I4.6

Chapter 30: Betrayal

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Adult themes. DO NOT read if you are underage or dislike controversial things.

Author's Note: Merry Belated X-mas! I hope you enjoy the chapter, my friends.

Family. What is it? What's the purpose? Why even be part of one? For Richard Grayson, being part of a "family" is both rewarding and incredibly frustrating. He realizes that there are perks to having a strong support system at his back in his time of need, but on the other hand, having to cater to the emotional and physical needs of so many people is draining. When the Titans were founded, he diligently dealt with it because it was his duty as leader of the team. He had never truly resented any of his teammates when they relied heavily on him for guidance. Instead, he felt empowered by the knowledge that they trusted him enough to seek his aid during their lowest hours. He had used it as a way to get closer to Starfire. He was seduced by the possibility of what the future could hold for them. The ultimate power couple. He'd be the brains and she would be the brawn. However, the more he knew of her, the more he felt his attraction fade and the more distance he was determined to put between them.

In the case of Beastboy, he used the younger man's need for an older role model to try and shape the changeling into the mighty morphing solider that Richard needed him to be. In the beginning, the green beast was easy enough to mold, but somewhere along the line he felt the need to push back. Test his boundaries with the team's leader. It could just be growing pains, but Richard finds it insulting. The amount of embarrassment that he feels when Beastboy has the audacity to question his decisions in front of other people who do not belong to his team is unnerving for the Boy Wonder. This is not what he thought he tenure-ship as leader would be like. He had thought that they would be a well oiled, crime fighting machine by now. The more these two men pushed against each other, the more the enmity between them grew and the cracks in their relationship widened.

As the tension between the two young men grew and his romantic interest in Starfire dwindled, Richard found himself seeking out the company of someone who is calm and collected. She had always been easy to talk to because she would let him do most of the talking. He would rant about Beastboy's behavior and his complex feelings about their resident space alien. She never judged him for his actions or made him feel less than because of his feelings. At the start, she would just politely ask clarifying questions and listen. At first, he had appreciated this dynamic in their working relationship, but after a while, Richard began to realize that she knew more about him than he knew of her. That realization struck fear into his heart and made him much more conscious about the things that he said to her. Sharing so much of himself wasn't his original game plan. The goal had been to learn enough about this secretive girl to control her. To mold her into his ultimate weapon. Not for him to be dependent on her for his mental stability. There was a moment in time when he resented her for this unintended byproduct of their interactions. It took some work to coax Rachel into sharing about her life, her experiences and her thoughts. The more he learned about her, the more he wanted to know. He was riveted by her mental acuity and appreciative of how dependable she is. Even to this day, Rachel still has his back during these turbulent times with the team. She may have slapped him, hard, in the kitchen this morning, but Richard is confident that if he needed her, she would not let him down. This knowledge just makes him crave her more. Her presence is the sturdiest relationship that he has had in his life since the passing of his parents. He would be damned if he allowed her to leave him or replace him with someone who was clearly inferior to him.

Rachel is the one Richard turns to for emotional support and stability, but Cyborg was the man he went to for leadership advice. For as long as he has known the metal man, Richard had always been envious of his outgoing nature. As the adoptive son of Wayne Enterprises, Richard had learned to hold his own in social circles, but he didn't particularly enjoy those interactions. Cyborg, however, is like a fish in water when it comes to parties and other social gatherings. Where Beastboy is loud and awkward with his attention seeking, Cyborg is smooth and charismatic. People just seem to naturally gravitate to him. What was there not to like? He just seems to know all of the right things to say and do when others are emotionally distraught. Even Richard has found himself under the big man's spell more than once. He can easily recall many instances where he would help the older man work on the Titan's car or motorcycle. Those sessions helped him ease some of his anxiety and stress when he was at crossroads about one major decision or other. He is the second pillar of strength for the leader of this team. Robin has to work hard at getting people to like him by watching what he says and does so that he can always appear heroic and kind, while Cyborg does it naturally. Effortlessly.

