Chapter 6

By dawn, Robin stirred from sleep, finding himself oddly rested despite the fact that he'd slept in an arm chair. A dreamless sleep was the most precious gift he could have received, and he was certainly grateful for it. Stretching, he crawled out of the chair and took the long stairway up until he reached his room on the top floor. Shoving the window open, he took in the early morning light and cool air. Exhaling, he meditated for a moment, standing completely still, hands pressed against each other before his chest.

His leg cut through the air like a blade, swinging with accuracy and grace along its path. It felt good to use his muscles, considering he'd missed two training sessions. His fists glided out from him, and he jumped, spinning and slamming his foot into one imaginary enemy while his elbow collided with another. He continued his solo dance routine until the sun had made its way over the horizon, and he'd broken into a sweat. He fluidly flipped and twisted and swung as if he was more water than man. Drops of perspiration flung off of him and glistened in the sunlight as they descended. He landed on the ball of his right foot, making a slow turn with his left leg straight out to the side, and then he came to rest, lowering all of his limbs and returning to his original stance, hands pressed before his chest.

When he opened his eyes, he found his gaze lingering on the figure who had taken a spot in the doorway. She had been there for quite some time, assuming she hadn't been noticed, but he'd sensed her the moment she'd arrived. "Good morning, Starfire," He greeted, smiling at her. Despite the problems that had been weighing on his mind, he was feeling much more joyful this morning.

"Good morning to you as well, Robin!" She exclaimed enthusiastically. "It is very nice to see you in such good spirits!"

He had to agree with her as he started for the doorway. She extended a white, fluffy towel to him that she'd apparently been saving for him. "Let us go down and have the breakfast, yes?"

He wiped his face and threw the towel around his shoulders. "Yeah. Let me just change out of these pajamas."

She nodded. "I shall wait right here for you then."

He pushed the door until it was only cracked open and stripped of the damp pajamas and changed back into the only pair of casual clothes he currently had. Starfire had innocently stood by the door for as long as it took him, and as they were walking down the hallway, she slipped her pinky finger around his. The awkward little intimacies of their relationship that were starting to work their way into their lives had been ignored for the past few days, and it was another thing that the Boy Wonder was enjoying. He'd never been very good with girls, at least nowhere near as good as smooth talking Bruce, but Starfire was ridiculously patient with him. She seemed to understand that it made him nervous when he had to express himself in a romantic sense, so she would make a move before him, a small move that wouldn't make him jump.

Robin laced his fingers with hers, trying to hide the slight blush that crept into his cheeks when he did so.

"Robin, if I may say something," Starfire said, a kind smile on her lips, "your eyes are lovely."

"Thanks, I guess…" He mumbled, looking away.

She frowned a little, seeing that discomfort again, the discomfort that he'd felt when they had been casually dressed on the streets the day before. She wondered why it bothered him so much, but she didn't want to ask him and spoil the good mood.

They reached the dining room to find the other three Titans eating their breakfast, Cyborg and Beast Boy downing the food as if it was some sort of contest (and maybe it was). Robin released Starfire's hand a little nervously as Alfred entered the room.

"Good morning, Master Dick, Miss Starfire," He greeted.

"Morning, Alfred," Robin replied, taking his seat. "Bruce is still snoozing, I take it?"

"No, he left early this morning for a hospital opening."

"Oh," The Boy Wonder responded, voice flat and unreadable.

"Hey, why don't we do hospital openings?" Beast Boy asked, pointing his fork at Robin.

"Because Bruce Wayne does them, not Batman, and it's something that you have to be asked to do," Robin replied curtly as Alfred set a plate of French toast before him.

"Well, why don't they ask us?" Beast Boy asked, pouting a little. "We're practically celebrities in Jump City."

"Our city is a lot smaller than Gotham," Raven interjected, taking a sip of her herbal tea, the only thing she'd asked for. "We don't really need any new hospitals right now or anything else."

"It'd still be cool though," Beast Boy said.

"With Batman villains showing up in Jump, we may not be too far from needing more hospitals," Cyborg added.

"We can handle it," Robin said, waving his fork in the air.

"That is correct!" Starfire exclaimed, also finding her place at the table, just as Alfred set down her breakfast. "We can handle anything that comes our way."

"Totally!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "I mean, come on! We faced the end of the world and still won!"

"We washed your shorts and survived," Raven added flatly.

"Yea-- HEY!"

