A/N

It's officially RobRae week for 2017! :DDDDDDDDDDD

Day 1: Mob AU or Detective AU

Went with Mob AU cause they're already kind of detectives; at least Robin is. Since this is an AU, no superheroes/supervillains, but of course good guys and bad guys. I guess we're starting off an a serious note here, hmm...

~RobRae Week Day 1~

Richard Grayson slowly opened his eyes, trying to take in his surroundings while ignoring the pounding in his head. The room he was in looked to be some sort of basement, with only one window letting in sunlight from the opposite corner of the room. The room itself was mostly barren; a few chairs, a table, a bunch of random junk against the wall to his left…

He looked down, and saw that he was tied to chair. His hands were cuffed behind him, and a piece of duct tape covered his mouth to stifle any cries for help. After several moments of trying to free his hands, Richard gave up. The pain in his head and torso was making it difficult to move, and whoever had tied him up really didn't want him to leave. Sighing, Richard closed his eyes, thinking about how he'd ended up in this situation.

"Hey, you're Bruce Wayne's son, right?"

Richard turned around, facing the two large men who had come up behind him in the alleyway. "Technically I'm adopted, which makes me his ward, I guess."

The two men turned to look at each other and shared a laugh. "What's it like being the son of one of the richest men in the world?" The man on the left asked.

Richard shrugged. "It's not all that different from how I raised before. He only has one butler, so I have to help out with chores and the like around the manor."

The man on the right whistled. "I bet he gives you one hell of an allowance." He turned to his buddy on the left. "How much you think? A hundred grand? Two hundred grand?"

The left man rubbed his chin. "I think he gets five hundred thousand dollars a week!" Richard didn't realize it, but the two men had been moving slowly and steadily closer to him. "I'm sure you wouldn't mind sparing a buck or two for poor old geezers like us, right?"

Richard stepped back as the men advanced. "Sorry, Bruce doesn't give me any money. I don't even have a debit card." He took another step back and bumped into somebody. He turned around to see a third man with his arms crossed over his chest. He started backing up towards the wall of the alley. "Fella's, hey…" Cursing himself for not recognizing what kind of situation this was, he started looking around for a weapon he could use. "I don't think you'll get away with mugging a billionaire's son." His back hit the cement wall of the alley. If he extended his hand, he might be able to grab the top and pull himself over. But the three muggers were still watching him.

He glanced to his left, and saw a wooden plank. Slowly inching in its direction, he kept his eyes on the muggers. "C'mon, you don't have anything to gain by attacking a high-schooler like me." He watched as the men shrugged, and the man in the middle pulled out a knife from his coat pocket.

"Maybe a regular punk, no. But you ain't a regular punk, are you?"

Richard was close enough to grab the plank. He just need to figure out an escape plan. Use the plank on the man closest to him, then climb the wall behind him… would he have enough time for that? It was either climb the wall or run down the alley and try to make it back onto the main street. There was a slim possibility the man with the knife might throw the blade and take him down.

Just a little closer…

Grabbing the plank and swinging it with all his strength, Richard took the first thug down when the plank shattered against his head. The other two were taken by surprise, and hesitated for just a moment. Turning around and jumping, Richard almost made it over the wall. But the other two men had recovered in time to grab him and throw him down to the ground.

"Where do you think you're going, huh?" Thug #1 asked. "You just gonna attack my friend and run away? That's a crime!"

Richard repressed the urge to call him a hypocrite, but he wouldn't have gotten the chance anyway. Thug #2 had picked him up by his collar, then raised his fist before punching him in the face. Stumbling, Richard tried to reclaim his balance, only to trip over the thug he'd hit with the plank. Said thug then woke up, and angrily kicked him in the stomach.

"You brat!"

Richard clutched his stomach, trying to crawl away. One of the men picked him back up, and he was able to shake his grasp off and ready his fists. He ducked beneath the first punch and countered by hitting the thug in his stomach, but the man barely reacted. The second thug grabbed his arm and punched him twice, letting Richard fall to the ground in pain.

"Wait! I have an idea." One of the thugs said.

"Yeah, what?" Another replied.