There is a part of Richard that isn't all that surprised to see that even Rachel has formed an attachment to the affable man. It still stung none the less. The sight of that embrace in the dark garage was far too intimate for his taste. He wasn't close enough to hear what was being said, but this was not too long after her sixteenth birthday. That was over two years. Richard thought that he would be over it by now, but there was something clearly distasteful about it that hadn't sit right with him. Looking back on it now, he can clearly acknowledge that his feelings for the empath ran deeper than he was willing to admit at the time. He had reasoned that incident away and told himself that he would have to give the two of them a stern talking to for inappropriate behaviors. Conveniently forgetting how tightly he held her in his arms when he caught her falling, unconscious body. Purposefully sweeping away the memories of how appealing she looked in his eyes as he scanned her barely clothed figure with his predatory pupils. Checking for injuries is what he had told himself. That had been true, but truer still is the way he remembers the curves of her bare torso. His gaze latched on to the way her soft breasts swayed with the rise and fall of her chest from her labored breathing. His ears had committed to memory the sound of her low groans as she tried to pull herself back into consciousness. Still sensing the danger around her even though she didn't quite understand what was going on. What really struck his heart was the look of trust that he saw in her eyes when she realized that it was him holding her. Her stiff body, still aching from pains that he couldn't even begin to imagine, relaxed itself against his. She rested her tired head against his shoulder and Richard couldn't stop the smile that spread across his face.

Looking back on it now, he subconsciously knew what he was feeling towards the quiet, sullen young woman. So, when did it actually start? That he couldn't quite pin down. This was clearly a slow-moving glacier that hit him without him even realizing it. Was that why he had felt rage flooding through him that night in the garage? Richard had to quickly retreat before Rachel picked up on his strong emotions. He had been around her long enough that he could gauge how long it would take her to notice these things. He couldn't hide that surge of testosterone and possessiveness, much less explain it to her if she had caught on.

WHACK!

The punching bag violently swings in front of Richard as he bounces around on the balls of his feet. Thinking about that one moment in time is frustrating and infuriating for him. He had felt betrayed by the both of them, but he hadn't known why or how to articulate it. Now that he can admit to himself that the only woman that he wants to build a life with is Rachel, he can look back at the incident and see it for what it is. He had clearly felt jealousy and betrayal. Two emotions that he rarely has to deal with because of who he is. Call him narcissistic, but Richard knows that he's a catch. Equal parts handsome, athletic and intelligent. Being rich was just the icing on top of the cake. He had never had to worry about a woman not wanting him because they practically threw themselves at him. Rachel's resistance just makes him all the more determined because she is a woman who is worthy of him. He had never thought that she would betray him even though the chance of being betrayed by a team member has always hovered in the back on his mind, but the thought had been...clinical. His back up plans had back up plans in case that ever happened. What he hadn't accounted for was the emotional damage something like that would do to him. He had walked into this team arrangement with the understanding that the Teen Titans would be a stepping stone to a larger goal. He hadn't planned on allowing himself to be so deeply entwined with them, yet there he was, watching two people he depends on the most locked in a tight embrace.

WHACK! SLAP!

Richard follows his punch with a round house kick that showcases all of the grace and elegance of a trained fighter. He could still feel the heat of his rage racing up his back, into his arms and clenched muscles of his jaw. Cyborg couldn't have known that he was betraying Richard in that moment with Rachel, but Richard is damn well sure that Cyborg knows that he's betraying his leader's trust with Batman.

TWACK! WHACK! WHACK! "ARRGGHHH!"

He steps out of the way of the wildly swinging punching bag and ignores the ache in his wrist and cheeks. He is breathing heavily as he paces back and forth in front of the bag. His mind is racing with thoughts and possible hypothesis of all the new information that he learned today.

His conversation with Joseph Ricktor was short and sweet. He provided the man with all of the information that he needed to know in terms of date, time, number of media personnel and security details. He had been feeling good with the knowledge that the press conference is ready to go the day after tomorrow and he was floating on cloud nine because he knew that Rachel loves him as more than just a friend. Even if she's not ready to admit it to herself, yet. It's okay. He's willing to be patient because until very recently, he had also been in the dark about what he truly felt for her. An adjustment period is necessary...even healthy.

As Richard was brainstorming ways to help his beloved warm up to the idea of their future together, he decided to check the call logs. At first, he was a bit confused by what he was seeing. Why had there been so many incoming calls from Batman's IP address? It didn't make sense to Richard since the last time they spoke was the day Starfire fell sick from I4.6. That meeting was in person because the old bat wanted to impress on Richard the dangers of getting himself entangled with Rachel. It was clear as day that both Bruce and Alfred did not approve of the girl. They believed that she was not trustworthy enough and that she would lead him astray. It also didn't help that her father is a stark, raving mad demon who is hell bent on destroying the world. On a superficial level, he can sympathize with their worry. If he was standing on the outside looking in, like they were, he doubts he would want his son to be connected with someone like that, too. However, he knows Raven and Rachel. He understands how she thinks. She has told him of all of the guilt that she feels for the harm that her father has inflicted and that she is determined to not follow in his footsteps. He admires her bravery and fortitude in these moments that would break a lesser woman. They didn't know this side of her. They only knew what they read in their incident reports and in her profile. Much like Richard did in the beginning, they recognize her usefulness and power, but not her humanity and humility.

