Fan Fiction ❯ Putting The Peices Back Together ❯ Death In The Family ( Chapter 3 )

Hey, thanks for all the kind words guys, it really means a lot to me. But before going on, there are a few points in order.

Jncera - Don't worry, I know Bats isn't Robin's real dad, and although he may not have been the greatest father-figure of all time, he's the one Robin had, and I'd like to think Robin still loved him regardless. Also, I thought I'd lose a bit of the `dramatic edge' there if it said "Please…tell me how my stepfather died."

Kokuryu - Aha! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who kept reading Batman after that whole `Knights End' crossover mess. But yeah, that story arc where Bruce asks Dick to takeover as Batman while his back mended, that was the inspiration for that little twist in plot there. And yes, I am using Dick Grayson, nothing against Tim Drake (I like him a whole lot more than the Spoiler) but even if they were the same age, I just couldn't see him and Raven matching as well as she does with Dick.

Before we go on to the story, I'm going to warn you, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. It's also some of the most feeling I've ever put into a story, and I know a lot of you (myself included) have some strong emotional bonds to these characters, but I'm asking you, out of courtesy, please, no flames. At least just for this chapter. But please do review. Thanks.

"Raven…please…tell me how my father died."

With a heavy heart, Raven led Robin back to their bed and sat him down. After a deep breath, she brushed a tear away from his face and spoke. "He was killed about five years ago."

"Five years? But the newspaper I saw in the hospital…it said he had only been missing a few days…oh." Suddenly, it dawned on him. "They were talking about me, weren't they? I was in the hospital for a `few days'."

Raven nodded as Robin looked back at the costume in the closet.

"It was the Joker, wasn't it?"

"No, Rich, it wasn't."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "No? Then, Bane?"

"No."

"Hush?"

"No."

"Two-Face?"

"No."

"Clay-Face?"

"No."

"Freeze? Scarecrow? The Riddler? Penguin? Scarface?"

"No, Robin. None of them. It…it wasn't one of Bruce's enemies."

"Then it must have been one of Selina's. Zeiss? The Black Mask? Or was it during a League mission? Despero? Amazo? The Key?" Robin was getting frantic, and all it did was make Raven feel worse about telling him.

"No, Rich. It wasn't any of them, and if you think about it hard enough, I think you'll find you already know who it was." As her somber tone faded into silence, Robin sat there, the gears in his head turning. Then, as a chill ran up his spine, he knew who killed his mentor.

"No…" Sweat began forming on his forehead as Raven could see his body tense up. "No…it…it couldn't be. He…he died! We all saw it!"

"You're right," she said, "we did see him die. But he came back, Robin. Slade came back and he murdered Bruce. He was jealous of him, Rich. For as much as you obsessed over Slade, he must have obsessed double over you. He wanted you, Robin. In some sick, twisted way, he wanted to be your father. So when it became obvious to him that he couldn't…he killed the man who really was."

Robin sat there, on the edge of the bed, in complete silence. Tears ran down his face and he tightened his grip on the bed sheets, but he said nothing. It killed Raven to see Robin in such pain, because no matter what he may or may not remember, he was still her husband, and she loved him more than life itself. She moved closer to him, and then cautiously, rested her head on his shoulder. Raven wrapped her arms around her love and held him tight. She could feel his body shudder with each breath.

"I just…can't believe Slade beat him. I mean, Slade was good…but Bruce…Bruce was the best. And not just the best fighter, he was smart, sometimes a bit too smart." Robin found himself smiling sadly. "And paranoid too. He always took every precaution, even ones no one else would ever think of. I just can't see how Slade could have beaten him."

Raven moved her head on Robin's shoulder so that she was more or less facing him. "In a fair fight, Robin, I don't think Slade would have lasted a minute against Bruce. But then…when has anything ever been fair with Slade? Before making his move, Slade stalked Alfred for what must have been weeks. Until he knew Alfred's schedule like clockwork, then, he abducted him and left a note for Bruce. None of us are really sure why Bruce didn't call us when he found the note. I guess he didn't want to worry you, and figured he could take Slade on his own. Either way, Cyborg still found out about it, and we were able to track them down. We were just…too late. When we got there, Slade was just about to off Alfred, and we managed to save him. But…Bruce was already dead. God, Richard, he was lying on the ground naked, in a pool of his own blood. Alfred told us that before shooting him, Slade made Bruce take off every piece of armor and clothing, just to be sure he wasn't hiding any weapons. He persuaded Bruce to do so, by holding Alfred at gunpoint. Then…he shot him."

