Author's Notes - A few things before we begin:

1) This story is a crossover between several different series, but it is primarily a story about the Teen Titans. Don't be surprised when we meet other characters (who do link together, after all), but just keep in mind that, interesting as some of those other characters may be, the focus here are the Teen Titans themselves (if you like the Static Shock references, go read my fic on that series).

2) This story takes place amidst a couple of different timelines. In the Teen Titans universe, this is shortly after the trip to Tokyo. In the Static Shock universe, this takes place before Ebon and Hotstreak are accidentally merged into one being, but not much before (probably within weeks of that event). In the Batman universe (The New Adventures animated version), this takes place after Tim has begun to step into Dick's old role as Robin. And I do realize that to some degree the Teen Titans and Batman cartoon universes aren't possible because of Robin's age difference between series, but I'm not the one who made the cartoons that way! So we're just going to stick with the Teen Titans age, since that makes the most sense.

3) I am deliberately taking some liberties with how the Teen Titans met, but it's nothing extraordinarily different from what is shown in the episode "Go!" The only thing I am adjusting is the relationship between Robin and Raven prior to their encounter with the others. I am also taking some liberties with the Batman universe regarding Tim Drake (his appearance, his history, etc). What can I say? Deal with it.

4) I am attempting to explore a couple of things in this story: Beast Boy – Raven (romantic) interaction, Robin – Batman (father/son) interaction, and Raven's inner struggle with herself (and Ebon). Those of you who are crazy Robin – Starfire fans, sorry. I do approve of and support that pairing in this story, but it's not my focus so I'm not going to spend a lot of time developing it. No flames, please.

And, of course, as always, I do not own the Teen Titans, Batman, any of the Static Shock characters, the Justice League, or anybody else who accidentally ends up in this story. They all belong to various other legal and creative bodies, and while I can whine and pine, they will never be mine.

Please leave me some reviews, as reviews are what keep me going on these (otherwise I get frustrated and stop before the end, and you wouldn't want that… ). And no flames, please. Constructive criticism is good, but random "i hate yur gutz" doesn't mean anything. I am always open to suggestions and ideas, so feel free.

Thanks and enjoy!

Robin stood alone on the roof of the Titan's Tower just after sunrise. The ocean was calm today, its waves barely seeming to ripple against the rocks below. Looking out into the bay and the ocean beyond, Robin felt his heart flop again. He wished he could be as calm as the sea, wished that the waves rippling his everyday sensibilities would subside. Serenity was the one skill he had never been able to master, not when it mattered.

Feeling a prickle on the back of his neck, Robin turned to see Raven coming to stand beside him. He wasn't surprised; he had expected she would want to see him after his announcement downstairs. She was, in a lot of ways, Robin's best friend and his only equal. Robin had risked everything to save her from Trigon, and in bringing her back to the world, had been gentler with Raven than he had ever been with another human being. Robin did have incredible faith in Raven; he was sure that if goodness could live in the heart of one such as her, tried and scarred as she was, then there was always hope for the world. Of all his friends, Raven was unique among them in his estimation. Not the way Robin and Starfire were more than friends; this was closer to brother and sister.

As she approached, the boy wonder could tell Raven was in her own way as anxious as he was. Ever since Raven had entered his mind to save him from the delusions of Slade's mask, there had been a bond between them, one Robin little understood and yet deeply appreciated. The psychic link had resulted in more than just a deepening of trust; bits of Raven's thoughts and feelings leaked through to Robin sometimes, enhancing their mutual support and camaraderie as well as their teamwork. He had a sneaking suspicion that she allowed this leakage consciously because it helped her feel less isolated knowing she was understood. Especially after the experience with Trigon, the bond had grown, and the sense of kinship between the heroes deepened. Not that they never spoke of it. Raven rarely spoke of anything intimate or emotional like that, but Robin was pretty sure he knew Raven's heart better than anyone ever had. Now, she stood silently, sharing his view of the sea for a few moments before breaking the stillness.

"You're not going to tell them, are you?" Raven's emotionless voice was tinged with a rare inflection; it wasn't accusation, not exactly, but something more like rebuke. Robin sighed.

"I'll have to tell them eventually. Once we get there, everything will come out. About me and my past and…" Robin turned from the horizon and looked at Raven, trying to keep his own emotions out of his voice. "I've never really been open with any of you about who I was before the Titans. You're the only one who knows anything about me as someone other than Robin, and given the chance, I probably wouldn't have told you, either. How do you start that kind of conversation? I can't just walk back there and say, 'well, by the way, I had a whole other life before and it was like this and, oh, yeah, he's my father.' "

"Yes, you can," Raven said, her monotone voice more gentle. "I did." She gave the smallest of smiles, and Robin smiled wryly in return. She was right, of course, and he knew it. Raven had had to have that very conversation with the Titans, over a year ago, when her own father and her past were suddenly flung into the present. Of course, Raven's father was far different. He was evil incarnate. Robin's father was just, well, he wasn't normal but at least he wasn't evil. But if the Titans could handle the shock of finding out that Raven's father was the devil himself, Robin's father could hardly be more of a shock to them.

