Author's Note: All copyright and credit goes to the original creators of the Teen Titans, Batman, and the DC Universe. This is only for entertainment purposes only! I do not own any of the characters!

Chapter One

It begins

The sun peaked through the drifting clouds outside of the Titan's tower. The numerous residents of Jump city were taking advantage of the cool fall day by enjoying nature in its fullest. The parks were filled with children making and destroying piles of orange and red crisp leaves. Many had broken out their walking shoes, happy that the humidity from summer was finally passing. The water lapped lazily up against the shoreline of the Titan's tower; the placid waves reflected the general content disposition of the city.

Robin gazed at the lolling, blue waves and sighed. These days were few and far apart; these were the few days he could relax. Criminals just didn't seem interested in tainting a perfect day with their petty acts of mischief. Why rob a bank when you could be outside enjoying the cool crisp breeze? Why try to take over the world when you could take a walk through the park? Robin snorted. That was a thought - criminals taking walks through the park. Sure, when pigs fly.

But there did seem to be an unwritten consensus that criminals take a short hiatus from their crimes on the rare, beautiful day. And Robin wasn't going to complain. He needed more days off. And even then, today he wasn't technically taking the day off. He still had a stack of paperwork that was waiting for him on his desk. He was supposed to have done it last week. Curse Beast Boy's video games. The green changeling had sucked him into the black hole of the video game world, and Robin was not going to make that mistake again.

"Booyah!"

Robin glanced around and smirked. Cyborg and Beast Boy had their hands tightly wrapped around their controllers and each boys' eyes were glued to the TV screen. The two of them had been at it all morning.

"Ahhh, no faaaaair! You cheated!" Beast Boy cried jumping to his feet.

"Man you can't cheat with this game. You just can't play." Cyborg said, leaning back onto the couch.

"I'll have you know I've beaten the Dead and Beyond zombie series on extreme mode."

"I've beaten it on master mode."

"THERE IS NO MASTER MODE!"

Robin let out a chuckle as he watched his two teammates argue. He'll intervene in a little while. For now however, they could work it out. He glanced at Raven a few feet away from him, meditating at the widow. The fracas from Beast Boy and Cyborg didn't faze her total concentration.

"Friends! Should we not partake in this festival of park going today?"

Robin smiled and turned around. Starfire floated in the middle of the living room, her green eyes scanning all of her teammates happily.

"It's not really a festival Star," Robin replied walking toward her. Starfire's eyes dimmed in disappointment, and she floated to the ground.

"Oh…"

Robin frowned, taking in the immediate shift of her mood.

"But we can still go to the park."

"Marvelous," Starfire exclaimed and shot into the air once again, "I will go prepare for this day of park!" A resounding groan echoed from both Cyborg and Beast Boy as Starfire flew off to her room.

"Man, Rob, we haven't finished the final boss level yet!"

"Yeah dude we still haven't beaten the game!"

Robin sighed and turned to face his video game obsessed teammates. But before he could do anything, black magic encased their controllers and suspended them in the air. Cyborg and Beast Boy let out cries of protest that were cut off by Raven walking between them and the TV. Her eyes were solid black as dark energy swirled around her.

"ENOUGH WITH THE VIDEOGAMES."

It appeared Cyborg and Beast Boy had disturbed her more than she'd let on. Cyborg and Beast Boy grumbled their agreement and the controls dropped to the floor. Raven's eyes returned to their normal violet and she lowered her hood.

"Thanks Rae," Robin said repressing a smile.

Starfire flew into the room a large floppy hat falling across her eyes. She set her over-stuffed bag on the ground and pushed the hat up out of her eyes.

"Uh Starfire, do we need all of that?" Robin asked looking at the bag skeptically.

"Oh course friend Robin! I have packed all the traditional Tamaran games and activities," Starfire replied while pulling out a large, spherical metal ball. She placed it in her hands and it began to burn with a vibrant green energy as it absorbed the heat from her starbolt. Starfire cocked her head, "Glurgensech! Or I believe on your planet you say catch."

The ball went spiraling toward Cyborg's head and the boy's eyes widened as it halted inches from his face, a dark energy encased around it.

Raven walked forward, the ball floating to a stop in her hands. "Perhaps we should keep that game between us, Starfire."

