(A.N: So, here's the next chapter! Our unknown villain schemes and dreams, and Wren and Robin reunite and plan for the future. Poor babies...they have NO idea what's coming...only I do! MWAHAHA! Anyway, fluff galore ahead, with REFERENCES to the other side of their relationship. So yeah.

Also, I know how I'm going to end this, and it will probably occur around the...20- something-ish chapter. But don't worry, I already have a sequel in the works. Until then, enjoy.)

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The young woman was getting impatient.

Under the city, farther down even than the subway tunnels, it was dark and dirty, but also secluded and unexplored, and that was exactly why she had chosen it as her base. The trains that roared through the stations above her rattled the cavern where she had made her home and occasionally knocked cascades of loose soil from the ceiling. There was dirt everywhere, but the woman didn't mind the dirt. It was the water she could do without, and the foul smelling slime that coated the earthen walls. It was little more than a large hole in the ground. But the geothermal generators provided heat and the busted pipes that led to the surface let in a steady if weak stream of air.

When she had returned to the city, thirsty for revenge with the first inklings of a sordid plan taking root in her brain, the filthy cavern had been the best she could do. She had filled it with scraps and scavenged pieces, and for a while, it had almost seemed homey.

But now, deep in her subterranean hideaway, she was feeling the first uncomfortable pricklings of anxiety. It had been almost two weeks, and her plan seemed to have come to a stand still. The mud in her lair was well churned from the treads of her worn metal boots, stirred from her nervous pacing. She felt like a caged lion, poked, prodded, and teased, waiting for the steak that was dangled just out of her reach. She was tired of waiting and relying on others to do what she wanted. Her need to destroy her enemies had morphed into a sickness, and their blood was the only cure.

It was almost funny, in a way. Ironic. She used to wonder at her old...teacher, at the burning obsessions that he used to have, and how single minded he used to be. She used to think he was a fool. Now she understood the compulsion perfectly. And it was pissing her off. She wanted this done NOW.

Not for the first time, she wondered why she was still down here, hiding in the shadows like a coward. As if on cue, her pacing was interrupted by a shattering attack of pain that lanced up her spine and stole the strength from her legs, making her hobble like an old man. The young woman dropped to her knee and vomited, crying and paralyzed with agony. She crawled to a twisted plastic bin and struggled to withdraw a bottle of pills from inside. She shook a large handful into her palm and tossed them down her throat, tasting mud on her fingers and caked under her ragged nails.

She swallowed them dry and bodily hauled herself into her ripped, moldy arm chair, curling her knees up to her chest like a pathetic little kid and waiting for the attack to pass. They had been getting worse and worse instead of better, ever since her escape from that stupid academy. Hot tears oozed down her messy cheeks and into her thin hair, and she shuddered.

The pain reminded her of what she was- a cripple. A damned invalid. She relied on those other idiots because she had no choice. Every since that night, when she'd been brutally betrayed, almost literally stabbed in the back, and the years of torment during her banishment...

The young woman forced her pain rattled mind to focus and think. She hadn't heard anything from the Joker or from Scarecrow regarding Robin or Wren. That was what worried her the most. The twins were the key to everything. The information they had was crucial. She felt a tingle of doubt for involving the more vicious criminals. If Robin and Wren were dead, that just about ruined everything. She needed them alive so she could exact her vengeance on them. Her plan was pointless unless they were there to witness it.

Her cheap supermarket cell phone rang in the pocket of her tattered jumpsuit, causing her to flinch. Slowly, laboriously, she reached for it and opened it. Her finger stroked the blinking device taped to the back, activating the voice disguise before she pressed it to her cheek. Every cell in her body still vibrated with pain, but her voice was cold and steady. "Speak."

"It's Crane. I'm afraid I have a bit of bad news. The Leauge rescued the girl. However, she told me what I needed to know. The heroes have the means to find the meteor."

"Then you know what you have to do, don't you?"