"Let's take him to the boss." The alley fell silent, and the thug continued. "We might be able to hold this rich kid for ransom. Think of it! We can get millions!"

The alley fell silent once more, and Richard craned his neck up to see the three men looking down on him. "Sorry kid, but you're in a heap of trouble."

He lost consciousness when the man kicked him the face.

He was drawn out of his thoughts when the door opened and the lights turned on, momentarily blinding him. Richard blinked a few times to adjust his eyes to the lights, and looked up at the man who had entered the room. He recognized him from the news reports, and not the good kind.

Standing a little over six feet tall, with disheveled hair, a five o'clock shadow, and an eyepatch over his right eye, was Slade Wilson, one of the most notorious crime lords in Gotham. He was notorious because no matter what he was accused of and no matter what evidence was tied to him, he somehow always avoided jail time. He was probably paid up with the right people.

He watched Richard silently for a moment, then extended one hand forward and pulled the rag down, allowing Richard to speak. "What do you want with me?" He kept his voice even and steady, not letting an ounce of fear into his words.

"I'm sure you can imagine." Slade's voice was smooth, yet his words were arrogant. "It's simple, really; I'll be holding for you ransom. If I get my money, you're free to go, if not…" Slade trailed off, rubbing his chin. "Well, it won't be good for you."

"You won't get away with this." Richard said. "When I get out of here, I swear I'll-"

"Do. Nothing. Because there is nothing you can do." Slade cut him off, turning around walking towards the door. "You'll be down here until I have no further use for you, one way or the other." He left the room, only to return a moment later with a polaroid camera. He held it up and said, "Now say cheese." After examining the pictures, he picked up the rag and silenced Richard again.

Then, he turned the lights off, leaving the room. He could hear Slade locking the door, and lowered his head with a sigh.

~Mob AU~

Richard had fallen asleep at some point, because the sunlight was no longer illuminating the room. He looked up when he heard the locks jostling and the door slowly creaking open. He kept his eyes closed, and this time wasn't completely blinded when the lights turned on. Slowly opening his eyes, he saw that it wasn't Slade standing in front of him, like he'd expected.

A young woman was in front of him, holding a tray. She was incredibly pale, almost like she hadn't been outside in years. Her jet-black hair was cut short so it stopped just above her chin, and her purple eyes gazed at him with a despondent apathy. She took off his gag off and asked, "How are you feeling?" He noticed her voice was raspy and quiet.

He didn't answer her, turning his head and looking to the side.

The girl sighed. "Look, I'm supposed to take care of you, so don't be difficult with me." She sounded slightly annoyed, but Richard didn't apologize, nor did he turn back to look at her. A moment passed. "Really?" She asked, this time clearly annoyed.

"Really. If you want to take care of me, call the cops and let me go." He snapped.

"Believe me, I want to. I don't want to be your nanny." The girl said. "But unfortunately, it's not up to me."

"Why not?" Richard asked, turning to look at the girl. She didn't answer, just sighed and grabbed the bowl off the tray. He rolled his eyes. "I see, it's because you're just another criminal."

"I am not." The girl glared at him, narrowing her eyes and lowering her voice. "I have no say over what happens to you anymore than I have a say with what happens to me."

Richard hesitated, just for a moment. "Were you kidnapped too?"

"No." She answered. "It's more complicated than that."

He scoffed. "You work for criminals, but somehow that doesn't make you a criminal. Sounds complicated."

The girl sighed and shook her head, taking a spoonful of soup and holding it up. Richard kept his mouth closed, but his stomach betrayed him, growling loudly. He hadn't eaten since breakfast. The girl smirked, proffering the spoon up towards him. "This is degrading…" He thought opening his mouth, really hoping his face wasn't as red as it felt like.

"Just deal with it. It'll be over with soon." The girl sounded almost apologetic. At least he knew that the girl wasn't enjoying this any more than he was. The girl continued to feed him, and in a few minutes the soup was gone. She held up a glass of water, which mercifully had a straw in it, sparing him further humiliation.

The girl stood up and put the gag back on, walking out of the room after turning the lights off. Richard exhaled through his nose, wondering how long he would be stuck down here.

