**hola peoples! Ima do a mail bag for the last chapter, since i've got some free time :)
NoaccountD: Thanks for the multiple reviews :) And yes, you do have it practically nailed :) Accept for one thing: Yes, Robin's NICKNAME is Dick, but that is short for Richard. His full name is Richard John Grayson, and his father's name is actually John Grayson. Just saying.
RukiaRae: Thanks! I'm gonna try to update as much as I can, though school might get in the way... hope not!
Red X: I don't know, who was he talking about? I guess you'll have to try and figure it out along with Raven :) but keep in mind- as much as it doesn't seem like it, Beastboy does pay attention. He's more insightful than people give him credit for. And as for your question of Jake being X? Well, I guess you'll have to wait and see :)
emotionalpoemgirl: Thanks! I'm glad you like it :)
Jinxxed by a Shadow: Yay! I'm glad this is frame worthy! I can't stand annoying plots either, so I'm glad you like this one :)
Warning: intense perspective hopping during this chapter :)
Robin's POV
"Hey, Raven!" I said, walking onto the roof of titans tower. It was good to be back, even if it was just for the weekend.
"Hi. Back so soon?" asked Raven, teasingly. I smiled, sat down next to her, and continued the game we play every time I come back from the 'far away school.'
"I guess I rushed."
"That eager to see your girlfriend?" she asked. Girlfriend?
Raven's POV
"Who?" he asked, genuinely confused. This was a good sign, for me anyway. But I had to be sure he didn't like the Tamaranian. She obviously liked him.
"You know, Starfire." I tried to keep the banter going, as if I was joking. I was really sensing his aura, to see if he got flustered or nervous when I mentioned her, like he used to.
"She's NOT my girlfriend. We're JUST friends." he was telling the truth. He didn't have a crush on her! I felt like laughing in joy, but had to keep my poker face up. For now, anyway.
Robin's POV
"Actually, I'm so early 'cause I had to make sure you didn't kill Beastboy yet," I continued, steering the conversation away from the non-present emotions I felt for Starfire.
"Kill him? Would I ever do such a thing?" she asked, mock-shocked.
"Well, you've throw him out a window before..." I reminded her.
"He can fly."
"Sent him to another dimension..." I continued.
"It was an 'accident.'" she said, smirking. "Besides, if anyone, I'd be killing Cyborg." suddenly, her mood changed, and I knew the game was over.
"He's spending a lot of time at football practice, isn't he?" I asked, knowing exactly what was wrong. She nodded.
"I know he's happy he gets to be somewhat 'normal' again, but it's kind of annoying having him go from the big brother figure you can always count on, to being as unreliable as... well, as a bigshot jerky jock. And then the crowd Starfire's hanging out with..."
"The Pops?" I asked, understanding. She nodded. Then suddenly, she stopped.
"Wait... how'd you know that's what they called themselves?" she asked, suspicious. Shoot. Well, at least my alibi was true... sad, but true.
"Because, I went to school at GHS when I lived in Gotham and... I was one." she seemed surprised by this.
"You were one of them?" she asked, shocked. I couldn't blame her. I knew some of the pops, and that they could be real jerks. I just nodded in response. "But... how could you hang out with them? They're such jerks!" Great. She was mad at me now...
"It's complicated..." I started carefully, not wanting her pissed off at me. "See, I didn't want to be one of them. It's not like I was one of those idiots trying to act cool, but really acting like an asshole. My first year in high school was pretty normal... I was normal, had a couple close friends... when I skipped a grade or two, everything changed. See, I was always the youngest and the shortest, obviously." she smirked at that. "So, I got picked on a lot, but still had my friends, so I didn't care what they said. And then..." I sighed. "Everyone found out who I was. Or rather, who my foster dad was." I grimaced, remembering the day well.
"Foster dad?" Raven asked, confused. That's when I realized what I'd said. Crap. No backing out now...
"Yea, foster dad."
"They found out he was Batman?"
"No, they didn't... wait, who said my foster dad was Batman?" I asked, flustered that she'd made the connection that quickly.
"You did. Just now." she said with a smirk. "So, why do you have a foster dad? What happened to your real parents?"
"My parents... were murdered." I said, hanging my head. I had mixed feelings at that moment, thinking of the four people: My parents, Bruce Wayne, my foster dad, and Tony Zucco, the guy that killed my parents. "Anyway, it had happened years ago, when I was nine."
