She sat in her familiar lotus position; to the casual observer she looked to be meditating. Instead she contemplating the life she could now lead. She was no longer the key to the world's destruction. It should have come as a relief, but it didn't and she was trying to figure out how to live without a purpose.

Before it had been her purpose to try and keep her father contained away from humanity. Then her birthday had come and the end of the world came with it, her purpose became stopping him and she had. Not alone, but with the help of her friends…no her family.

Now, now she had no real purpose beyond fighting the criminals beyond the tower, now she could experience emotions that she never could before.

She felt the air stir behind her and she knew who it was without opening her eyes.

'speak of the devil' she thought with a wry smile. He would stand there until she acknowledged him she knew, he was as stubborn as she was. 'thank the gods' she thought again, without that stubbornness and hope he carried so easily she never would have made it through the end of the world. 'after all how many people would have run through the darkest reaches of hell for me'

"How can I help you Robin?" her monotone was the same as it had always been, after all one did not just throw off sixteen years of training just because one could.

"I came to see how you were, you missed dinner." The 'again' was left unsaid, but it hung heavy in the air. He came up and stood beside her his shoulder brushing her hip as she hovered in the air.

"I needed to meditate." Her statement so simple, but so full of meaning.

"You weren't meditating when I came out here." Of course he would know, no one knew her better than he did. Yet there was so much he didn't understand.

"No? perhaps not, sometimes one just needs to think." She shifted and settled on the edge of the tower, legs dangling over the side now.

He shifted until his position matched hers, "What were you thinking about?" She had known he would ask, after all he wasn't one to leave a subject until he had all his answers.

"Purpose." One word, who knew it could contain so much. That life and death could be contained in one simple word

"You still have purpose Raven." He said this softly, his masked eyes turned to her amethyst ones.

"Hmmm, maybe, but I have yet to figure out what it is." She turned from him and continued staring out as the moon began to rise.

"Maybe I could help." It was said so softly at first it didn't register.

"Help? Why?" she asked, she didn't ask how because she knew that if he had offered he already had some idea of that, but she wanted to know the why of it. Perhaps he was rubbing off on her.

"Because you are my friend, my best friend and we share…"

"A bond" she finished with him a slight smile on her face, lighting her eyes for a brief moment.

"Yeah a bond." Robin repeated, keeping his true reason hidden behind the easy answers.

"Very well, I don't seem to be getting far on my own." She smirked, "and knowing you, you'll help whether I allow it or not."

He laughed slightly; they really did complete each other in so many ways. He could never hide anything from her; he was surprised she had yet to figure out how he felt about her. Maybe it was because of her inexperience with letting her emotions roam freely, or maybe it was because she was too frightened to look too closely.

He didn't know, but he had made the decision to tell her, after all the worst that could happen is she would throw him off the roof and he had his grappling hook to save him.

He turned towards her, braving her wrath he took her by the shoulders and turned her until they were facing each other.

"You need a purpose?" He said softly, his words floating around them on the moonlit breeze.

"I don't know that I need a purpose exactly, it just seems that I should have one." She replied trying for her monotone, but something in his voice and touch caused her voice to hitch slightly.

"Am I enough purpose for you? For now at least?" He asked, his voice still soft and caressing, nerves scattered through it as he moved one hand from her shoulder to cup the side of her face.

"What do you mean exactly?" Her thoughts were scattering faster than she was having them, but she did notice that he wasn't wearing his gloves and that his hand was warm and gentle.

"Raven, let me be your purpose, let me be more than just your friend." His voice didn't plead even as it asked, Robin would never plead, but he just might beg, he thought as he watched her eyes soften and her eyelids flutter slightly.

"Robin.." His name was a whisper and an answer as she tilted her head closer and brought her own hands up to cup his face.

"After all it is only fair." He leaned closer until their foreheads were touching, "You're my purpose." He removed his mask to look at her more clearly, unearthly blue eyes met heavenly amethyst. He smiled slightly as her breath hitched once again.

"I think…" she stopped and smiled, the smile that she always had for him. "I think you have always been my purpose, above everything else."

He decided that there had been too much talk and leaned in to finish his objective, soft lips touching soft lips. It was like coming home and flying high at the same time. He felt more than heard her sigh of acceptance and love. He smiled against her mouth and tasted her, she tasted rich and sweet like only the best dark chocolate. They melted together before coming up for air.

"Thank you." He said as he tucked her next to him.

"For what?" she asked as she took in his scent, the scent of spice and danger that was unique to him.

"Purpose." One word, who knew it could contain so much. That life and death could be contained in one simple word.