The pain Robin felt in his heart was unbearable. The relationship between Bruce and Alfred had always been so professional. Everyone knew Bruce respected Alfred, but he didn't treat him like a friend so he could avoid emotional attachment. But Robin had always known the truth, Alfred had practically raised Bruce, and it was no surprise to him that Bruce had given his life to save Alfred's. Guilt stung Robin's heart as much as sorrow did, Bruce and Alfred were all the family Robin had left, and the only reason they were put into that danger, was because of him. Slade wanted Robin, and went through Bruce and Alfred to get to him.

"I'll kill him…" he whispered suddenly.

"What?" Raven asked.

"Slade. I'll kill him for this." Robin's words were cold and harsh. They stabbed at Raven's heart.

She looked away from Robin as she closed her eyes. Biting her lip, she said in a soft, quiet voice, "You already did."

"…What?"

FLASHBACK

"SLADE!!"

The masked villain broke into a sprint as Starfire and Raven tended to Alfred. Tears filling his eyes, Robin crouched down next to his stepfather's motionless body.

"I'm so sorry…dad."

`Whoa…' thought Speedy, `Bruce Wayne is Batman? Man… Makes sense I guess. God, poor Robin."

Clenching his fists, Robin slowly stood up and walked over to Bruce's discarded gear. "Slade may have killed Bruce Wayne…" Robin removed his cape and replaced it with Bruce's. Then he peeled off his mask, revealing for just a moment his pain-filled eyes. Quickly, he pulled Bruce's cowl over his head and adjusted it appropriately. "But I'll make sure Batman doesn't die tonight." Robin turned to face the Titans. "I want the five of you to take care of Alfred. Don't let anything happen to him."

"Dude…" Beast boy pleaded, but it was to no avail.

"Take care of Alfred, Gar. Slade is mine." After growling his last word, Robin took off into the night.

It was two days later, and a fierce thunder storm was rolling in over the bay. The rain hadn't started to fall yet, so Raven went up to the roof to get a first hand view of nature's power. `Beautiful…' she thought as she watched the lightning dance over head. Then, as the lightning and thunder crashed, a dark figure appeared behind her. Gasping, Raven turned to see Batman standing there, the scent of murder hanging in the air around him. "B…Bruce?"

"No, Rave. It's me." As he spoke, Robin slowly lifted the Batman mask from his face. As Raven stared at him, he threw a piece of thin scrap metal on the ground. It clanked as it bounced and skidded over to Raven's feet. Her eyes widened when she gave it a better look. It was cracked, it was chipped, and it was battered, but it was Slade's mask, there was no doubt about it.

"He'll never hurt anyone ever again." Robin said, his words were grim, and coated in guilt and pain.

Slowly, almost as if she were afraid of him, Raven walked towards her boyfriend. Collapsing into his body, she wrapped her arms around him and held him as tight as she could. Crying into his chest, she whispered, "…What have you done, Richard? What have you done…?"

End Flashback

As Raven finished speaking, Robin tried to say something, but choked on his words. "I…I'm a murderer." He said finally. The very word tasted like poison on his tongue, as everything Robin used to think about himself began to fall down around him.

Raven said nothing, but closed her eyes and held him tighter.

A horrified look fell over Robin's face, and then, he began to cry. There was no lone tear falling from his eyes this time. Robin was crying and he couldn't control it. After pulling himself together, he looked at Raven with his bloodshot eyes and said, "That's why Cyborg lied to me, isn't it?"

"Wh…what?"

"In the car. When I asked Cyborg about how Beast Boy died. He lied to me, and now I know why…"

Raven was speechless but Robin could see the guilt wash over her face. That was all he needed to know.