The line was silent for a while. And then...

"You know, I've noticed something. Those recent bombings on television. They were...unique, to say the least."

"Your point, Scarecrow?"

"...I think you, whoever you are, already have this Kryptonite. And I think you're using us."

Surprisingly, the young woman smiled and started to laugh. So one of them had FINALLY figured it out, huh? "Oh, good job, Crane. You really are the smartest little villain. I was wondering when one of you would catch on. Honestly, I thought it would be Cobblepot. He's so selfish."

The pause this time was mostly from Crane's shock at being mocked. "I...how dare you, woman? How dare you presume to use me?" His voice trembled with the kind of cold, quiet anger that usually signified a day care being gassed. "Life is about to become extremely uncomfortable for you. I don't care how well you think you've hidden yourself. You will pay for wasting my time."

The woman closed her eyes and yawned leisurely. "That's a pretty speech, Crane." She stretched slowly, carefully flexing her legs. "Pretty worthless. I'm not afraid of you. You could never find me, and even if you did...there's nothing you could do to me that everyone else already hasn't." She sat up and glared into the phone will dead green eyes. "I'm so sorry I had to use you," she snarled sarcastically. "But I needed to bring the scum together."

"I'm done with this."

"Come on, Crane." she purred. "I know you despise those other criminals just as much as I do. Stick with me, and I promise you, when the smoke clears..the heroes will be gone, the other villains will be helpless, and whatever is left of the Kryptonite is yours."

"You're bribing me not to expose your little racket."

"I've been bribing you. I've just sweetened the bribe. Join me behind the scenes. We'll play those fools like violins. I'll let you in on another little secret- I don't plan on living past the conclusion of this little episode. After I'm gone, it'll be all you."

"...Who are you?"

The woman smiled, showing all her teeth. "I'm someone who's been through hell and back. I've literally looked the devil in the face. I've done his dirty work. And I'm going to start a war. So pick a side, Scarecrow...the good, the bad..or the winner?"

"...Fine."

"Good. Then call the others and tell them what Wren told you. Make it sound convincing. We have a break in to stage."

She hung up without waiting for a response, then abruptly threw the phone across the room. It hit the wall and shattered into pieces. The young woman rocked back on her knees and howled with shrieking, manic laughter until she was gasping for breath with her hands pressed into her twisted spine.

It was almost over, all of it. She was almost done with all of the pain and the torment and sickness of living. Almost. For all his intelligence, Scarecrow was just as stupid as the rest of them. And he would die with all the rest of them, too. She was nearly done waiting.

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"Robin?"

"Robin, wake up. Wake up."

"Wake up!"

"Robin, wake up!"

"Robin."

This time, when Robin pried his eyes open, it was different. The thick haze of drugs that had covered him was gone, and everything around him was painfully clear. He could think, and move, and speak. He turned his head to the side to look at his arm. The I.V was gone.

Batman was back, standing in the exact same spot he had been. Robin blinked and inhaled, running his tounge around his dry lips. "How long has it been?"

"Three days. But she's awake."

His heart stuttered, then started pounding like a bass drum. After all this time, he was finally getting what he wanted. "I want to see her." he said quickly. It wasn't a question. Batman nodded. "You can eat first-"

"No! I want to see her now." Robin flinched as something hurtled towards his face. A clean black shirt dropped into his lap. "Get up and put that on. I'll take you to her."

Robin sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He stood up slowly, refusing to wince when his stitches pulled at his flesh. His chest was bare, and when he moved the light caught the numerous scars and marks on his body. Among them was a raised circular incision in the middle of his back the size of a silver dollar, a thick, ropy line that coiled around his shoulder, and a T shaped pucker of skin that marked where the scrambler was implanted, as well as several discolored stripes across his torso that looked suspicious like whip marks.

He pulled the shirt on and took a few steps to steady his wooden legs, then straightened and took a deep breath. "I'm ready."

