"I dashed into the room, Alfred close behind me. I briefly registered the Commissioner and Chief O'Hara, lying still in gigantic birdcages, but I was only focused on one form at the moment. Alfred paused to examine them, but I waved him over. "Never mind about them Alfred. Our first concern is Robin."

I knelt beside the enormous blue birdcage that held my young partner. He was still breathing, chest rising and falling, but unconscious, probably due to one of Martha's potions. My heart broke at the sight. Despite the lean muscles underneath his uniform, he was still my son, my little boy. And at the moment, he looked much younger than the brash, hyper-active, fourteen-year-old that was normally by my side. "Quickly, the Bat Antidotes."

Alfred, ever prepared, opened his case and procured the medicine. I had no idea what Martha had given him; my only hope was that the all-purpose Bat Antidote would be enough to combat it. I slipped my arms through the bars of the cage and gently held the boy's mouth open with one hand, while the other popped in the pill. I set a hand on his throat to ensure he swallowed it, praying that the medicine would work. "Robin." I whispered, shaking him slightly.

What luck! He stirred, moaning as he came back to full alertness. He glanced up at me, dazed and confused, but I saw trust in those blue eyes. Trust in me. I smiled, reassuring him that he was safe now.

"What happened Batman? How did I get in here?" His breathing sped up, eyes darting around wildly, panic filling his voice. I set a hand on the tense shoulders, calming him.

"It's a long story Robin, I'll explain later." With that, I broke open the door of the cage, and turned to Alfred.

"Give the Commissioner and Chief O'Hara each one of those tablets. And tell them to meet me later at the office." At his nod, I reached inside and extracted my young charge. I kept a firm grip on his arm as he struggled to maintain his balance, his muscles cramped and weak. When he continued to struggle, I placed both hands on his shoulders, steadying him. He swayed in my grip, intensifying the worry that bubbled up inside me.

"Do you think you can make it Robin?""I think so." He replied, putting a hand to his face. "I feel woozy."

That explained the swaying. "I know." I said. "We'll take you back to the Batcave where you can get some rest and we can try to deduce the Queen of Diamonds' next move."He nodded, too disoriented to reply. With that, I wrapped my arm around him and walked him outside, where the Batmobile stood waiting.

It wasn't long before he was asleep again. I had managed to get some water into him, which he drank without protest. But as we started down the long winding road home, he lost his battle against unconsciousness. I couldn't blame him. The boy had to be exhausted, not to mention the drugs that had wreaked havoc on his system.

When we parked in the Batcave, I wasted no time in lifting my charge into my arms. I paused for a moment, enjoying this feeling. He was growing so quickly now, it wouldn't be long before he would outgrow this, too. I walked farther into the cave and set him down on a padded table. It was easy to doubt my decisions during times like these. I wondered if I had been right, taking such a small boy under my wing, training him to fight scoundrels and crooks all over Gotham City. Was it worth it?

I looked down at the young face. Unlike the child in the birdcage, this one was completely at peace. He knew he was safe, he knew I was watching over him, and he knew that everything would be okay when he woke up. I had watched Robin grow from a small boy into a wonderful young man. And I was so excited to see what he would become. Yeah, I thought to myself, it's definitely worth it.

"Sleep well, baby bird." I whispered, before dropping a kiss on his forehead, and heading over to the Bat-Computer. Perhaps it could help us track down Marsha, and bring her to justice. After all, no one messes with Robin and gets away with it. Not on my watch.