The others laughed as they continued eating, and Beast Boy's pout was even replaced by a grin after a moment.

Robin felt like he was floating on air, comparing how he had felt the day before to the way he was feeling now. His improved attitude didn't go unnoticed by Alfred who smiled at him as he picked up their cleaned plates. "It's good to see my breakfast being eaten for once," He said. Robin knew for sure that Bruce would skip breakfast more often than he'd attend.

"I think I'm gonna go down and get my costume," Robin said, getting to his feet. "These clothes need to be washed."

"Bring them up, and I shall do so, Master Dick."

Robin nodded and left the rest of the team to their over-zealous conversations. It was nice to remember to hear their voices.

One elevator ride down, and Robin was alone in the Batcave. There was a distant sound of dripping water and a very slight breeze, but otherwise it was silent except for his footsteps on the pavement. "Exactly where I expected," He mumbled, finding the suit incased in glass. He placed his palm on the button before it, and the glass tube shot up into its holster. The Boy Wonder was just removing his shirt from the mannequin when suddenly the air exploded with the sound of the Bat Wave going off.

Robin turned towards the large super-computer almost by reflex.

-

Upstairs, the Titans all still sat in the dining room, talking loudly like teenagers do. "Oh, Mister Alfred! Do come and sit with us!" Starfire exclaimed, waving at him with both hands. "We would so much like to learn of Robin's friends from the past!"

"Miss Starfire, as much as I appreciate your offer, I'm afraid a few stories from an old butler would be far from interesting to you teenagers," Alfred replied, curt as usual.

"Oh, come on!" Cyborg chimed, grinning. "You're Batman's butler! I'm sure you've got loads of crazy stories!"

"Tell us about Catwoman!" Beast Boy cried, as if he'd been holding in the request since they had arrived. "Is she like what the headlines say?"

Alfred cleared his throat. "I wouldn't know anything about that, Master Beast Boy."

"Well, you gotta know all kinds of stuff about Mr. Wayne," Cyborg said, unsatisfied with the answer. "I mean, he's one of the greatest heroes of all time. What made him decide to do it? Be Batman, I mean."

Alfred's eyes lingered on Cyborg for a long moment before he replied, "For an answer as to why Master Bruce is the way he is, perhaps you would be better suited to ask Master Dick."

Right on cue, Robin burst through the door in full costume, tense and ready. "Titans, trouble!"

-

The Riddler never considered himself much of a fighter. It was because of this that when he hired goons, he usually hired the large, bulky type. They weren't much good for conversation, or even really tolerating for that matter, but when it came to keeping pesky bats or birds or police officers at bay while he was working on his schemes, they were top notch material. Sure, they were generally pretty stupid, but that was actually pretty advantageous to him. Stupid people didn't ask too many questions, and they could never figure out his riddles and thus never get into his private materials and screw them up. Really, using stupid people was a lot like using robots, only they were cheaper though with the likelihood of human error. In the end, The Riddler figured the pros outweighed the cons. At least, it seemed that way, considering Batman had yet to make an appearance.

Plus, they were great at keeping hostages quiet. Said hostage, Mr. Mario DeSand, was certainly quiet now anyways, considering he was bound and gagged. The normally confident man held pure horror in his dark brown eyes, his usually tanned physique pale and slumped and trembling.

-

Robin stared at the message carved into the street as though by laser. The Riddler always did have "fun" little ways of making his messages loud and clear. Carving into one of the busiest streets in Gotham City, forcing it to be taped off and making disgruntled workers take the back roads to their offices was a really good way to get attention.

Robin read aloud, "Joe bets Tony $100 he can predict the score of the football game before it starts. He agrees. Why did Tony lose the bet?"

Chief Rojas, incompetent as ever, immediately started blurting out how much nonsense it was and that they should be looking for real villains. Commissioner Gordon was quick to point out that the Riddler was a perfectly legitimate villain, considering he was currently in possession of a hostage with whereabouts unknown.

"Dude… what does it mean?" Beast Boy couldn't help but ask.

"The answer is obvious," Robin replied, though he wasn't smiling. "Tony lost the bet because the score before the game is zero."

"Okay… so… what does that mean?" The shape-shifter repeated.

"Give me a minute," He mumbled, standing completely still, arms crossed. Batman wouldn't be there to answer the hidden answer within the riddle, and frankly, Robin didn't want him there. Maybe he was having some issues with taking down the Joker on his own, but Riddler? This was a challenge he was willing to take on. He was leader of the Teen Titans, after all. It was about time he started acting like it…

The idea of showing up Bruce wasn't too discouraging either.