~Mob AU~

Two days passed.

The girl would came to feed him once a day, but other than that he was left alone. He could hear people walking around and talking on the floor above him, but he couldn't make out what they were saying.

Four days passed. The girl who came to feed him, although not hostile towards him, certainly wasn't friendly with him. Richard's attempt to figure out where he was, who she was, and what was going on with the whole ransom deal didn't bear any fruit. Usually, she would shove the spoon in his mouth when he tried talking, dodge his questions, then leave without a word when she was finished with her duties.

A week passed.

The night of the eighth day, Slade returned. He did not look happy. Behind him walked in a new person, one Richard hadn't seen up till now. The new guy was built like a tank, seemingly eight feet tall, extremely muscular; he looked more like a stone statue than a person.

"Guess what?" Slade asked, his tone low, angry, and very controlled.

"You've had a change of heart and decided to let me go?"

"Almost." Slade glared down at him. "I think it's a little inhumane to keep you down here for too long, so today were going for a drive." He turned to the man beside him. "If you wouldn't mind."

The man grunted, then walked up and put a blindfold over Richard's eyes. His legs were unbound, and so were his hands. After he was forced to stand, his hands were once again bound behind his back. Then, the large man picked him up and put Richard over his shoulder, carrying him up the stairs and out of the building. He could barely see through the edges of his blindfold, but he couldn't see enough to determine where he was.

Richard was suddenly thrown through the air, and he landed with a groan on something cold and metal. He could hear something similar to a garage door closing, and the ground started to rumble. He was in the back of a truck, most likely a moving truck where the inside couldn't be viewed by others in traffic. He pulled himself into a sitting position, wobbling slightly as the truck accelerated. For several minutes, Richard awkwardly sat in silence in the back of the hot, stuffy truck.

"I think we're good." He heard Slade say. There was rustling, and Robin could just barely make out the sounds of a cell phone beeping over the engine. "Are you ready?" There was a grunt from the large man, somewhere to his right. "Mr. Wayne, hello." Richard sat up when Slade started talking. "Me? I'm the man who has your son. Yes, that's right. Because it's been over a week since we sent you the request, and yet the dummy account we told you to wire the funds to hasn't changed at all." There was a pause. "He's fine, for now."

Richard grunted when he was punched in the stomach, caught completely off guard. He could barely make out Bruce yelling on the other end of the phone. Slade continued to talk. "But I've run out of patience. Everyday you don't give us the money, I'm going to break him just a little bit more. And I've got seven days to catch up on."

Several blows collided with his face, his chest, his head was knocked against the wall, and he felt a steel-toed boot dig into his stomach. Groaning, Richard curled into the fetal position, trying his best to defend against the large man attacking him.

"I recommend not holding out me for much longer." The truck fell silent, and Richard heard Slade walking over to him. "Well, it was fun to get out of the house for a little while, but I've business to attend to." Slade said, standing over him. "We'll go on another little vacation soon."

~Mob AU~

Richard hit a cold cement floor, presumably dropped back off in the room where he'd originally been held. The door closed, and for several minutes the only sound that could be heard was his heavy breathing as he tried to regain his composure.

The door opened. He heard a gasp as she walked into the room. Footsteps could be heard as someone sprinted over to him, and a moment later his blindfold came off. "Oh my god…" The girl from before muttered as she knelt down and gingerly laid a hand on his shoulder. "What did they do to you?"

"What do you think?!" He hissed as he tried to sit up. His legs were still tied together, and the girl helped to steady him. He leaned away, trying to scoot back. "You can't be possibly so naive to think that they wouldn't hurt me while they held me prisoner here."

The girl opened her mouth, but hesitated before she said anything. She frowned and looked at the ground, away from Richard. "Stay here, I'll be right back." She sighed, standing and hurrying out of the room. He doubted he could make it far with his injuries anyways. He was able to slide his arms under his legs so his hands were in front of him, but the effort to move through the pain left him exhausted.