Robin took a deep breath in as more tears fell from his eyes. "It was me…wasn't it?"

"Robin…"

"No, Raven. Tell me the truth. I killed Beast Boy, didn't I? DIDN'T I?!?" He was shouting now, but it was more out of pain than it was anger.

"You have to understand Rich…it wasn't your fault."

"It doesn't MATTER if it was my fault or not, Rae! I KILLED Beast Boy! I killed…my friend…"

"Please Robin…listen to me…it's not your fault. He left you no choice…"

"How…how did it happen?"

"I guess it all started about three years ago. Beast Boy was having a harder and harder time trying to control his savage, more animalistic side. Then…one day, he was just gone. He left most of his belongings, and didn't tell anyone where he was going or why. After a few months, we began to think he'd never come back. Then…a little over a year after he left, he returned. God…it was a day I'll never forget…"

FLASHBACK

It was a beautiful, sunny day. On most days like this, Raven Roth would normally rather be spending her time indoors, reading a good book, or maybe meditating. But this day was different. This day was special. The Titans and their friends and families gathered on the rooftop of Titans tower, as the visitors and residents alike admired the decorations. Benches were brought in, and were separated into two halves, and then each half divided into ten rows. Alfred was there. So were Cyborg's parents. Speedy's guardian Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow showed up too. All of the Titan's friends, past and present were there as well. Aqualad, Wildebeest, Bumblebee, Thunder, Lighting, Mas, Menos, Hotspot. They were all there. The Justice League showed up as well. Even Raven's mother, Arella was there. This was indeed a special day, for this was the day that Raven Roth and Richard Grayson were to be married.

Cyborg looked around him. `It really is a beautiful day. I'm glad. Those two deserve it.' As he let his eye wander, Cyborg noticed a large bird circling high over head. Identifying it as a vulture, he shrugged. `That's weird,' he thought, `we don't usually get vultures this close to the bay.' The vulture was quickly blocked from his mind as a far more important bird began to walk down the aisle.

As the wedding march played, and Raven began to walk down the aisle, Robin found himself thinking. `Jeez…this is what it must have felt like for that guy in `Alien', because I swear, I feel like something's gonna burst out of my body right now…' To say that he had `butterflies in his stomach' would be the understatement of the century. As Raven moved closer to the altar, Robin felt the sweat forming on his brow. `God…look at her. She's so beautiful. In a few moments…my life is going to be perfect.'

Raven was quite the site to behold. In her flowing white wedding dress, she looked like an angel floating through a sea of flower petals. As hard as it was to take his eye off her, Cyborg found himself looking back up to the sky every now and again. Something about that bird nagged at him. And every time he looked at it, it seemed to be closer than the last. Then, as the music swelled, and Raven finally took that step up onto the altar, Cyborg watched as the bird began to fall, first slowly, then faster and faster as Cyborg realized it wasn't falling it all. It was diving.

"YO, RAVEN! LOOK OUT!"

Raven jumped back just in time, as the vulture, now a tiger, crashed into the altar and landed on all fours. Panic broke out as the civilians tried to run back downstairs while the super heroes readied themselves for an attack.

As if on the prowl, the tiger began to slowly move towards Raven, when suddenly, Robin threw himself between them. Bo-staff at the ready, he stared the creature down and with a venomous tone, said, "Come near her, and I'll make you into a throw-rug."

The tiger pounced at Robin, but in mid air, transformed into a man. He was large, and his hair was shaggy and mane-like. Fangs jutted out from his mouth, and his fingers ended in long, sharp claws. As he landed, with reflexes too quick for even Robin to keep track of, the man had Robin's throat in his clawed hand within moments. As he tightened his grip, Robin choked out a single word.

"G…Gar?!"