"Do you want to go back?" Raven asked Robin.

"Well, sort of. I want to see him again, show him how much I've changed. And I'm curious about why he called us in," another smile, "but how do I go back there and stay the person I've become here? You know what he's like. I don't want to become different just because I'm back in that house. And I have no idea how he'll react to Starfire. Talk about polar opposites." He groaned.

"Well, look at it this way. He's never asked for help before, and he's never called you back. Maybe things will be different this time. And my guess is there's more to this than meets the eye." She stepped closer and put a hand on his shoulder. Raven rarely touched her teammates, but when she did, it meant something. "Besides, you're not going alone." Again with Raven's tiny smile. Even with the blue cloak hiding part of her face, Raven's eyes were kind.

"You're probably right," Robin conceded, taking a breath. "Thanks." At Raven's arched eyebrow, he explained, "for keeping my secrets all this time. And for understanding."

"It's the least I can do," Raven replied. She turned to look back at the sea, dropping her hand, and Robin felt a weight lift off his shoulders, the emotional weight of being so anxious. She was right. He wasn't alone this time and he was a new person. It would be okay.

Robin started to say something else, but a loud CRASH and a shake from the floor below interrupted him. Dimly, somewhere, they could hear Cyborg shouting at Beast Boy.

"The more things change," Robin began, turning back to the stairs.

"The more they stay the same," Raven finished firmly. Catching each other's eye, they both went down to intercept whatever had just erupted in the living room. It didn't take a mind-reader to know there would be a mess to clean up before they could leave.

--==OOO==--

Several hours earlier, in fact, very early in the morning (if you could call it morning), a box underneath Robin's bed began to make a persistent beeping noise. Robin, being a light sleeper, woke at the first sound from the long-forgotten communicator. With a thrill, of fear and excitement and a great deal of surprise, he pulled the little-used box out and opened it. Inside, tucked between a few pictures, some old weapons, and a very familiar utility belt, resided a small communicator. It was the same technology that the Teen Titans used, but instead of being round and yellow, it was long, black, and shaped like a bat.

"Robin here," he said automatically, wondering what could cause such an out-of-the-blue communication. The screen fuzzed, then resolved into the face of a man Robin hadn't seen in almost three years: Bruce Wayne.

"Sleeping in your mask, I see," Bruce said dryly. Robin remembered how much Bruce hated a lack of discipline or self-awareness, which forgetting to remove his mask indicated. He blushed slightly and pulled it off. Besides Raven, none of the Teen Titans had ever seen him without it.

"What's going on?" Robin asked, hoping he sounded matter-of-fact and logical.

"I require you to return to me, Dick," Bruce said, and the sound of his name in his adopted-father's voice caused him to straighten his shoulders a touch more. "There is a new problem in Gotham and I believe you and your team will be better suited to dealing with it than I alone."

"What kind of problem?"

"How much do you know about the goings-on in the city of Dakota?" It was just like him to answer a question with a question.

"Some chemical genius accidentally exposed a portion of the population to some gas and many of them have developed a range of abilities. Two of them, Static and Gear, have emerged to look out for the citizens," he reported woodenly. Of course he had kept up on the news in the last few years. Secretly, Robin was just as glad that Dakota had a couple of heroes of its own; he had enough to do trying to look out for Jump City.

"That's correct. Well, it appears that a few of the 'Bang Babies' as they are colloquially called have relocated to Gotham. Their powers are extraordinary."

"Sir," Robin began hesitantly. He hated interrupting Bruce; it always ended in a scowl. However, this time, his mentor only waited for him to continue. "If they're from Dakota, why don't you ask Static and Gear to come? They're more experienced with them, and…" Robin trailed off, suddenly sorry he had mentioned it. This was the first time ever that Bruce had called him home. Did he sound like a coward, unwilling to come back to his old haunts? Did he sound afraid, or worse, not up to the task?

"I do realize that," Bruce said not unkindly, "but Static and Gear are rather in the middle of some other things right now, and cannot be called away." Robin saw Bruce's face twitch ever so slightly, and guessed it had something to do with the Justice League, of which the two Dakota heroes were junior members. Robin never knew how Superman had convinced Batman to join their club, but he knew from long experience how little regard Bruce had for the whole mess at times. At heart, Batman was truly a loner. Bruce continued, however, "As I am not precisely equipped to deal with these abilities, I thought it more prudent to contact you directly. As such, I would like to extend my hospitality to you and your team for such time as is needed to deal with this…problem."

"Of course we'll come. I'll wake the others and we can be in Gotham this afternoon," Robin said. He felt like doing backflips. His mentor, his father, wanted his help and he was going home. It felt like a miracle. It was worrisome, for sure, as he would now be tested to the height of his abilities by the only man whose opinion had ever mattered, but after three years, Dick Grayson missed his adoptive father more than he could possibly admit, even to himself.