A minute later, the girl returned, holding various items in her arms. He eyed her warily as she set everything down; bandages, a few different pill bottles, a glass of water, a blanket, and two ice packs. She held up a pair of scissors. "I'm going to have cut your shirt to look at your wounds." She explained. "Hold still…" She said as she cut Richard's shirt, vertically up to his neckline and at the sleeves, pulling it off as she finished. The girl grimaced. "Oh… I thought I saw Brick earlier…"

She sighed, very gently pressing the tips of her fingers against the bruises that had formed. The contrasting heat of his body and the cold of her hands caused him to shiver, and though her touch was light, the pain caused him to inhale sharply. "You might have some cracked ribs, but there's no way of knowing for certain without an x-ray. Here." She opened the cap on the pill bottles, poured a few into her hand, then held up the glass of water.

"These should help with any pain and swelling." She told him. Tilting his head back and slowly pouring the water into his mouth, she dropped the painkillers in and made sure they went down. He nodded. "Alright, I'm going to put these bandages on to set your ribs in place, in case there's damage we can't see. Hold your arms over your head."

Richard complied, holding his breath and clenching his teeth as the girl quickly tied the bandages around his chest. He lowered his arms, exhaling shakily as the strain on his arms went away. The girl moved in front of him, placing both hands on his cheeks and looking into his eyes. "Are you dizzy? Nauseous? Have blurry vision?"

"No. I have a bit of a headache." He told her.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" She asked.

"Three." He answered correctly.

"Hm… I don't think you have a concussion… but…" The girl trailed off, standing up and running a hand through her hair. She walked out of the room, returning with a chair and a book. "I'm going to stay down here to keep an eye on you." The girl set the book down on the seat of the chair, then took the blanket and wrapped it around Richard.

"So what, are you the doctor for all the criminals in the east end?" Richard asked, grabbing the ice packs off the floor and pressing them against his chest.

"I suppose so." Was all she said, opening her book and setting the bookmark on the nearby table.

"Hmph. I guess even criminals look after their own." He said.

"I. Am not. A criminal." She gripped the book tighter. "I don't break the law. I don't rob or murder or kidnap, so don't lump me in with the rest of them."

"An accomplice to a crime is still a criminal." Richard told her.

The girl shook her head. "Well, I wasn't given a choice." She said quietly, sounding almost… sad. No, tired.

"What does that mean?" He asked, looking up at her.

It was almost five minutes before she talked again, and when she did, the girl didn't look at him. "My mother… she had a very weak heart, some sort of condition where she couldn't be put under much stress. And unfortunately, birthing a child is very stressful. She passed away and left me with my dad, who…" She sighed, lowering the book to her lap and gazing down at the ground, "Was a drug dealer, and a criminal who worked for Slade. He died in a police chase when I was just a child, and Slade was the one who took me in."

The girl looked at him, anger evident in her eyes. "I don't want to be here. I don't want to work for Slade, I don't want to patch up criminals, and I certainly don't want to hear any smart ass remarks from a rich kid who doesn't understand that!" She picked up her book and held it in front of her face, blocking Richard from her view.

The room fell silent. Richard stared at her unmoving form for a moment, before looking up at the ceiling. "Haven't you ever tried to leave?" He asked. "I mean, if you don't want to live this kind of life…"

"I did, once. When he found me…" The girl didn't finish. "I haven't tried again. I've still got the scars."

Richard's eyes widened in shock. Suddenly, the girl in front of him seemed to change completely while seeming completely the same. The girl had never talked about herself, rarely gave him a direct answer to any of his questions, and promptly left as soon as she was able to. And because of that, Richard had never given much thought to who she might really be. He'd never thought about what her story might've been. But now that he did know, he felt… sorry for the girl.

His own parents had died when he was young, too. If Bruce hadn't been in attendance that night, he might still be in an orphanage, waiting to be adopted until he was kicked out the day he turned eighteen. What then? Would he have to turn to a life of crime to survive? He might have even become a criminal sooner. How could he pass judgement on someone when they had no control over their own life?

"What's your name?" Richard asked.

"Why do you want to know that?" She mumbled.

"So I can thank you."

The girl lowered her book. "...Rachel." She answered slowly.