Beast Boy's eyes narrowed as a deep, low rumbling started in his throat. "You!" he growled. "Everything that ever went wrong in my life, every love I ever lost…it was all YOUR fault! YOU drove Terra away! It was YOU!" Beast Boy tightened his grip on Robin's neck again. "Then…when she came back, I thought everything had worked out. But it was all a LIE! She betrayed us, because she was working for Slade, and she was working for Slade, because YOU drove her AWAY!!" As Beast Boy bellowed, the rest of the heroes attempted to attack. But every time one of them did, Beast Boy would sense it coming, and further tighten his grip on his former teammate's throat. That was enough to keep the heroes at bay. "But Terra wasn't the only girl I ever loved…" he rambled on. As Robin struggled for air, he looked into Beast Boy's eyes, hoping to find at least a shred of his fun-loving, joke-cracking friend. But as he looked into his eyes, Robin saw only madness. Foam started to form at Beast Boy's mouth as he continued to talk. "No…she wasn't the only one. There was another…" he turned to look at Raven. "But you took HER from me too!" Beast Boy suddenly released Robin's throat and threw him to the side. In one swift, fluid motion, Beast Boy had replaced Robin's neck in his hand with Raven's. "I'll show you, Robin! I WILL be happy, and Raven WILL love me!"

Anger taking him over, Robin threw everything he had at Beast Boy. His attacks were so erratic, as he moved randomly around the roof that the rest of the heroes dared not interfere for fear of getting in his way, or worse, him getting in theirs. He gave his attacker everything he had, but nothing seemed to be enough. He tried ice-grenades, but Beast Boy broke free of them. He tried tranquilizers, but Beast Boy's savage rage and animal fury made him so powerful that Robin's tranqs couldn't hope to sedate him. Robin knew he had only one option left. "Gar…please…don't make me do this." He pleaded with him, but it was no use. Beast Boy had gone insane, and now he was going to kill Raven. He was going to kill the love of Robin's life. He was going to kill the woman Robin was marrying. "Gar…" Robin whispered as tears stung his eyes. "I'm sorry…"

It was a dark, dark day. The union of the two young heroes was supposed to be a happy and momentous occasion. The day should have been filled with tears of joy and praises and cheers. Instead, it was filled with tears of sorrow, and curses, and pain. From the Titans, to the League, and the heroes in between, for all the power they possessed, they still weren't able to prevent the death of one of their own…

End Flashback

"Robin…if…if you hadn't had done what you did…I would have been killed too."

Robin was lying down now, his head resting in Raven's lap as she gently stroked his hair. "That doesn't make me feel any less guilty about killing my friend, Raven"

"No," she said softly, "I guess it wouldn't."

"Did anyone ever find out why he attacked us? Why he…went crazy?"

Raven wiped a tear from her eye. "Apparently, he left the team because he felt his primal, animalistic side taking him over, and he didn't want any of us to get hurt. So he lived in the wild for about a year. But…the coroner told us that Beast Boy's body tested positive for rabies. He must have caught it while living out there, and because of the animal DNA in him…it affected him the way it did. No matter how he died, Robin, Beast Boy was not evil. He was a hero. He even left the team for our safety, not his. I…we all miss him. So much. I visit him whenever I get the chance to…"

Robin looked up at her. "You do? I mean…can you tell me? Where he's buried?"

Raven got up and walked over to the window. She pulled back the curtains and pointed to the darkness below. Robin walked over, and even though it was late at night, and dark, the tower's lights were bright enough for him to see the memorial. "I'm going down there." He said.

"Robin, no. It's late. It can wait until morning."

"No," he said sharply, "it can't."

Raven looked down, but then slowly nodded her approval.

Robin rested a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you get some sleep, alright? I'll see you in the morning." As he began to walk out the door, he stopped and turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Hey, Raven?"

"Yeah?"

"…Thank you."

Robin shivered in the cold night's air as he stood in front of Beast Boy's grave. He stood there in silence for what must have been close to half an hour before finally saying, "Gar…I'm so sorry." After a few minutes of silent crying, Robin took a deep breath in, and looked up to the stars. Somehow, staring into that vast sea of black and white made Robin feel better. He knew his friend was up there in the heavens, smiling down at him and if he could say something, it would probably be along the lines of:

`Dude, why are you kicking yourself in the ass over this? It's no biggie, besides, do you realize how many hot angel chicks there are up here? DUDE! Seriously Rob, I'm in a better place now. But don't worry, you'll see me again. You'll be up here eventually. Just try and take your time, alright? I've got a lot of girlies up here who can't refuse the Beast-Boy charm, and I'm not ready to share yet.'