"Of course, friend Raven," Starfire replied, undeterred by the look of horror Cyborg sent Robin's way.

"Um Starfire…" Robin started trying to break through the alien's frenzy.

"I also packed traditional Gorbenslosh for lunch!" Starfire said pulling out a container with a large smile. The substance seemed to have a life of its own, shifting and twisting with an odd mixture of multicolored goo.

The Titans all repressed a gag at the sight of Starfire's unusual food.

"Starfire…that's nice but…" Robin trailed off unsure of what to say.

Cyborg stared at the alien games and quickly locked eyes with Beast Boy. "I'll grab the football, and you bring the soccer ball?"

"Deal."

"I'll make the sandwiches then," Raven said looking at Robin, and moving into the kitchen.

"Splendid! Then Robin can help me continue to pack!" Starfire said staring at the Boy Wonder with her large, green eyes.

"Uh, actually Starfire, I need to…um…help Raven with the sandwiches…." Robin said gesturing to the kitchen.

Starfire's eyes dimmed and she floated to the ground. "Oh…" She looked down at her bag and her shoulders sagged slightly. Her green eyes pierced through Robing with disappointment.

Robin let out a quiet sigh. He was always a push-over when it came to Starfire. He simply couldn't take those green eyes looking so sad.

"You know what, I think Raven can handle it by herself," Robin said with a small smile.

Starfire let out an excited glee and flew over to Robin. She grabbed his hand and yanked him toward her bag.

"Come, friend Robin! I believe I left the Flufgenslurch in my room!"

Robin withheld a groan. What had he gotten himself into?

The sun beamed down on the two girls relaxing in the lawn chairs. Starfire let out a content yawn as she took another bite from her gooey alien food.

"Are you sure you would not like some Gorbenslosh, Raven?" Starfire asked through the mountain of food in her mouth.

Raven glanced up from her book at the alien girl. She examined the food skeptically and looked back down at her book. "I'm sure."

"INCOMING!"

Raven didn't even look up as she threw up her hand nonchalantly, stopping the football on its projectile path toward Starfire. Starfire let out a frightened squeak as the ball hovered motionless inches away from her face. The ball, encased by black magic, turned around and was shot back toward Beast Boy.

The changeling morphed into a falcon and soared into the air. He expertly nosedived toward the ball and caught it with his claws, puncturing the fragile foam material.

"Awww Man! How many times have I told you! No shape shifting in sports! That's the third ball you've ruined," Cyborg cried crossing his arms.

Beast Boy landed on the ground and morphed back into his usual self. "Dude, I can't help it! It's instinctual."

"That's just a lame excuse and you know it."

Robin barely managed to repress a chuckle at Cyborg's word.

"I heard that, Robin!"

The Boy Wonder held up his hands in a sign of surrender.

"Don't drag me into this!" Robin cried as he leaned back against a tree trunk. He let out a sigh as the sun vanished instantly, and he was encased in the calming shade. A cool breeze blew through the leaves above making a few stray orange leaves fall to the ground. He picked up a fallen leaf and rolled it between his fingers.

The bright fall colors shone at Robin and he let go of the leaf and watched it fly away in the wind. He closed his eyes and pictured himself free falling in the air. The rush of the wind against his skin, the feeling of weightlessness that accompanied it, and the deep feeling of peace that would settle over him. He let out a long breath and let everything fall away. It was just him and the sky.

"ROOOOOBIN! GO LOOOOONG!"

Robin withheld a groan as his eyes fluttered open. He watched as Cyborg charged at Beast Boy head on. The green changing morphed into a gorilla and flung the football off into the distance. The ball whizzed far above Robin and the Boy Wonder watched it fly off down the hill. Cyborg smashed into Beast Boy causing him to change back into his human form. The two went tumbling down the opposite side of the hill. Robin chuckled. Those two were always getting into trouble.

He stood up and stretched his arms above his head, and let out a long groan. Why did Beast Boy always have to throw the football so far?

"Would you like me to retrieve the ball of the foot, Robin?" Starfire shouted from her lawn chair.

Robin waved the alien girl down with a smile. "It's alright, Star! I got it. Besides I could use the exercise!" Robin replied.