Richard nodded. "Thank you, Rachel, for keeping me alive. If things work out, I promise to repay you someday."

It looked like she almost smiled. "You're welcome."

~Mob AU~

The next day, Slade showed up. He intended on keeping his threat of torturing Richard everyday until he got his money. He set up a digital camcorder and, after putting a mask on, started to attack. Richard could only close his eyes and wait until it was over. Luckily, Slade only only hurt him for a merciful two minutes, but he was still left in a lot of pain after Slade left. After he finished, Rachel came down and looked after him, doing her best to ease his pain.

The same pattern repeated the next day, and the day after that.

On the eleventh day of his capture, after Slade had left him beaten on the floor, Rachel came down and did her best to help him. "You can't endure much more of this." She muttered. "You'll die if this keeps happening."

"I… don't have… any way to… change things…" He wheezed, trying to open one eye to look at her. "It's out… of my hands…"

She closed her eyes, resting a hand on his. She sighed, wondering what she could do to help him. Painkillers obviously wouldn't heal him, and Slade wouldn't stop until he was either given the money or Richard was dead.

"Rachel…" His voice came out weak and raspy.

She opened her eyes and looked down at him. "What?" She asked quietly. He didn't respond. "Richard? Hey." Her hands started to shake. "Richard?" His eyes were closed, and it didn't look like he was breathing. She covered her mouth with one hand. Slowly, she put the other on his chest.

His heart was beating weakly. Some small ounce of relief coursed through her, but it didn't stay. "He'll die tomorrow. Maybe even tonight. If I don't do something, when Slade comes down he won't survive the next session." Rachel swallowed, then stood slowly. "I have to do something. His life is in my hands."

~Mob AU~

Richard woke up, but he didn't open his eyes. He felt heavy, as though he'd put on a couple of hundred pounds.

Beep

He heard something in the background, but ignored it as feeling came back to his body. There was something plastic in his mouth, going down his throat, and he felt a wire under his nose. He was laying on something soft.

Beep

Slowly, he opened his eyes. The harsh white lighting made him want to close his eyes again. The white tiles above him were different than the wooden beams in the basement, confirming that he was somewhere else. He could make out curtains to his right. Slowly, he tilted his head and looked around.

Beep

The EKG machine to his left, as well as the IV drip hooked up to his arm, revealed to him that he was in a hospital. But how did he get here? He closed his eyes again, too tired and in too much pain to try figuring it out.

~Mob AU~

The next day, he awoke when the nurse walked into his room and began checking up on him. She ran out of the room and got Bruce and Alfred, who were both delighted to see that he'd woken up.

"You've been in a coma for four days, Master Richard." Alfred told him. "We were starting to believe that that madman Slade had sent you to the angels." He exhaled, the tension visibly leaving his shoulders. "But we're glad to have you back."

Bruce and Alfred took turns telling him what had happened.

Apparently, an anonymous caller had tipped off the police to Richard's location. A police force of nearly one hundred officers had stormed the penthouse where he was being held, and Slade had been apprehended and charged with kidnapping, torture, and assaulting a minor. He'd been sentenced to 50 years in prison with no chance for early release. Richard himself had been found in critical condition and taken to St. Georgia's hospital, where he'd spent the past four days recovering.

~Mob AU~

After a month and a half long stay in the hospital, Richard was finally deemed to be in stable enough condition to leave, on the terms that he get plenty of rest and avoid any strenuous activities.

~Mob AU~

Three months later, Richard was walking through the park, looking for Victor and Garfield. They'd agreed to meet up and hang out, but he may have arrived before they did. Again. Sighing, he walked along the sidewalk, looking for a bench to sit down at to pass the time. There was one coming up, but someone was laying on it. By the looks of their tattered clothes and open can on the ground in front of them, they were probably homeless. Reaching into his wallet and pulling out a few dollar bills, he stopped and put the money in the can. He put his wallet away and continued walking as the person on the bench stirred.

"Richard?"