"Very well. I shall inform Alfred to prepare an evening meal for us then. I am, ahem, already conversant with the various requirements and diets of your team." He raised an eyebrow, looking somewhat amused. That was Bruce's subtle way of reminding Robin that it was the Wayne money that supported the whole team's expenditures. The Titans never really asked Robin where all the money came from for the Tower, their technology, or their food, given that they all knew the stipend from the mayor of Jump City wasn't nearly enough, and Robin hadn't ever found a good way to explaining it. But sometimes he felt ashamed of how much they ate, or broke, at Bruce's expense.

"Oh, and Dick?" Bruce said, as if it had suddenly occurred to him, which of course it hadn't, "You will not wear that mask in the house. Alfred won't have it and neither will I. Please inform your friends as to the situation and all its particulars on that matter. I shall see you in a few hours." The ghost of a smile played across the man's strong face, and then he cut the transmission.

The boy wonder sat back on his heels and digested that last comment. "The situation and all its particulars" could only mean one thing: Bruce was telling him to tell the Titans their secret identities. If he was not going to be allowed to wear his mask, then Bruce did not expect to keep secrets from the team. That thought chilled him. Out of habit, he placed the mask firmly back over his face, its familiar warm fabric a comfort. Living behind the mask helped Robin keep work separate from Dick and his emotions, but Robin wondered if he was just fooling himself, that somehow he was as open and vulnerable to his friends as if he had been honest about himself all along.

--==OOO==--

The morning had passed very quickly after that. Robin, safely wrapped in his costume again, promptly woke everyone and told them that they were going on a trip, once the grumbling about the pre-dawn wake-up call had receded. Raven had raised an eyebrow at him, and Robin knew somehow that she had guessed everything. He supposed he must be radiating a sense of "home" that she would empathically understand. The other three were less reserved in their responses.

"Where are we going, Robin?" Starfire asked, her face lit by excitement. "Is it a vacation as was our time in Japan? Although," her face fell a bit, "I had believed a 'vacation' to be slightly more restful experience than that visit."

"Booyah!" shouted Cyborg. "Time to get outta the city and cut loose!"

"Yeah," echoed Beast Boy, jumping up in some kind of dance, "we're gonna party like it's, uh…" He stopped and looked around. "What year is it, anyway?"

"I don't think this is going to be a vacation, Beast Boy," Raven said, pinning the changeling with her eyes. Beast Boy had the decency to wiggle under her glare, but still perked his ears at Robin.

"So where're we going, then?"

"Gotham City. We're needed. Everybody pack light, and I mean LIGHT," Robin said, reminding his team about the mess that had happened when they tried to pack for Japan. He pointedly ignored Raven's slight nod as the others began to discuss packing.

"I'll still need all my tools and parts, man," Cyborg said.

"No," Robin said with a smile. "You won't. Trust me."

--==OOO==--

After the discussion with Raven on the rooftop, Robin felt like he could finally restore some order. Maybe not in himself, but at least among his teammates, anyway. Truth be told, the last thing Robin wanted to appear before Batman with was, instead of a team of hardened, well-trained heroes, a group of arguing and frivolous teens on a holiday. Unfortunately, organizing Beast Boy was, as usual, a challenge. By the time Raven and Robin got back to the living room, they saw the result of what appeared to be an argument between Cyborg and Beast Boy about who needed to bring more stuff, which had somehow ended in the suitcases going everywhere and the couch getting ripped. Again.

Robin maintained his temper pretty admirably, but he made it clear that this behavior was not going to fly in Gotham.

"I want everybody packed and in the T-Ship in the next five minutes or you can stay here with Titans East and look after Jump City! Got it?"

Robin's face was set and the more rambunctious Titan, at whom most of the criticism was leveled, shrunk an inch or two, then proceeded to throw only one green bag in the storage compartment. Raven had two bags, which by the look and heft of them were probably books, which Robin did not bother to argue about. Starfire had three purple and pink bags, and goodness knew what was in them, but at least they weren't moving. Cyborg after arguing with Robin about what kind of "facilities" they would have, finally settled on two bags of his specialized equipment. Robin, after a moment's thought, took the box from under his bed, loaded a few extra bits and pieces in it, but brought nothing else. He knew what would be waiting, knew that for once, someone else would be planning ahead for him.

--==OOO==--

The Titans set out for Gotham City, a flight significantly shorter than their recent one to Japan. As they neared the city limits, the sky nearly black even in the early afternoon, Robin's communicator beeped again. His other communicator. With the open com channels between the different cockpits, everyone could hear it. Trying not to look at any of them, Robin pulled it from where he had kept it in his belt after the morning's call. With some semblance of dignity, he activated the bat-shaped device.

"Robin here."

"Change of plans. The Metabreed are on the offensive. Send your aircraft to the hangar on autopilot," Robin breathed a sigh of relief that he had programmed their destination into the T-Ship already, "and get your team out here." There was an explosion. "We're a little outnumbered." Batman's voice was cold and authoritative.

"We're on our way!" Robin replied briskly, his blood singing inside. He cut the connection and immediately spoke to the Titans.

"Team, we've got some serious villains out there, and we've got to stop them. Get ready to leave the T-Ship and head into battle!"

"Who were you just talking to, Rob?" Cyborg asked, checking the coordinates for the autopilot.

"An old friend. I assume you've heard of Batman?"