her heart was intent on beating her ribs to a pulp to escape her chest. She was shivering horribly, even though she was far from cold. The cell suddenly felt like a sauna. Starfire stumbled forward until she was practically straddling in his lap, with the most private part of herself pressed into his warm leg, separated by only the thin material of her underwear. She prayed that he couldn't feel the sudden wetness gathering there. "Cat got your tounge, Glow Stick?" he mumbled.

"W-when you called me b-beautiful. Did you mean it?" Robin reached up with one hand and brushed a tendril of fiery hair away from her eyes, holding her waist with the other. "What do you think?" he whispered. Starfire struggled to breathe.

'Pull away! Pull away! This is wrong! Pull away!'

She let out a strangled noise, and then his lips were folding themselves around hers, burning and molded perfectly to her mouth. Robin sucked gently on her bottom lip, begging for entry. She let her mouth fall open, and he delved deeper, stroking her tongue with his own. His fingers cupped her neck, holding her head still. Robin was dominant in the kiss, but also tender with her. He nipped at her tongue, and she moaned at the salty, coppery taste. He tilted her head back, kneading his fingers into her neck...

Overcome by pleasure and disbelief, Starfire never noticed the slight pain that suddenly twinged in her neck, and she passed into unconsciousness without ever knowing what happened.

«»

When he felt her breathing slow down and her body go limp, Robin disattached himself from Starfire and lowered her to the ground. He removed his finger from her carteroid artery and gazed down at her, shaking his head. His plan had worked like a dream. "I almost fell for it, Princess." he said sadly. He felt bad for doing that to her- she was a good girl. But it didn't matter what he felt, like he'd told her. It had to be done. He bundled her in the corner and made his way to the door, which was being held open by the fork he had kicked into it when she first came in. Robin shoved his toe in the small gap and removed the fork, then squeezed his thin body out of the cell and into the hallway, letting it close and lock behind him. He was no longer limping.

He was free...and filled with a cold, single minded determination. Robin stretched briefly, popping his stiff muscles, then tore off down the hall, holding his fork like a dagger. He had to see, before he did anything else. He had to see.

The other cells were empty, every last one of them. Wren wasn't here. A rising tide of frustration and anger made him want to scream, and he slammed his fist into the glass, cracking it- but he forced himself to stop and breathe, forcing down his yell of fury and desperation.

'I'm going to find her. I am GOING to find her.' With that in mind, he set off down the hall, towards the exit. At the top of the stairs, there was a camera pointed directly into his face, but the little red light was off. Starfire must have disabled the security...which meant she was telling the truth. Something that almost resembled guilt pricked him like a thorn, before Robin once more crushed it ruthlessly. Unfortunately, while he stood there, the camera suddenly revived itself and began swiveling around on its perch. He cursed and ducked under it, following its movements to stay out of sight. 'Why does this stuff always happen to me?' He glanced to his right and saw an air grate. Robin darted out from under the camera.

Using his fork like a screwdriver, he loosened the bolts to the grate and peeled it away from the wall. Robin smirked and shimmied his way up into the ventilation system, following the air currents.

«»«»

"Team meeting in five minutes, guys." Conner informed the flood of exhausted sidekicks pouring through the door of Mt Justice. They had all been working search and rescue in Metropolis and the three other minor, most recent bombings, and they were dirty and exhausted. "Foood fiiiirst..." Kid Flash groaned, stumbling towards the kitchen like a decapitated zombie with the others following him. Conner frowned and crossed his arms. "Fine then, bring it in the living room with you."

"Whatever..."

The kitchen was then transformed into a snacking hurricane. The sound of crunching and smacking drowned out everything else, until Conner's voice sounded again. "Guys, HUSTLE! Batman's here now!" Everyone hustled out, pushing and shoving, but another two seconds and Artemis was back, moving against the tide. "Hold up, hold up, forgot my soda."

She was the only one in the kitchen...or so she thought. A heartbeat after her fingers wrapped around the wet can, a rush of air ruffled the hair on the back of her neck, and the cold steel of a blade was pressing into her throat. The archer froze as a hand gripped her shoulder tightly, and a voice hissed into her ear. "Nice and easy, blondie. I wasn't planning on killing you, but I won't cry over it if I have to." Robin murmured. "We're gonna walk out and have a little talk with the rest of the super babies."

Artemis gulped, and the edge of the butcher knife dug into her skin, drawing blood.

«»«»«»«»

"Here we are, the Motel de Riddle!" Riddler announced as he dropped the vine wrapped Wren onto a sunken bed. Ivy followed him into the abandoned house, looking around with a disgusted expression. "This place looks like a burned down crackhouse." she muttered. "We should have taken her to the Botanicals, like I said." Riddler stuck out his tounge. "Bah! This is fine." He started ripping into the cocoon, revealing the girl inside. "Thank God we're only here for one night." Poison Ivy sighed. "I'll go call Crane and tell him we've got her."

The Riddler grinned sadistically as he zip tied Wren to the bed posts. "You do that. I'll break in our little guest here." Though only half conscious, Wren heard the implication in his voice, and she started struggling against the bonds. "Oh, don't. That's disgusting." Ivy admonished.

"Come on! You don't think the clown's already had a go? Besides, I bet she gets worse than that with Slade." Riddler retorted, securing her ankles. "Hell, she might even like it. And Crane didn't say no." To Wren's absolute horror, Poison Ivy shrugged and walked away. The Riddler loomed over her with a satisfied grin, unbuttoning his pants.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll be gentle...ish."

«»

She might have almost been having a nightmare...if not for the sharp burning agony that was tearing her in two. It came in surges with each savage, bloody thrust, shredding through her core. Her legs were on fire, and her chest was brutally squeezed and molested.

The Riddler was loud. And violent. He choked her, he bit her, he scratched her. He called her names as he forced himself in and out of her. When he was done with her first passage, he ripped through her second, and then pushed himself into her mouth. Through it all, Wren begged to pass out, but she was never that lucky. She hadn't been that lucky in years.

And just when she thought it was finally, FINALLY over...

"Round...round two, sweetheart?"