Beast Boy sat on his hands with his mouth zipped. Every precious moment in the Batmobile was being savored and he wasn't about to do anything to jeopardize it.

Though he desperately wanted to ask questions.

"Tell me about this Billy Numerous character," Batman finally stated.

"Oh! Ummm…well, he can divide into multiple clones of himself, like we said. He's not super strong or fast, but divides quickly."

"So no other powers besides multiplication."

"Right."

"Good. What's his M.O.?"

"Theft. He likes to ransack a city of its valuables."

"Money? Art? Tech?"

"Anything. He stole a section of the bridge once."

Batman frowned. "So in it for the thrill. He doesn't particularly want stuff, but wants to see what he can take. Got it." He reached over and hit some buttons on the console.

Beast Boy vibrated in his seat with excitement.

"Jump City police department," the radio spoke.

"This is Batman. I'm helping the Titans with the Billy Numerous situation. What locations has he hit?"

"Oh! Batman! Uh…That's the weird part. He's broken into several locations, mostly toy stores, but he hasn't actually taken anything."

"So he's either showing off where he can go this time, or he's looking for something specific."

"I'll radio the other officers on the scene and let you know exactly what we know. Is this number okay?"

"Yes."

"Be back in a minute." And the call ended.

"Lucky bastards," Batman mumbled under his breath.

"Who's lucky?" Beast Boy squeaked.

"Your team. I never get cooperation like that from the Gotham PD. Maddening."

"Well…I think they respect us because of you. Everyone thinks you're the coolest. Well, everyone outside of Gotham at least."

"Good. The last thing I need in Gotham is a bunch of groupies asking for my autograph."

Beast Boy pouted, assuming he knew how the request for an autograph for himself would go.

Just then, Beast Boy's communicator rang. As he answered it, the Batmobile picked up the call.

"Talk to me," said Batman.

"We were just at the last place Billy hit," said Cyborg. "The biggest antique mall in the city. A security guard was there, and said he had a confrontation with Numerous."

Batman pulled into an alleyway. "What happened?"

"He said Billy prattled on and on about being Billy Numerous and outnumbering everyone as the guard called for backup. Then he said that Billy actually told him what he was looking for."

"Lucky break."

"Not especially lucky, Billy can multiply, but he's not very smart."

"So what's he after?"

"Guard said a homemade doll. All white, handmade, made of fabric."

Batman frowned as he pulled up the computer. "Doesn't sound like your typical heist item. Perhaps its maker is the key here. I'm going to check auction sites to see if I can find it."

"Dude!" Beast Boy chirped. "I think I know what he's talking about!"

"You do? Spill."

"Ah man, I totally forgot about it too! With everything with Robin…okay, so I saw it while Raven, Cyborg, and I were exploring the place where Robin was held captive. I found it on the floor while you guys were talking. It seemed out of place, but not really important, so I took it."

"Where is it now?"

"In my room."

"Did it look like it had anything in it? How much did you examine it?"

"It was kinda squishy, but it didn't feel like cotton inside. More like…beans? I don't know. It was just all white and ugly. Like if you asked me to make you a stuffed polar bear from scratch."

"Hmm…"

"I'm sorry I didn't mention it. I totally meant too!"

"Well, if Billy is looking for it now, that means it didn't have a tracking device. And if anyone else had seen it, they may have left it there. Now, we just need to learn the significance."

"About 15 Billys have been spotted by the post office. There's a town map there, so they might be planning their next hit. The original might be there," Raven said.

"Then let's go, send me directions."

"I'll go there now, track me." Beast Boy opened the door and transformed into a cheetah to run away.

—-

"Oh where oh where has the little thing gone, oh where oh where can it beeee?!" Sang a southern choir through the streets of Jump. "He promised it wouldn't be this hard to find, oh where oh where can it be?"

"Need a hand?"

The multiple Billys turned around at the familiar voice.

Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire stood behind him, as a green blur appeared beside them, soon transforming back into Beast Boy.

"Oh gee willikers, I was wonderin' when you slowpokes were gonna show up."

"We might have gotten here sooner if you hadn't actually tried using stealth. Which, by the way, could use more practice." Cyborg smirked.

"I'll take that into consideration. Now, if'n you'll excuse me, I got some work to do."

Cyborg activated his canons and Star her bolts. Beast Boy turned into an octopus, and Raven built a wall out of cement slabs from the street.

Billy noted this all quickly, then laughed. "It's a nice try! But y'all could barely stop me when you had a full team! How do you expect to stop me when you're down a member?"

Just then, a black form dropped in the center of the group, before raising to his full height and glaring at the enemy. "They have a full team."