A resounding snort came from Raven who hardly glanced at The Boy Wonder. "Of course you could," she muttered still absorbed in her book.

Robin rolled his eyes and started out in a quick jog down the hill. His feet crunched against the crisp, green grass as he scanned the park for the football. The hill the Titans were relaxing on a hill that held a bird's eye view of the entire park. Robin let out a soft groan as his eyes landed on the ball that was at least a few football fields away. He continued jogging down the tall hill and waved occasionally to a few families out and about in the park.

The afternoon sun beamed down on him as he took a deep breath. Cool fall air rushed into his lungs and Robin let out a content breath. The sweet smell of jasmine floated around him pulling him back in time. His mother had always smelled like she had run through a field of jasmine. When she pulled him into a hug, the sweet smell would override any impending grief or pain and fill Robin with a reassurance that everything would be alright.

It was odd that this smell would come to him now. He glanced around and saw vines of star jasmine growing on the park fence. The poignant fragrance swirled around him and Robin slowly decelerated into a walk, stopping to admire the small sweet flowers. He hadn't thought of his mother in a long time….why all of the sudden did this spark a memory of her?

He continued walking toward the football not far off in the distance now, past memories resurfacing. He quickly shoved them down, not wanting to deal with the pain that they brought.

Robin reached down and gripped the punctured foam football in his hand. He glanced around at the families around him. But what caught his eye were a group of young kids playing soccer a field away. A small sandy-haired boy had just kicked a goal into the well-used net, and went running up to his father, who was standing off into the distance. The boy's father hoisted the little boy into the air and wrapped him in a great big bear hug.

The child's cries of joy and laughter carried over to Robin. A stab of pain shot through his heart as he watched the pair. His hands sub-consciously tightened around the football as unwanted thoughts crept into his brain. He had been deprived of that joy at a very early age - the joy of simply having supportive parents. Robin shook his head and started the long trek back up the hill. What's done is done. Besides his parents would be proud of him now…wouldn't they?

Robin brushed the thoughts off and focused on the green grass beneath his feet. Just take it one step at a time, Robin, he thought to himself. One step at a time.

The sun seemed to dim slightly, and the jasmine flowers didn't seem as sweet as before. No matter how hard Robin tried he couldn't shake the picture of the father and son together. Why it was affecting him so negatively, he couldn't understand. Robin began the steady climb up the hill and rubbed the smooth football under his hands. Maybe if he went back to the Tower and finished up the paperwork, he could forget about all of this.

As Robin crested the hill, he held back a chuckle at the unusual scene he was greeted with. Cyborg and Beast Boy were currently engaged in an intense arm wrestling match, and Beast Boy, was well…of-course a bear. How Cyborg was still in the contest, Robin had no idea.

"Robin you have returned!" Starfire shouted happily flying in the air. "You can now play pass the Gluberenslub with me!"

"Actually, Star, I think I'm going to-"

"AHHHH NO FAIR, MAN. YOU CHEATED!" Cyborg yelled.

"It's not my fault you can't shape shift," Beast Boy replied smugly crossing his arms. His eyes fell on Robin and they lit up with excitement. "Hey Rob, it's your turn! I promise I'll go easy on you!"

Robin threw the football to Cyborg who expertly caught it. "Thanks, BB, but I'm going to have to pass today. I need to get back to the Tower and finish up some paperwork before the day is over."

"AWWW Come on!" Beast Boy whined. "Can't you do it tomorrow?"

"Yeah, Rob. Relax! I'm sure the police can wait on a few scraps of paper?"

Robin shrugged, and replied, "Sorry guys, I've put it off long enough today."

Cyborg shook his head, and glanced at Beast Boy. "Man, suit yourself. Yo, BB, are you up for a rematch?"

Starfire flew over to Robin her bright, green eyes flooded with worry.

"Friend Robin, are you alright?" Starfire asked her hands pressed together.

"Yeah, I'm fine Starfire, I just got paperwork to do, that's all," Robin replied a twinge of guilt rising up inside of him. It technically wasn't a lie.

"Just paperwork, Robin?"

Raven's voice made Robin flinch as he turned around and faced the girl. Her violet eyes pierced into him.