He and Bruce did not leave one another on good terms during this last meeting. In fact, that encounter was cut short because he received the call that Starfire had fallen ill and could not use her powers anymore. So, who was Bruce talking to? Was it Beastboy? No. Bruce wouldn't have the patience to tolerate BB's personality and brashness. Maybe Starfire? Richard doubted it. What could they have to talk about? While Bruce prefers this woman over the other one, they wouldn't have much in common unless he was trying to give the girl some pointers in how to keep his interest. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that that couldn't have been the case. There is too much going on in the older man's life for him to worry about his adoptive son's love life. Starfire would have mentioned the fact that Batman likes her enough to help her on her list of reasons why she was the one for him. She's father approved!

That only left Rachel and Cyborg. Did Bruce call Rachel to threaten her to stay away from him? Richard doubts this, too, because it's something that the empath would mention. However, it was also a possibility that he was trying to reach out to her to hear her side of the story and to demand an explanation on how those pictures were taken. Maybe his beloved had been a bit too shocked and emotionally strung out to mention that? There is a chance, but the logic behind that doesn't really hold any water.

At first, Richard didn't want to acknowledge that the only other person on the team Batman might be reaching out to is Cyborg. That would sting his pride in a way that he wasn't ready for. He couldn't quite shake the feeling that he is being betrayed by his long-time mentor and adoptive father figure. Or that the Judas figure on his team would be Cyborg. The metal man is probably one of the most rational people that he's ever met.

So, how did Richard finally figure out that the betrayer is his second in command? By cross referencing the incoming calls with the outgoing ones. Each time a Titan uses the main computer in the central hub, they have to log in with their credentials, much like they have to do on their communicators. Within 3 minutes, Richard had shifted through the data and noticed that there was a correlation between the times Batman would reach out and when Cyborg would log on. Apparently, the metal man's account had been active during the six different times that Bruce called and he has initiated at least four other calls. This led to a grand total of ten correspondences that Richard wasn't aware of and that neither men thought important enough to mention. The other thing that struck Richard dumb was the duration of these calls. The shortest one was 37 minutes.

What could they have to talk about in all that time? Richard thinks to himself as he viciously slams his knee into the punching bag with a grunt.

It couldn't possibly be that Bruce was interested in adopting another son. Cyborg didn't fit the lost boy profile. The more he thought about it, the more enraged he became because those conversations where the ones that he knew about since they took place on the communal computer. Richard wonders how many interactions occurred on more private channels?

As he was pondering this question, something that Bruce said replays in his head…

"Within the last few weeks, your behaviors have been erratic, your choices have been questionable and your rationale, faulty. Again, if this pattern continues, then I will have no other choice but to make Cyborg the temporary leader. Possibly, indefinitely if you don't regain your good judgment."

WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

Richard is hyperventilating as his mind races to put two and two together. Was the old bat really planning on replacing him with Cyborg? How long has this plan been in motion? The earliest call happened a week before Richard attended that charity gala and sampled I4.6. There were things about this that just didn't add up and he was determined to get answers.

He raises his head up to the ceiling as he tries to take in deep, calming breathes to ease his nerves and think rationally through his anger. Now is not the time to act rashly and cause more damage than is necessary. He still doesn't know what Cy's response to Bruce's offer is...assuming that an offer had been made. There are even more questions than there are answers! Either way, Richard is having a difficult time swallowing with the lump in his throat and the butterflies in his belly. This isn't the first time that Bruce had threatened to take away his leadership position when he had made executive decisions that the older man didn't approve of, but this is the first time that Richard has found him acting on his words. This whole situation is incredibly unsettling for the Boy Wonder.

WHACK. Richard half-heartedly punches the bag again before resting his head against it. In moments like this he would seek solace in his beloved Rachel. He would quietly knock on her door or meet her on the rooftop. Sometimes they wouldn't even speak to each other. Just sit in silence as they work through their own thoughts. Only ever sharing when they feel ready to. God, he misses that! He wants it back, but he knows that he has to suffer a bit of loneliness in this moment so that he can keep her by his side forever. Sometimes, he wonders how he made it so far in his life before meeting her.