The Billys all took a collective step back at the appearance of Batman. "Oh shoot…the rumors are true…" Then he seemed to regain his composure. "Ain't no Bat gonna wrangle Billy Numerous though!"

And he instantly doubled his number, so there were easily 30 Billys surrounding them. "These good odds? We can go bigger!"

60.

120.

"There, that oughta be fair now!"

"I think he's still low-balling it," Beast Boy muttered.

Before any actual fighting began, the giant screen on the building across the street changed from an ad to a familiar face.

"Billy Numerous!" He called.

"Robin!" Starfire called back.

"Well, I'll be damned," Billy halted and stared at the screen, along with the heroes. "The dead are coming back to life."

Robin, looking almost the same as normal, appeared on the screen. His mask was in place, and his hair was spiked back. The only difference, though it was subtle, was a Glascow smile scar on his cheek. "I know what you're looking for."

"Oh yeah yeah, I'm sure ya do." Billy scoffed, coming out of his shock rather quickly.

"A doll. White, made of rough fabric. No face. I've seen it."

Billy paused and then relented. "Okay, yeah, but what about it?"

"Their offer is no good. They don't intend on paying you. Instead, they'd prefer no one knew what they were up to. They'll hunt you down and kill you."

"Shows how much you know! I'm gettin' in on the ground floor! They offered me an apprenticeship!"

Robin shook his head. "It's not going to be that simple. I've been following their case. They won't hold lessons. They won't let you shadow them. Instead, if they really do let you in, they'll make you multiply yourself over and over until you can hold their torture and poisons and not die. Tell me Billy; if one of your clones dies, does it hurt?"

Billy stood stock still, his mouth quivering.

"They have an apprentice in mind, you know. That's what the doll is for. And you're stupid to think that the Joker would make such a deal with a no-name villain that no one would miss. Think about it. Would anyone come looking for you if you went missing? Would anyone care if the Joker cut you up into pieces and left you in an alley?"

The Titans all stayed quiet while Robin negotiated.

"Because that's the truth of what will happen if you return to the Joker. He'll get what he needs from you, and you'll be of no use anymore."

"So what? I'm just supposed to quit?"

"Oh no no. I know I can't convince you to just go home. So how about you and I make a deal?"

One Billy crossed his arms, presumably the original. "I'll hear ya out."

"You bring me the doll instead, and I'll give you whatever you want. I'll even get your record expunged so you can keep whatever it is. Taking a Ferrari out for a joy ride is fun, but can you imagine showing it off to people? Making others jealous? Driving some hot babes around?"

"Alright deal! I want 5 million dollars."

"Done."

"Alright, you heard the man, Billy!" He started to command his clones.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Robin interrupted. "I can't have you tearing the city apart for hours on end. So the deal is only good for one hour. If you find the doll, you can give it to one of the Titans. Happy hunting." And the screen went blank.

"One hour!?" Billy panicked. "Double time, fellas! I want my money!" And he proceeded to duplicate into an army of Billys that rushed into the city.

The communicators lit up with a call, and Cyborg answered on his arm.

"Sorry to butt in, but I have a plan," Robin grinned.

"Please, your plans are most welcomed at this time," Starfire sang, a little too enthusiastically.

"Rob, you gotta know—" Beast Boy began.

"I know. I heard the first call. Alfred still has to finish administering the rest of the antidote, but once my head cleared, I asked to have my communicator to monitor the situation. The doll that Billy is looking for is a…Talisman, for lack of a better term. During the psychological torture I endured, the Joker convinced Black that all of his goodness was inside that doll, 'White'. I don't know what seeing that doll could do to me, but I'm sure Joker's trying to find me with it."

"So it's your Horcrux?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah, you can call it that, too."

"So what's the rest of the plan?" Asked Batman, "you just gave a lunatic permission to ransack Jump City for an hour. What is he going to do once the hour is up?"

"Hopefully he won't last that long. We gotta turn up the heat on him. Make him spread himself thin."

"Master Richard, it's time for the next dose."

"Thank you, Alfred." He said as an aside. "Make Billy panic. I'll check in when my head clears again. Any questions?"

"How do you feel?" Starfire asked.

He smirked. "Never better. Good luck team."

—

It turned out that by time Robin checked in with the team again, Billy had already reached his limit and all the clones returned to him. Cyborg and Raven were the ones to escort Billy to jail, while Starfire, Beast Boy, and Batman returned to the tower.

Robin lounged on the couch, IV port still in his arm. He still wore his pajamas, but with the mask and gelled hair, he looked like Robin again.

"Wow! You look great!" Beast Boy chirped as he entered. "You look like you got some color back."

"Indeed! Your skin held a certain pallor about it. Was the poison causing that?"