"Oh, I got it!" Cyborg exclaimed. "They must be at the football stadium!" A wide grin spread across his face at his realization.

"I don't think so," Robin replied, knocking Cyborg's confidence down a few pegs. "Riddler wouldn't make it nearly so obvious… I bet it has something to do with… the number…" He paused, deep in thought, when it hit him. "Oh, of course!" He shouted, snapping, causing the others who had been listening intently to the silence to jump. "The number 100, and the zero in the answer, 1000.… What address has the number 1000 in it?" He turned to the commissioner, who knew the city better than Robin or even Batman ever could.

"Well…" Gordon mumbled, scanning his mental map. "Oh! The Gotham Aquarium! It was shut down last year, but the building is still there."

"It's the perfect place for a villain to hide," Robin said, face breaking out in a grin that he couldn't suppress. "Titans, let's go!" he shouted, and they all fell into position as usual.

"Well, if he ain't there, I KNOW he's at the football field!" Cyborg made sure to point out as he took off after the rest of them.

-

Gotham Aquarium was lit only by the light of its empty tanks, giving the area a creepy glow. The Riddler spun his cane and slammed it down hard on the ground, turning his white face, blue-green in the light, towards the terribly frightened Mario.

"You think yourself clever, do you not, Mr. DeSand?" he questioned, his voice chillingly casual.

Mario couldn't answer because he was gagged, but he would have remained silent regardless.

Riddler tapped his fingers on the top of his cane, the quiet tinkling noise unbearably loud in the room. "No need to answer, Mr. DeSand. Everyone knows what you think of yourself…" His eyes narrowed. "A sports-playing man is always…. Overconfident."

But Mr. DeSand was quite the opposite of overconfident, staring up at the Riddler, eyes wide and begging for his life to be spared.

Riddler kept going on. "You're destroying the old Gotham museum to build a community center for children… a community center where children who would have previously come to the location in pursuit of knowledge instead are scrutinized against the stronger and more active children until they are physically and mentally destroyed." Riddler lifted his cane and banged it down on the ground hard, the sound making even the henchmen guarding the door flinch. "What on earth made you think that was a good idea?!"

Terrified and still unable to speak in his defense, Mario just sobbed and shook his head frantically. He made a few muffled cries as Riddler's thumb stroked the top of the button on his cane that would do something unknown. It was a subtle threat, but as close as Mario and Riddler were, the business man saw it immediately.

"You know, I'm a bit of a boaster myself, Mr. DeSand. It says something about my character that I can admit that kind of thing," Riddler mocked, walking behind him and removing the gag. "Because of this particular puzzle piece of my personality, I just don't feel right explaining the truth to you without you being able to respond."

"Okay… y-you're right, you're right…. Just…. Puh-please just l-l-let me go," Mario whimpered.

"But you're a game player, Mr. DeSand! I want to play," Riddler hissed, smirking.

"Game's over, Riddler!"

The man in green threw his gaze up to the rafters to find shadows looming just above him.

"Oh, you found me, didn't you," he said, smile not fading. "I'm a bit surprised that you're not Batman though."

Robin leaped off of his perch and landed before the Riddler and his hostage. He was followed quickly by his teammates.

"Oh, if it isn't Robin the Boy Wonder," Riddler said, pouting a little. "For a minute there, I thought it'd be someone interesting. Did Batman spoon-feed you the answers all the way here? How dull."

"I figured it out on my own," Robin complained, pouting a little also, despite himself. "I don't need Batman anymore!"

"Are you telling me that or you that?" Riddler asked, pushing the button. Mario screamed as the chair he was tied to plummeted into a hole that appeared in the floor. Raven moved quickly however and caught the man with her powers, swinging him to a safe location before placing the chair back on the floor.

Robin wasn't going to wait for him to pull another trick, knowing he needed to get that cane to ultimately stop him. He released his Bo staff and swung, sending metal clanging against metal as the Riddler held up his cane in defense.

"You oafs!" the villain shouted at his henchmen. "Why are you just standing there?!"

Said oafs, realizing they were needed, stirred from their frozen position and took off after the other titans. Starfire blasted them with her eyes, sending one of them backwards. One of them grabbed Beast Boy and tossed him into one of the fish tanks. He came crawling back out as a giant squid and wrapped his tentacles around the man. The crony struggled against Beast Boy's eight arms, but the green shape-shifter wasn't giving up that easily. Starfire was quickly gaining an advantage over the other thug, surprising him with her inhuman strength.