«»

Wren sat up in her bed and stared at her hands while Wonder Woman cleaned up around her, throwing away soiled bandages and empty syringes. Her nails were clean and shining, and though she ached everywhere, she wasn't exactly in pain. She was safe, and comfortable, but she still didn't feel...right. And she didn't know why. She still expected some sort of betrayal or punishment from the heroes in exchange for her rescue, probably in the form of a jail cell for the rest of her life. But even that would be better than going back to Slade. She'd never been more afraid of the future than she was right now.

Wonder Woman finished her cleaning and turned back to her. The Amazonian queen placed a comforting hand on Wren's own, making her jump. "Peace, girl. You are safe here. Both of you." Wren sighed and swallowed. "I know...but..." She couldn't stop herself from asking. "What happens now?" Wonder Woman smiled and smoothed a tendril of hair behind Wren's ear. "Now, we move forward."

The door opened. Both of them looked up, and Wren's eyes widened as they rested on the one person she had begun to think she'd never see again. "All of us."

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Batman led Robin through the sterile halls under the mountain all the way to the other med wing, silent and stony as ever. He stopped in front of the door. Robin watched him type in the code to the keypad with hungry eyes, clenching and unclenching his fists. The light was torturously slow in changing colors. To Robin, it seemed to move one shade at a time, from red, to pink, to purple, to blue...finally it turned green.

Before he could make one move, Batman clapped a heavy hand on his shoulder, holding him in place. Robin turned to slowly face him, meeting his dark eyes directly. "You have one hour, Robin. Try anything, and I promise you I will personally guarantee that the both of you end up in separate prisons across the world from each other." Robin tightened his jaw and jerked his arm, moving past him into the med room.

His entire body went stock still and every thought was wiped from his head. In that instant, two identical sets of eyes locked on to each other, and two sets of lungs sucked in one shaking, shallow breath. Their hearts swelled as one like balloons, and everything- Batman, Wonder Woman- vanished from their notice.

Robin was the first to move. He let out a strangled noise and darted across the room as fast as his injured body would allow, not even stopping when he felt a line of stitches on the back of his leg tear open. He seemed to move faster than the Flash, and also in slow motion all at once. It was like a scene from a movie.

Wren heaved like she couldn't breathe and leaned up in her bed, despite her soreness. She held out her arms at the exact moment Robin reached her and clambered onto the matress, folding her tightly in a desperate embrace even as she gripped him with all her strength.

Suddenly, they both could breathe again, and the world was knocked back into place. Their bodies fit each other like puzzle pieces, and the tears fell in hot, salty waves from their eyes, drenching them both. They were laughing and crying and flushed bright red with happiness, half hysteric and drunk from joy and relief. Holding each other was like coming home after a long, LONG journey. They empty, vacant spots in their hearts filled up again as soon as their skin touched.

Wren buried her neck in her brothers neck and breathed in huge gulps of his scent like it was pure oxygen. His scent was warped and tinged by antiseptic, but it was warm, and it was Robin's- apples and boy musk. "It's you, it's you, it's you, oh God it's you..." she sobbed, grabbing fistfulls of his hair and holding him as close to her as possible. "I saw you DIE! I-I s-saw you d-die, Dick...S-Scarec-crow s-showed me...oh God, it was s-so bad, over and over and over..." Robin stroked her hair soothingly, running the silky black strands through his fingers as if to make sure she was really there. His hands traced the familiar lines of her body and he bundled her against his chest like an infant. "It's me Wyllow. It's me, I swear it's me. It's me. Everything's alright, everything's okay."

In that minute, they were both little eight year olds again, finding comfort in each other.

After a while, they both calmed down and came back to earth. Sniffling and sucking, they pulled away slightly, wiping each other's faces. Robin drew his thumb underneath Wren's blackened eye and chuckled. "Wyll, you look like shit." Wren giggled and placed her hand on the huge yellow and green bruise on his collarbone. "I look like shit? You look like super shit."