"I think so," he stretched. "It wasn't until the medicine kicked in that I actually started feeling better. I'm still sore from all of the chemicals, but it's a far cry from the pain I was in. I didn't even realize how bad it was until now."

Starfire floated right off the ground as she stared at him. He finally looked like Robin, really truly like his old self. "Your scarring appears less harsh. Are you wearing concealer?"

He nodded. "I have some I wear in case I get mask lines," he chuckled. "Eventually, I might try to get some revision surgery, but for now, I'm only appearing as Robin, so it won't matter. Who knows, maybe it will help with my intimidation factor."

"You seem to be recovering well," said Batman. "Maybe a little too well."

Robin again nodded, understanding Batman's concern. "I'm ecstatic to have my body back. I will be working on processing all the trauma I went through as my new normal sets in. It might take a little while to get back on the field."

"That, I would recommend."

"Maybe you can be our man in the chair?" Beast Boy suggested. "Cyborg's my best friend, but I'll never admit this in front of him. His plans aren't always the best."

"It's hard work, and I have more experience. But that's why we're a team. We all have our strengths. We rely on each other…and I'll probably need to rely on you all more now than I was."

"By the way, do you want me to get the…" Beast Boy trailed off.

"No. In fact, it's probably best if I never see it. The four of you should find a place to hide it where I'll never come across it."

"Yes sir," Beast Boy saluted.

"What if we were to simply destroy it?" Starfire asked.

The very thought sent chills down Robin's spine. "I'm not sure why, but I don't like that idea."

"I can make a guess," said Batman. "Just because we treated the poison that manifests Black, does not mean we got rid of him. If Black has that much attachment to that doll, it's likely that those feelings would persist even when dormant."

Robin nodded. "I understand."

"Hey," Beast Boy nudged him. "How much time before your next dose?"

"About twenty minutes," said Alfred, looking at his watch.

"Wanna play me a few rounds in Super Mega Monkey: Ninja Brawl? It just came out last month."

Robin perked up. "Yeah, sounds like a blast."

—

The Southern docks were silent and dark. Not even the waves made noise as fog persisted in all the forgotten corners.

"Robin?" Starfire yelled, her voice echoing between the trailers.

"Star! Starfire! Help me!"

"Where are you?"

"I was close! I was so close!" His words carried so much pain, just like they had when he was in the med bay. "But they found me! They've come for me, Starfire!"

"No!" She screamed. She attempted to fly to get a better vantage point, but it was like she was chained to heavy weights. Even her run was far too slow. "Robin! Robin please! I'll save you this time!"

"Starfire!"

The fog parted, and Robin stood before her. He wore a black trench coat and ratty black jeans.

"Robin!"

He reached up, and dug his fingers into his face, molding his skin like fabric. Then he tore, ripping away the cool and mysterious facade to reveal bulging blue eyes, skin riddled with spider web lines, and a smile that tore through his cheek.

"Oh poor poor little Tamaranean," a voice said, one she felt like she had heard before. Another figure appeared behind Robin. "You're simply too late." The figure stepped forward, becoming visible as a Gordanian. "But there's always an opening as a new apprentice."

—

Starfire awoke suddenly, flinching in her bed.

Just a nightmare. A horrible, realistic nightmare, but a nightmare all the same. As her heart rate started to slow down, the visions became less cutting and started to fade.

Still in just her pajamas, Starfire rose, intent on checking on Robin. Just a peek, to make sure he was there and safe.

Of course, he would be, she reasoned as she traveled the hall. There was no reason for him to be missing. But she just needed to see him with her own eyes.

Maybe, if he was awake, they could talk, for the first time alone since he was able to speak on his own.

When she arrived at his door, she knocked gently, assuming that he would be asleep. When he didn't answer, she let herself in.

But there was no one inside.

The images in her nightmare came back, and she began to panic.

"No, do not panic," she said aloud. "Maybe he is simply having problems sleeping as well."

So she went to the common room, only to find it empty as well. She checked his office, and even the gym, but there was no sign of anyone. There was one last place to check before she started waking the others.

Up on the roof, the sky was clear, the air was just perfectly crisp, and the moon was full and bright.

And Robin sat at the edge of the roof, looking at the very few stars visible in the city sky.

Starfire breathed a sigh of relief. "I feared something terrible had happened to you."

Robin jumped at her voice before relaxing again, "you scared me," he chuckled.

"I apologize." She approached calmly before kneeling beside him. "What brings you out here at such an hour?"

He adjusted the blanket he had on his shoulders. "Ah, my sleep schedule is all messed up. I was in and out of consciousness all day, and then when I tried to sleep on my own, my mind wandered…" he shook his head. "What about you? There's no trouble is there?"