Robin quickly backed up toward the edge of the hill, away from the two girls.

"Yup, just paperwork. Gotta go!"

The Boy Wonder raced off down the hill, feeling his nerves get to him. Ever since Raven had entered his mind, the girl seemed more in tune with his emotions. It was obvious Raven knew something was up with him. However, he let out a small sigh of relief (a very small sigh) for the fact that she didn't press the subject - not yet at least.

Robin dangled his legs over the edge of the Titans Tower and sighed - everything was so relaxing up here. The fresh air always seemed to settle his uneasy thoughts, and the height always sent a peaceful chill through him. None of the Titans could understand why he liked being up there though, and he wasn't about to explain why.

The height and the openness reminded him of his childhood at the circus. Those years were the best of his life. He had had nothing to worry about, no impending villain about to take over the world, no pressing criminals to catch, and no civilians whose lives were at stake. Only a young Dick Grayson who had had the greatest parents in the world.

He let out a rueful chuckle as he remembered a time when he had feared heights. His younger self had been such a scaredy cat that he had avoided everything related to them for as long as possible. Which was a hard thing to do, considering he lived at a circus.

Eventually his mother had forced him to face his fears and walk out on a tight rope. He had been about four at the time, and little Dick Grayson had fought and begged his mother not to make him do it.

The wind ruffled through the papers on his lap as he picked up his pen and mechanically began to move it over the papers.

Did his mother take no for an answer? Of course not. Mary Grayson was not one to let her son quit so easily.

He remembered what she had said to him that day. Those words had been buried and sealed in his heart, and he always went back to them in times of need. He remembered his mother leaning down close to him, her black long hair brushing against his face. He remembered her grabbing his shoulders and pulling him closer, so that the sweet smell of jasmine soothed all of his anxieties. He remembered her deep, blue eyes finding his and her honey voice that whispered in his ears.

"Do not be afraid, my little Robin. I will always be behind you, waiting to catch you if you fall. But you won't fall, do you know why?"

Five year old Dick Grayson had shook his head, his eyes going wide.

"Because birds fly Dick, they do not fall."

He had made it all the way across the tightrope that day, with his mother one step behind him. From then on, Dick had never been scared of heights. In fact he learned to love the adventure that they brought.

Robin shook his head and let the peaceful air wash over him. He needed to stop thinking about his past; it only reminded him of the pain and despair he had had to live through. His eyes looked out over the vast expanse of Jump City, and he set his pen down. All those people out there. All those people that he was responsible for protecting...by doing paperwork. Robin glanced down at the large stack of papers in his hand, and grinned ruefully. At least he was halfway through with it now.

He buried his mind under the paperwork, and everything fell into a harmonious noise around him. His brain kicked into overdrive and soon he was almost through with the large stack of papers. He let out a sigh and placed his worn out pen on the warm concrete, and cracked his sore knuckles.

Why don't they just make criminals do paperwork for the rest of their lives instead of sending them to jail? Robing thought amusingly. It's punishment enough…

His communicator blared in the serene silence, and Robin let out a groan. The Titans had probably gotten into a dispute over something, and knowing Beast Boy and Cyborg, it most likely was going to take a while to settle.

"Cyborg, what's up?"

"ROB-" Static blared on the other end of the communicator, cutting Cyborg off.

"Cyborg? Cyborg! Come in!" Robin yelled, springing to his feet, a stab of panic shooting through him. Alarm bells started to ring in Robin's head, but he quickly squashed them down, and took a deep breath. There was probably some technical defect in the communicators – nothing to worry about. Robin looked out at the city's skyline, and felt his heartbeat settle. The Titans were at the park, it was a beautiful day, and he was almost done with the paperwork…

What could go wrong?

"It seems your friends have run into some trouble, but not as much as your about to be in."

Apparently a lot could go wrong.

Natural instincts were overridden by pure fear as Robin felt his hands fall limply to his sides. The icy cold words sent a harsh tidal wave that collided into him, and shot a stake of fear directly through his heart. That voice. That voice haunted his nightmares; it plagued his every waking hour. He knew the day was too good to be true - way too good.

He just hadn't thought that this day would come so soon.

"Slade."