He turned around, and his eyes widened. "Rachel? Is that you?" His jaw dropped. "Oh my god, what happened?" He asked as he hurried back over to the bench. She looked horribly thin, and her hair was greasy. Her eyes were gaunt and hollow, with dark circles beneath them. There was dirt smudged on her neck.

She laughed weakly. "I didn't have anywhere to go when Slade got arrested." She said. "So, I ended up on the streets."

Richard took off his jacket and wrapped it around her. "Are you alright?" He asked, rubbing her arms and looking at her worriedly. It was 50 degrees out, and it was getting colder as the fall turned to winter. Rachel was wearing a tattered blue hoodie and ripped jeans.

"I should be asking you that. The last time I saw you, you were badly injured and barely alive." She said, looking over him.

"I'm fine!" He exclaimed. How could she be worrying about him when she was the one who clearly needed help? He was about to continue, but she cut him off.

"I'm glad. Means it wasn't for nothing."

"Huh?" His brow furrowed in confusion.

"I called the cops and told them where you were." She said, sitting down on the bench. "Then, I gathered my stuff and left. Course, everything I had is gone now. I don't even have a change of clothes." She laughed again, but a coughing fit overcame her, and Richard placed a hand on her back. She didn't look at him when she recovered, just closed her eyes and shivered again.

Richard stood and took his phone out of his pocket. Dialing in Alfred's phone number, he held the phone up to his ear.

"Master Richard. Is everything alright?"

"Not quite. Can you bring the car back?" Richard asked.

"Of course, sir. I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Thanks." Richard said goodbye and hung up. "Come on." He extended one hand to Rachel.

She looked at him, confused. "What?"

"You saved my life. It's only fair that I return the favour. One good turn deserves another." He said, smiling widely. Rachel looked at him perplexed, then down at herself. For a second, he was afraid she'd turn him down, but then she looked up at him and grinned, light returning to her eyes. Rachel took his hand allowed herself to be pulled up.

Together, the two walked down the path he'd originally come up. Richard quickly shot a text to Garfield, telling him that something had come up and he wouldn't be able to hang out. He decided he'd tell them about Rachel some other time. For now, he opened the door and allowed her to get in (much to Alfred's chagrin, who was accustomed to opening the car door for others).

After walking around and getting in the rear passenger seat, Richard said, "Rachel, this is Alfred. Alfred, this is Rachel."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Rachel." Alfred greeted

"Uh… good afternoon." She responded awkwardly.

"Alfred, Rachel is going to be staying with us for a while." Richard said.

Alfred tilted the rearview mirror, taking in Rachel's... rather lacking appearance. "I see…. Well, any friend of Master Richard's is welcome in the House of Wayne." He put the rearview mirror back in position. "But Master Richard, if I were you I might come up with a strong reason to convince Master Bruce to let your friend stay with us. I may not be able to tell you no, but he certainly can."

~Mob AU~

It turned out, "She kept me alive while I was captured and was the anonymous caller who led to my freedom and she's not even close to being a criminal" was a very strong reason to allow her a guest room and an indefinite stay.

After a shower, a change of clothes (which were technically Richard's, but he promised to take her into town tomorrow so she could get some of her own), and a large dinner, Richard found himself walking down the large, spacious corridors to his room, Rachel beside him. She'd been given the room next to his, so Alfred had entrusted him to take her there on his own.

"Here we are." He said, opening the door to the empty room. "It's not much now, but you're free to add your own personal touch it." Richard smiled and turned to look at her, waiting for a response.

"I don't know what to say." She murmured.

Richard chuckled. "How about- oof!" He stopped when Rachel suddenly turned and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug. He was taken by surprise, and wasn't able to return the gesture because she pulled away just as quickly as she had moved forward. Then, suddenly, she disappeared into her room.

Even though he'd wanted to return the hug, Richard could be content with the truly genuine smile Rachel gave him just before she closed the door.

~Mob AU~

A/N

This might be my longest one-shot yet. It's over five thousand words long.

It was fun to write this! Seriously, I love writing for this ship. It was kind of dark and could've had some more interaction between Robin and Raven, but overall I'm happy with the way it turned out. Luckily, there are a few themes later this week that'll be more light hearted. Let me know what you thought of this!