"We both look like super shit." Robin cackled. Wren leaned against his shoulder and snorted, shaking her head. Neither of them knew why they were laughing. They just were, and they couldn't stop. When the fit passed, they closed their eyes and rested their foreheads together, intertwining their fingers. "You have no idea how much I missed you, Dick." Wren told him tearfully. "I didn't know if...I mean-"

Robin almost laughed again. He DID have a very good idea. "I'm so sorry, Wyll. They wouldn't tell me anything. I couldn't...I'm so-"

"Don't." Wren snapped, cutting him off. "Don't say you're sorry. It's not your fault. It's not." Robin frowned and cupped her face in his hands, taking in every bruise, ever gash, every injury. "But it was. I didn't protect you. I got us caught. If I hadn't fought with super clone- "

Wren dropped her head and squeezed his hand hard, shutting him up. "Don't, Dick. Please."

Robin sighed and bit his lip. She might have forgiven him for abandoning her, but he had yet to forgive himself.

Robin looked up and scrutinized her face. Despite her lingering marks, Wren looked better than he remembered. She was pale and thin, but her hair was neatly braided down her back and her eyes were clear. "Are you okay?" he whispered, curling his fingers around her jaw and the ghostly imprint of a hand there. "What happened to you?"

Wren shifted nervously and avoided his eyes. Her breath caught in her chest as the Riddler's face swam to the front of her mind. "They just...roughed me up. I'm fine." The lie sounded weak to her own years, and Robin saw through it immediately. He knew her too well, and he instantly recognized the shame and self loathing on her face. He'd seen it night after night, on her and in the mirror.

Hot, red rage bubbled up in his gut and spread through his body. "Who did it, Wyllow?" he growled quietly. Wren shook her head, drawing her knees up to her chest. "Nothing. It was nothing."

"Don't lie to me. Who was it? Joker? Crane? Riddler?" Wren recoiled like his words were knives, going red. "Shut up, Dick." she growled, angry and ashamed that he'd figured it out so quickly. "I should have been there." he hissed through his teeth. "I could have stopped it. I would've killed him."

"'Should'a, could'a, would'a.'" Wren mumbled bitterly. "It's over, it happened, it's done. I'm over it, okay? It wasn't like a new experience." Her hard words fell on them like boulders, and crushed the conversation. She glared at her knee with burning eyes, unaware that she was shivering.

If he knew how much what happened had hurt her, or what exactly the Riddler had done, he might do something stupid and reckless, like the first time this occured. Robin had actually gotten it in his head to go confront Slade. If she hadn't stopped him, she was sure he would have gotten himself killed. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him again over something as stupid as her tarnished honor.

Robin stared at his sister, watching as the memories ate her up from the inside like acid. She always tried to make it seem like less than what it was and shield her pain from him, and it never worked. It was like a disease, and it would keep devouring her until he fixed it. He sighed softly and pulled her closer until she was nearly sitting in his lap, winding his arms around her torso and resting his chin on her head. "You're a terrible liar, you know that?" he muttered. Wren smiled against his neck. "Better than you."

"I'll fix you again. You don't have to ask." "I know. I didn't."

She was relieved. Robin wasn't mad or disgusted. Of course he wasn't. He was going to heal her and make her whole again, and just knowing that made her feel better. Somehow, he replaced all the horror and agony, leaving her wonderfully spent and reassembled. In the back of her mind, she knew that many people would think of what they did as wrong, but she didn't see how. Being together like that only helped the both of them. It brought them closer together- it made them stronger.

Wren nuzzled the hollow of his neck with her nose. "What about you, huh?" she asked, eager to shift the subject away from her own experience. Robin shrugged. "I sat in a cage, talked some smack. Got the spit kicked out of me. Kissed an alien."

"What the hell?"