His thoughts are disrupted when he hears the door to the training room open and quietly clicks shut. He already knew that it isn't the woman of his dreams because of the sound of stomping feet heading towards him. The heavy clunk of metal hitting the metal floor and the soft whirl of gears shifting as Cyborg's robot-like body makes its way towards him has Richard grinding his teeth. Thankfully, his back is still facing the older man so he couldn't see the expression that he is making. Cy is definitely not the person that he wants to see right now.

WHACK! WHACK! THACK!

"Hey man," comes the deeper voice of someone who he once considered his friend.

If it isn't Judas himself. Have you come to kiss my cheek? Richard thinks to him as he straightens up from his kick. Instead, he schools his face into a practiced smile and responds with a light "What's up?"

The older man is scanning him over with a calculating, yet worried look before raising his hand and rubbing at the back of his head. "I just came to check in on you...you know, after what happened this morning."

Which thing specifically? Being slapped by Rachel, being slapped by Starfire or finding out that my friend has been betraying me all of this time?

"Are you talking about BB or Rachel?" Richard politely inquires. A frown spreads across the human half of Cyborg's face.

"I'm talking about what happened with Star," he responds with what sounded like a bit of anger in his voice.

"Ah," Richard says as he quickly readjusts to provide the appropriate emotions. "How did you find out so quickly?"

Cy turns his attention to the punching bag that Richard is lightly holding on to and walks up behind it. He stretched out his strong, machine like, hands and grasps both side of the heavy bag so that he can hold it still. Richard nods his head in understanding and mock thanks as he begins to lightly strike the bag.

"I ran into a crying Starfire in the kitchen after talking to BB," Cyborg finally answers after a couple of lighthearted strikes. "She was hysterically crying at the kitchen table...which is broken by the way. Did she do that or you?"

"Star had hit it in a moment of anger," Richard replies, "it was a very difficult conversation that we had this morning."

Cyborg nods in sympathy when he said, "You're pissing everyone off this morning, Robin. Are you sure that you're not the one who needs a break from us?"

Richard hits the bag with a quick one, two jab and shifts his stance so that he isn't standing in the direct center.

"Beastboy attacked and injured me. Then, he stole my laptop and was trying to get Star to help him break into it," he answers, "You were there at the park! You saw what I looked it. BB should be thankful that this is temporary and that he hasn't been permanently removed from the team."

"I fully admit that what BB did was wrong," he says with a solemn nod. His shiny bald head is reflecting the hard lights of the training room. "That's why I had a stern talk with him. Even he knows that what he did was wrong...to a certain extent. That's why he's agreed to being a stand in member of another Titan team."

As he should. At least the changeling has enough common sense to see that that is in his best interest, thinks Richard to himself. On the outside he gives the older man a slight nod of appreciation for convincing his wayward friend to do the right thing. Richard says, "Thank you for helping him see the logic in it. He leaves tomorrow afternoon. Titans East expressed that they needed help as soon as possible."

The bigger man doesn't look too happy about the thought of being without his best friend for such a long time and it occurs to Richard that he should feel a little bit guilty about this. Maybe he would have been so inclined if he hadn't found out about Cyborg's betrayal and the fact that he has been canoodling with Batman without tell him. Richard is clearly not the only one with secrets.

"Understood," he responds, "BB is already half packed, so he should be ready by tomorrow afternoon...although, that doesn't give him a lot of time to say goodbye to his friends."

Jab! Wham! Bam!

"He'll have the morning," says Richard.

"Sure...but I don't think any of us are really in the right state of mind for a proper farewell," Cyborg says as he looks off to the side with a frown before continuing with "BB is upset, Star is distraught, Raven looks dazed, confused and dare I say...frightened? I don't think you're doing too great either, Robin. Most of the team is at odds with…"

"ARGGHHH!" Richard yells as he slams his fist into the punching bag that Cyborg is still holding. It barely moved in the metal man's powerful grip. "WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO, CY?!"

The big man looks taken aback by the loud outburst from his normally quiet and controlled leader. His mouth was hanging open in bewilderment at the sight before him. "Whoa! Calm down Robin! I'm not disagreeing with your choices…"

"Then what is it Cyborg?" Richard says through gritted teeth. "Spit it out already!"

"Robin," he says in a much more serious tone, "I'm more concerned with your motives than I am with your choices."

"What the fuck does that mean?" Richard spits back.

"What I'm trying to say," he responds while lifting his hands in the air in a placating gesture, "What I'm trying to say is that something has been off about you..for a while now. I can't put my finger on it, but you haven't been acting the same."

"I am the same Robin that you've always known! Nothing has changed about me," Richard passionately states while pounding his right hand against his chest.