"Cyborg! Get the hostage!" Raven shouted, turning to see their leader battling it out with the brains of the operation.

Cyborg blasted the goon that Beast Boy had been fighting with his arm cannon before nodding and running over to the trembling Mario.

While Cyborg quickly went to untie the hostage, Raven took off after Robin and the Riddler who were practically sword fighting with their staffs. As she approached, Riddler glared at her and pressed another button on his cane, and from the ceiling came what appeared to be a giant swinging mallet, slamming into her back and sending her crashing into Robin.

In the struggle to get back to their feet, Raven's hand brushed across Robin's face, and suddenly she was overcome with a flash of images. Bodies and birdcages, singing and screaming… and that laughter. She was frozen for a long moment, overcome with the chill that had settled in her bones. She was so distracted that she didn't see the Riddler swing his cane back and only became aware of him when the golden item crashed against her skull.

"Raven!" Robin shouted, pouncing on Riddler. His fingers closed in on the cane, and suddenly they were in a tug of war over it. Robin pulled hard, making sure not to accidentally push any buttons when he didn't know what they did. His physical strength was most definitely superior to Riddler's, so if he could just get it away from him….

Riddler loosened his grip for a moment so that Robin pulled it far forward, and for a moment the Boy Wonder thought he had won. The second of overconfidence was a lapse in judgment, for the Riddler took tight hold and pulled sharply back, causing the sharp point of his cane to rake across Robin's ribs. He shouted out in pain, but it was enough motivation for him to yank it hard enough to release it from the Riddler's grip.

Robin spun the cane and held it defensively. "You lose," Robin growled and kicked him in the jaw.

Raven rose from her spot on the ground, dazed but okay. There would most likely be a bruise on her temple, but she'd seen the cane in a split second of enough time to slow it just enough with her powers. That, and the Riddler wasn't ridiculously powerful.

Starfire slammed a thug against the wall, and while Beast Boy had had a minor setback from having his tentacles tied into a bow, Cyborg had taken down the other one.

Raven used her powers to lock the Riddler in a makeshift prison of darkness, just as the police were making their way in. Starfire helped her to her feet, and she assured the Tamaranian that she was fine.

Robin handed the cane to the commissioner. "That was easy," he explained, grinning ear to ear. Despite his injury, the fact that he had won left him quite obviously giddy. If only Batman had been there to see it. Raven knew he had been thinking it.

What he didn't realize was that Batman had arrived in the middle of the scuffle but didn't descend upon the fight when it was obvious that Robin could handle it. He stood in the rafters, a shadow on the ceiling, his presence and his smile going unnoticed as the Titans and police exited the building with criminals in tow.

Raven gave the rafters a passing glance as she exited, and a distant echo of that laughter in her head made her shiver. "What was that….?" she mumbled.

-

"Oh, Robin! You are injured!" Starfire exclaimed.

He had made a move to send a birdarang into the air to latch onto a building and winced when lifting his arm. His shirt had darkened somewhat around the area.

"It's all right," Robin assured her, tenderly touching the spot. "It's nothing a little bit of time and bandages can't fix."

"Well, please… allow me to carry you back to the Batman Cave," she offered. "It is not good to move so much before treating the wound."

His testosterone was objective to the idea, but her sweetness was too much to fight against. He remembered that when he was a child, he'd made a pact with one of his friends to never be swayed by a girl like all the older boys. Oh, how impractical that pact had been…

He laughed a little at the thought. "Okay, Star… Sure."

Her smile spread ear to ear, and she took off into the sky, picking him up bridal-style in the process. "Not… exactly what I expected," he mumbled.

Beast Boy laughed, turned into a crow, and flew off after.

"Well, Rae, let's get goin'," Cyborg commented, starting back towards the cave. He looked back at her and saw the discomfort on her face, a weird expression for Raven to have. "Rae?"

"When my hand grazed across Robin's face during the fight, I saw something… something horrible," She admitted darkly. "I don't know what it was, but I have a really bad feeling."

When Raven was saying that, Cyborg knew it had to be a big problem. "Oh… Well, what do we do?"

"I don't know… not yet."

(A/N: A little short, but finally updated. Thanks to snowfallsslow from The Muse Bunny for helping me when I hit a snag!)