Robin cackled again at the disgusted look on her face. "Easy, sis. It was a mean to an end." Wren growled, and his grin spread. "Are you jelly, baby sister? Afraid I'm gonna run off with her into the sunset?" He puckered its lips and acted like he was going to kiss her. "Shut up." she snapped, smacking her palm into his chest. "I was getting fried while you were macking with Lite Brite." Robin rolled his eyes. "If it makes you feel any better, she tasted like mustard." Wren snorted and gasped for air. "Oh God. That's just gross!"

Her laughter died down, and her eyes dimmed. "So...when do they lock us up?" Robin's face went serious. "Never." Wren blinked and tilted her head at him like a confused bird. "Huh? I'm sorry...last time I checked, the bounty for OUR heads was up to at least 10,000. Each."

Robin's muscles tightened, but he pulled a confident smirk over his features. "I know. But as soon as you're better, we're outta here." Wren cocked an eyebrow- there was something about that that didn't vibe right. It just didn't make sense. "So they're just gonna let us walk out... cause they feel sorry for us?" Robin glanced away, but not quickly enough that she didn't see the guilt in his identical blue irises. A sour ball of dread formed in her gut, and a note of panic streaked her voice. "Did you talk to Master?! How bad is it?!" He said nothing, and her eyes widened in terror. "Please don't tell me he's making us go back to H.I.V.E!"

Robin sucked in a deep breath, then let out his words in a rush. "We're not going home. We can't, once he finds out." Wren nearly screamed in frustration. "Finds out what? Dick, what did you do!?"

"I...I said I'd help them with the kryptonite...if they saved you."

Wren dropped his hand and leaned away from him like he'd burned her. "Jesus." she breathed, blank faced with shock. "What the hell were you THINKING, Dick?! We can't help THEM!" Robin exhaled forcefully and gave her a pleading, irritated look. "I didn't have a choice! You would have died if I hadn't made that deal!" Wren shook her head frantically, making her long braid sway. "No, no, no, no! Dammit! We're dead! We're dead!" Her chest heaved, and the heart monitor went nuts as her pulse picked up with her panic.

"Wyll-"

"He'll KILL us, Dick! He'll think we betrayed him! Oh God, no..." Wren moaned, shuddering at the gravity of what had happened. The punishment for betrayal was much worse than mere rape and sodomy. It was a capitol crime, and the price was death. "You should have let me die! Save him the extra step!"

Robin grabbed her wrists and forced her to look him in the eye. "Shut up and calm down! I NEVER would have let you die. You fucking know that." She flinched and pressed her lips tightly together, and Robin continued. He lowered his voice to barely a hiss, so low that she had to read his lips to understand him. "I'm not stupid, Wren. I'm not going to actually help them. I just said that to buy some time." He touched the thick bandages on her legs that covered her piranha wounds gently. "As soon as you're better, we're out of here."

Wren stared at him in disbelief. "You mean... we go home?" Robin shook his head slowly. "Even if we get out of here, he still won't trust us. Joker...saw me. With them."

"Why didn't you kill him?"

I was...distracted." Robin mumbled. A flicker of pain fluttered over his face at the memory of that awful moment when he thought she was dead. "Slade's going to find out eventually. We can't go back." Wren recoiled at his statement. Not go back? Slade was all they had ever known. Slade was...everything. He was Master. He was their whole world. "We can't...we can't leave! Where would we even go?"

Robin leaned forward with a gleam in his eyes. "Anywhere. Everywhere. Rio, London, Italy." All the places they had dreamed about seeing as little kids. "Just imagine it, Wyllow. Living where we want, how we want. Doing whatever we want. Nobody telling us what to do." He took her hand again, and squeezed. "Free...together."

His words were scary and foreign, and part of her wanted to plug her ears and tune him out. But the other part longed for the freedom, and the experience of having to NOT look over her shoulder every second. No more 'Yes Master, No Master'. No more pain, no more rape, no more abuse, no more hunger. No more training, or dangerous missions.

Just herself and her brother.

Wren gulped and squeezed back, setting her delicate jaw and nodding once. "Together."