The word came out as a quiet whisper as Robin released the stack of papers in his hands. The white sheets flew off in the wind, swirling off the Tower and into the open air below. The sunlight glinted off the crisp white sheets as a dark cloud fell over Robin. All the hours of work didn't seem to matter anymore. Nothing seemed to matter anymore, except the one person standing behind him. The one person who had just snuck up on him, without his notice. The one person who always was one step ahead, while Robin stayed five steps behind. The one person he had hoped, he'd never see again.

"Miss me, Robin?"

The taunt fell on deaf ears as Robin felt like his brain was caving in on him. An impenetrable fog had warped around him as he stared dumbfounded down at his communicator. He did not want to turn around. He did not want to face reality. He did not want this to be true.

"Honestly, Robin. I expected a warmer welcome. I thought the Bat taught you better. Looks like I'll have to pick up where he left off."

The words pierced through Robin's mind, cutting through the amorphous haze. His instincts spurred into overdrive and the young acrobat twisted around and slung four bird-a-rangs with deadly accuracy at the masked man. However his eyes balked at the sight before him-nothing. The bird-a-rangs hit empty space and fizzled into nothing. Slade was gone. There was no one behind him.

Robin fought down the panic rising in his chest. His breaths came faster and faster, trying to keep the supply of oxygen to his chaotic brain. No he was NOT hallucinating this. This was real. It had to be. The dust was gone from his system. It had been gone for a long time.

His communicator crackled and sputtered, catching his attention.

"Cyborg? Cy can you hear me?"

"Ro-…he…p…is-tha-Sla…de"

The communicator turned to a pure, thin silence and Robin growled in frustration. Well at least one thing was certain. If Cyborg heard Slade, then the malevolent villain was real this time. Robin shook off a foreboding feeling of dread that was rising inside of him. But where did Slade go?

A strong hand fell on Robin's shoulder.

"You've gotten sloppy, Robin."

The young vigilantly felt as if a thousand bolts of electricity had been shot through him. He rolled forward and flipped around into a fighting stance, his hands ready. His heart was thundering like loud drums in his ears and every sense in his body was thrown into overdrive as his eyes landed on the masked man in front of him.

Sunlight glinted off of Slade's smooth trademark orange and black armor as the man stood, darkly silhouetted against the sky. Slade crossed his arms, his sangfroid attitude grating against Robin's nerves. The man was as cool and collected as ever.

Some things just never change.

"I'm disappointed, Robin."

Robin let out a low, feral growl as his patience rolled away like a crashing wave.

"What are you doing here, Slade?" Robin spit each word out like thick poisonous venom coated his tongue. "Why won't my communicator work? What's going on with my team? How are you even here? Why-"

A silky smooth chuckle cut Robin off as the masked man stepped closer to the young boy.

"My, my impatient as ever. Some things never change, Robin."

The young boy physically recoiled at the words Slade spoke - the same words he had just thought. A burning sensation crawled up Robin's skin as he began to back away from the man before him. His senses began to dull out as Slade's omnipotent presence accosted him.

"If you must know, however," Slade said holding up a small device in his hands, "I blocked out your communicator for the time being. As for the Titans…"

The man paused, his single eye glinting dangerously. His smooth voice dropped down to a lower tone laced with malevolence.

"…They should be quite distracted for a while."

Abysmal thoughts drowned in Robin's head as the young boy tried to shake off the dread rising up inside of him. This man held all of the power…just as he always had.

"It's just you and me, Robin."

The man paused letting the silence draw out between them.

"It always has been."

Robin's mind crumbled into a million pieces as illusion after illusion shattered away before him. And like a mirror crashing to the ground, the lies he had deceived himself with vanished in the fall air. Slade had always held all the cards in this game. Any sense of power Robin had felt, had been a total and utter lie. It was all an illusion - a big grand illusion apart of a game that Robin would never win.

The masked boy took a step back, and began to systematically force oxygen into his lungs, clearing away the fear, and panic that had muddled his brain. He reached down toward his utility belt and brushed his gloved hand over the hard, cold metal of his bo-staff.

He may not win the game.

Robin narrowed his eyes, and glared at the figure that stood before him.

But he could still fight back.

Author's Note: Next chapter should be up by the end of the week! Thanks for reading!