"No no, nothing of the sort. I had…a nightmare. I have had many since you went missing…" she admitted this sheepishly. "But this was so vivid, I just…I only wished to see you, to make sure you were truly here and safe."

He smiled at her. "Well, I'm here and safe. And Robin, most importantly."

"Yes," she leaned forward and rested her forehead on his shoulder. "You're back. I missed you."

He reached up and petted her hair. "I missed you too. Even though I could see you and hear you. It wasn't the same."

She picked her head up to look at him, before slowly peeling off his mask.

He didn't fight her.

With the mask off, she felt like she was looking at Black instead of Robin. But his gaze was soft and relaxed and void of the deranged mania that characterized Black.

"I never knew you as Robin without the mask. I never knew Richard Grayson."

"Yeah…" he cringed. "I was hesitant to share that part. When we first started the team, I wanted to make sure I could trust everyone before I shared. After a while, I thought I'd be fine if everyone knew, but I never knew how to come out and say it. So…I just never told you guys."

"That makes much sense," Starfire nodded sagely. "I must say, I believe I am the opposite. I trusted you almost right away, or else I would not have initiated lip contact."

Robin felt the blush rise to his cheeks, but hoped she couldn't see it in the dark. "Oh, yeah, you sure did that…not how I pictured my first kiss to happen, that's for sure."

She leaned closer, intrigued. "I was your first kiss? On my planet, that does not hold much significance, or lip contact in general, but I have come to learn that it does here."

"Depends on the person, but yeah, the first kiss is kinda like a stepping stone into romance. You don't kiss at all on Tamaran?"

She shook her head. "We are able to assimilate languages through lip contact, which is why I did it. But I was still putting myself in a vulnerable position by engaging with you. I am glad I was able to trust you."

"And all this time, I thought you were just showing your gratitude for me removing your shackles."

"Oh, I was grateful! Do not think I wasn't. It was relieving to know the new planet I had arrived on held creatures willing to help for the sake of doing what was right. You were the reason I decided to stay on Earth."

He blushed more at that. "Well…I'm glad I had that much of an impact."

"I am too." She scooted closer. "So I was your first kiss?"

He chuckled. "Technically, I shared a peck with a girl in my class back in Gotham, but I hardly think that counts."

"A peck? Like a chicken? What is that?"

"Yeah, it's like…well…" He leaned closer to her and placed the briefest kiss on her lips. A millisecond of contact. "Like that."

Starfire let out a gasp of awe, a smile taking her face, before she schooled her expression into something more thoughtful. "No, I do not believe that truly counts. I would not be able to assimilate anything from it. Indeed, I believe I was truly your first kiss."

He smiled at her. "I figured you'd say that."

She scooted ever closer, now being pressed against his side. "Robin? Did you hear the things I said to Black about my feelings for you?"

"I did."

"And…I saw you had written my name on the wall of your…cell. Black said that you loved me, but he does not have the same memories, and I think he was just saying that to make me feel better—"

"He was right." He wrapped an arm around her waist. "I do love you, Starfire. Thinking about you was about the only thing that kept me from succumbing like the rest of the boys. I was determined to get out and tell you that."

She rested her head on his shoulder, overcome with emotion.

"I have a long road of recovery ahead of me, but if you're willing to travel beside me, I think I'll be okay."

She rubbed under her eyes. "I have a confession to make…" Her voice was thick with emotion. "I love you. I love you so very much, even when we had our struggles, when Slade was in your head, when work consumed you…I still loved you. But," she turned her face away.

"You don't like that other personality, huh?"

She nodded before sobbing, "yes! Yes, and I want to love him because he's a part of you. But he's not you, and he does not have your kindness or consideration or—" She sniffed before resting a hand on his face, covering his scar. "You have shown so much love and kindness towards me when I was at my most vulnerable. If I can not love you at your worst…how shallow must my love be?"

"Oh Star…" he squeezed her to his side. "You're being really unfair to yourself. Black is a personality created out of trauma. He's a reflection of a villain, the Joker. I don't want you to like him. I don't like him."

"But—"

"Look Star," he turned to face her completely. "Let's just take this slowly. Hopefully, I'm cured of my DID, and now just some trauma is left. But you're not obligated to stay with me if things become too much for you, okay?"

"Actually…" she bit her lip shyly. "Tamaraneans mate for life. We only fall in love once, so…I would say you are stuck with me."

"Oh!" His eyes blew wide, before he started chuckling. "I suppose I could be okay with that."

"Yes?"

"Yes." Finally, he leaned in, kissing her gently, but nonetheless passionately.

Starfire returned the embrace, slowly wrapping her arms around his neck and clenching his shirt.

When they finally separated, he kept his eyes closed. "We'll figure it out together, okay?"

"As we always do."