"I'm sorry..." there was an akward silence. "So, um... the pops?"
"Oh, right. I was about fifteen when the pops came. In middle school, nobody really cared who's parents were who's, or anything like that. High school though... once the pops found out who I was, all the sudden they were super nice to me. Basically forced me into their clique. Some of them were nice, but most of them..." I trailed off, thinking of some of them.
Raven's POV
I nodded, knowing what he was talking about. The kind he was referring to, anyway. I knew were the type that both Cyborg and Starfire got mixed up in. One by choice, the other by naivety. I was still a little shocked at this information. Robin, a pop? How? I mean, it's not like I didn't think he could be popular, but to be one of those jerks? "What do you mean, forced you into their clique? You always have a choice." I asked, trying to figure everything out.
"See, but I didn't. I'd always avoided the pops, knowing how they acted towards people. I'd seen the bullying, whether it be verbal or physical. I was never allowed to do anything about it though, because of Batman. He was always saying that if I showed any fighting abilities, it'd point me out as Robin, what with the height, hair color... Part of the reason I left Gotham actually, being told not to help, accept when in costume. It made no sense. But when they found out who my foster dad was...
"They basically started steering me over towards them, inviting me to sit with them at lunch. I didn't want to be rude, and I didn't exactly have anyone else to sit with considering my friends all were in a different grade, so I did. When they invited me to go places with them though... I refused, made up excuses. But my dad found out, and since he was friends with their parents, he assumed the kids must be super nice. So he basically told me to go.
"One time, we were fighting about it... His exact words were, 'If you even want to attempt to keep your identity a secret, then you're gonna have to act like a normal kid. Normal kids would be happy to be invited to parties, to hang out with the popular kids. So try to get along with them, and be normal.' I asked him how I could possibly be normal, considering my past, and how I was raised by the same guy who would go out at night dressed like a bat. In response, he said..." he seemed hesitant to finish, I noticed.
Eventually, he continued, "He said, 'Look. I know you grew up in a circus, and you came from a world of bright colors and fun and games, but now you're in Gotham. You've been living here for six years now! You've fought crime! You should know that the world isn't a nice place, you should know how normallife works. So just pretend to be normal, and go to those parties and pretend to be happy to be accepted by the populars." Ouch.
"That's a little harsh..." I muttered. "So, basically your foster dad wanted you to hang out with them to seem... normal? And to keep your identity a secret?" Robin nodded. The aura around us was not a pleasant one, and there was a pretty depressing vibe. I decided to change that.
"So... a circus?" I asked. Immediately his aura changed to a bittersweet one. Happy and sad. He smiled.
Robin's POV
"Yea, a circus." I said, immediately thinking of Haley's. It was great. Always so cheerful, everyone knew each other, we were like a big family until... The smile was wiped off my face.
"So, what were you? One of those little acrobat kids running around all over the place?" Raven asked with a smirk, attempting to lighten the mood.
"Nah, graduated from that when I was about five. I took up my parent's career once I got a little older."
"Which would be?" she asked, starting to seem a bit impatient. I sighed.
"Aerial arts. The tightrope and mostly... the trapeze." Oh, the trapeze... when was the last time I practiced, weeks? Months? In Gotham, Bruce set up a trapeze in the training room, though at first I was reluctant to use it. I mean, my parents were killed while on the trapeze! Eventually, I started using it again though. Sometimes I practice the tricks while out on patrol, while jumping between rooftops.
Raven's POV
"The trapeze?" I asked, hints of surprise detectable in my voice. Not only was I surprised about his circus past, but I was surprised that he was even telling me any of this at all. He was never one to share anything about his past. When we first met, he was reluctant to tell us that he even worked with Batman! I knew he's never mentioned any of this to anyone before. Him and Beastboy didn't seem to close, and I don't think he'd really tell Cyborg. I knew Starfire was his confidant, but she's relayed everything she's heard to me. I guess I felt a little... special? That he was sharing this?
"Yea. My parents were two of the greatest in the world. I was on my way of joining them in the ranks, despite being one of the youngest trapeze artists ever. By now I would've been, if not for Zucco..." He seemed to be in a really sour mood, now that that particular name had come up. He said it as if he was disgusted.
"Zucco? What he do?" Blunder boy kept silent. That's when it cliked. "He's the one that killed your parents."