"That's not true…," Cy says, "The Robin I know wouldn't have looked down so much on BB. He wouldn't be putting Raven in such uncomfortable positions. She feels like she can't talk to you anymore. And Star...the Robin that I know wouldn't have left a crying woman at the kitchen table because he didn't like her back."

Richard feels his eyes narrow at the mention of Rachel's name. He knows that he shouldn't feel surprised by the fact that she has been seeking solace in Cyborg. He's seen her do it before. The older man is the only choice since her relationship with the others are strained. That still didn't make him feel any better. There was a nagging voice at the back of his head that kept telling him that the metal man wanted everything that he had. His job, his team, his adoptive father, his woman.

"Are you implying that I'm not doing my job properly?" Richard accuses him. Going so far as to walk right up to Cyborg and poke him in the chest as he continues, "You want my position, don't you? You want to play at being leader so bad that you're trying to jump on this opportunity to take it from me! Aren't you!?"

"Whoa," Cyborg says as he takes a step back, "Hold on, Robin. Where is all of this coming from?"

"Don't play dumb with me," Richard spits out. I know that you've been talking to Batman.

That last bit almost slipped out of his mouth in his moment of anger, but Richard managed to stop it from happening. It's too soon to give away his cards, especially since he has more questions than answers about what he found out today.

"I'm not playing dumb with you. There's no way that I want the stress that comes with being in your shoes," Cyborg confidently states. "I'm not saying that I wouldn't make a decent leader, but I don't want the stress that comes with making those day-to-day choices. I'd rather leave that up to you. Besides, you know Batman better than I do and he's in charge of our division."

Such a smooth liar, thinks the other smooth liar in the room. Richard knew that he would have believed the words that the big man said if he didn't know better. If he didn't have the call records. And those were only about the ten calls that he knew of! How many more had there been? To think that there is a mole, a rat, a spy on his very own team. He had thought that they were a cohesive whole who had each other's back. Clearly not if Cyborg felt the need to squeal to Batman. The more that Richard thought about it, the more it was all starting to make better sense. No wonder Bruce always seemed to know things as they were happening, within and without the Tower. When he was younger, Richard had just chalked that up to Batman being an all powerful superhero with an endless amount of knowledge and funds. What he hadn't realized, or maybe didn't want to realize, was that his every movement, action and decision had been passed on to the ever watchful eye of Bruce.

Who better to be the inside man than Cyborg? As the eldest member of the team, he would be best suited to picking up on the nuances of what's going on and accurately reporting it back. He's intelligent, calm and charismatic. The perfect candidate for this kind of job. He is definitely the man that Richard would have chosen. But why would Cy put himself in such a position? What could have Batman possibly promised him that would make him be his eyes and ears? Essentially betraying the trust and confidence of all his teammates?

Richard's attention is pulled back to the present when he feels a heavy hand resting on his shoulder and Cyborg's concerned gaze leveling with his face. A face that he once trusted with his woes as leader and his insecurities as a growing young adult man. He couldn't help but ask.

"Cy," Richard begins in a soft voice as his brain is working to connect all these dots, "What do you hope to be in the future?"

The question comes out of left field for the metal man, and he scratches his chin in puzzlement. "I'm not really sure what you're asking, Robin."

"I mean," Richard starts to clarify, "after the Titans. When we're no longer a team."

"I guess…," he starts as he sheepishly looks toward the floor, "I guess that I never really thought of that. I just assumed that we'd be a team forever. I know...it sounds dumb, but I consider you guys my family. I'd be really sad if we were to ever break up."

"Even if everyone wants to leave?" Richard asks.

"I wouldn't let that happen," Cyborg says, "I've been part of plenty of teams before, but this one is different. I've been in this one the longest and we've been through so much together. I'm invested in my team, and I'd do anything to make it last."

My not ours. That slight slip of the tongue was enough to tell Richard what he needed to know. For Cyborg, this team is his beginning, middle and end. He clearly didn't think that there was a future for him beyond this core group of individuals and their daily crime fighting routine. That's probably why he is working so hard to patch the cracks in their dynamic. In Richard's eyes, every year that passes is a year that they are all getting older and starting to outgrow the comfortable boundaries of their youth, but that's not the way that Cyborg sees it. Cyborg may not consciously be gunning for his position as leader, but he is more than willing to pick up the slack if need be.

Richard couldn't decide on whether he pitied his friend for holding onto something that is clearly crumbling or impressed by his determination to keep them together.

I know that I haven't been updating this story with any type of consistency and I apologize for that. Since classes are over, I should have more time to write in between shifts. Stay safe out there!