Robin's POV
She said it as a statement, not a question. And she was right. I nodded, verifying. "Yea."
Raven's POV
"What happened?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to know.
"He killed them... and it was all my fault." His fault? How could it be? He would never! And he said it was that Zucco guy that did it... Even so, I felt the guilt radiating off of him in waves. I listened to the rest of his tale.
"Tony Zucco and his brothers... they were part of an extortion ring, hustling businesses in Gotham for years. Our circus came to perform there. Zucco started threatening my dad, the circus manager, saying that if we didn't pay him 'protection' money, then he'd give us a reason to need protection... My parents, they were both really honest people... they refused, and Zucco's brother's started trashing the place. The one guy, he was a juggler... I stopped him. That's when Zucco gave one last warning. He threatened my mom and I. He said that he didn't think our circus could afford not to be protected. I told him I thought otherwise. He was really amused by this, and asked what made me think that.
"That's when I pulled out my cell phone, and told him I'd called the cops ten minutes prior. That's when Batman came. I just stood and watched as Batman fought one of them, and the rest got away. I couldn't do anything, since my mom was holding me back. The next day we had our show...
Robin's POV
I clenched my eyes shut beneath the mask, willing the memories away. "He decided that since I'd 'seperated' his family, that he'd do the same thing. He took the bolts off the trapeze... I was about to get on with them, I looked up, and I saw the bolts were missing... I didn't warn them in time... The weight of both of them was too much... the swing came off, and..." I stopped unable to continue. I bit my lip and gazed out over the ocean, feeling extremely vulnerable, yet lighter, somehow. "I still find myself waking up in the middle of the night, have nightmare's about that day, though it's been close to ten years." I hadn't talked to anyone about my parent's death in years, told anyone of the nightmare's that haunt my every dream. It felt good to let it out. Raven seemed to know this, probably sensed it. We sat there in a comfortable silence, until she spoke up.
"I have nightmare's too."
"What about?" I asked.
"Many things, Robin. Though I try not show it, I fear a number of things. Slade, my father... loosing all of you..." she trailed off, seeming deep in thought. "Though I fear these things, I've learned to not let them control me. Just like you don't let your fears control you." It was silent for a moment, but then I spoke up.
"But really, that's not true. My fears do, or have, controlled me." I said, breaking the calm. "I fear Slade just as much as you, if not more. He can read me like a book. He was able to control, manipulate me, just by finding my weakness. You, our friends... and another fear of mine, in the past, was someone falling from the trapeze. Look what happened."
"But... how is that fear controlling you?" she asked, confused look on her face.
"If that never happened... I'd be off in the circus, probably in Metropollis or Star city right now. Because of that fear coming true, I became a hero, fighting crime to avenge the death of my parents. Because of that fear, of the unexpected causing such traumatic results, I don't like surprises, secrets, lies. I have to know exactly what's going on, and why. Probably why I became obsessed with stopping Slade, why I let yet another fear control me."
Raven's POV
"I don't think so," I said, shaking myhead. "Your fear doesn't rule you, not really. It's more of a cause and affect, I think. Because of your parent's death, you became a hero. Becasue Slade found your weakness, you worked for him. I've had the same thing happen."
"You have?" I nodded. It was only fair to tell him some things about myself, considering the secrets he'd shared with me.
"Because my mother fell in love, I was born. Because I was born, there became a prophesy. Because of the prophesy... my home, dimension, Azarath, was destroyed. I was sent to Earth..." I gazed out at the open seas, wishing I was able to drift so freely. "I used to mistake it for being my fault, but as I look back, I realize there was nothing I could've done to stop any of it from happening, besides not be born."
"Well, if you weren't born," Robin started, "There'd be no titans." I looked at him, confused. How could that be possible? "If you hadn't been there, Cyborg, Beastboy and I would've kept fighting Starfire. More of the city would've gotten destroyed. Starfire would've been taken back to the Gordanians, since we wouldn't have understood she wasn't a threat. She'd be a slave somewhere on a faraway planet, Cyborg would go back to living how he was, Beastboy would've left to try to be a hero somewhere else, and I'd be going solo, or back to Gotham. And even if we'd gotten past that, understood, we couldn't have beaten the Gordanians without you. There'd be no city left to protect. So without you, there'd be no titans." He finished calmly. I had never thought of it like that.
I smiled at him, then motioned for him to follow me inside. I couldn't keep him all to myself now, could I?
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