"I'm gonna miss you, bud." Robin said as he took one last look at the stars. Then, before returning to his room, he found a small, sad smile creeping up his face as he said, "And for the record…tofu really isn't that bad after all, B."

It was a few hours later, and Robin was lying awake in bed. Although he felt as if he had made his peace with Beast Boy that didn't change the fact that he was still, at the end of the day, heart-broken. Robin hated this future that he had woken up in. He was haunted by so many ghosts here. Bruce, Gar, and even his relationship with Starfire. All of them, gone and never to return. `Do I even have anything worth living for, here?' he asked himself. Then, as if answering his own question, Robin turned to look at the person sleeping next to him. As he watched the violet-haired vixen sleep, Robin realized how confused she made him feel. The Raven sleeping next to him was nothing like the Raven he knew. The Raven he knew was reclusive, and sarcastic. She was a kind and caring person, for that there was no doubt, but she was always so subtle with it. She was Robin's friend, and he trusted her with his life, but he had never thought of her as anything more than a friend and teammate. Because, with a girlfriend like Starfire, why would he need to? But this Raven…the Raven he married, she was so…different. He spent the entire night talking to her, and the things he had her tell him, if she hadn't had been so comforting, Robin wasn't sure how he would have reacted. There was something…special about this Raven, something Robin couldn't quite put his finger on. Then, as if some strange force had taken control of his body, Robin found himself leaning in towards Raven. Before he could realize what he was doing, he had kissed her gently on the forehead. As he stared in shock, a small smile slowly crept it's way up Raven's slumbering face. Staring at her, Robin felt a smile on his lips as well. He laid back, and taking one last look at the girl who had given so much of herself to him, Robin fell asleep, dreams of Raven, his wife, dancing in his head.

"Morning, Sleepy-head."

"Hnh. Wha?" Robin slowly wiped the sleep from his eyes as he sat up in bed. Raven was standing next to the bed, her hands on her hips, with a tray of food floating next to her. "Nnh." Robin groaned. "What time is it?"

"It's 12:30, Rich. You sure as hell slept in today. What time did you come to bed anyway?"

"I don't know," he admitted. "Late."

Raven sighed. "Well look, I'm going to go meditate for a few hours. When I'm done, we can talk some more, if you want."

Robin nodded.

"But here, before I go, I made you lunch." Raven smiled as she used her powers to float over the tray containing a patty-melt sandwich, hash browns, and a glass of root beer to Robin.

Robin stared in amazement at the meal in front of him. "This…"

"is your favorite." Raven said with a smile. "I know. Look, while I'm meditating, why don't you go hang out with the guys or something. They're a bit nervous about having to tell you about the things that have gone on, but I know they'd like to just spend some time with you, Rob."

Robin smiled. "Yeah, that sounds nice. See you when you get back?"

Raven gave him a sexy grin, "You bet your ass you will."

After Raven left, Robin took a bite of his sandwich. A part of him wanted to go and hang out with the others, but the more he thought about Raven, the more that part seemed to get drowned out. He looked down at the lunch Raven had made for him, his favorite meal. `She knows so much about me,' he thought, `and yet I know next to nothing about her.' Robin looked around the room at all of the belongings. `But maybe, today, I can change that.'

Once he finished his lunch, Robin got out of bed and walked over to the large rack of cds next to the stereo. He started thumbing through a few of the titles. `Led Zeppelin', `Social Distortion', `The Rolling Stones', `The Clash'. Robin shook his head, `No,' he thought, `these must be my cds.' He looked further down the rack. `The Cure' `Ah, now here we go. Lets see what we have here. `Bauhaus', `The Joy Division', `Siouxsie and the Banshees', `Him'. Robin smiled. `Typical goth-rock. I guess I'm not really sure what I expected to find just by looking through her music. Maybe…her books?'

Robin walked over to the large bookshelf in the corner. After shifting through the expected literature classics, he came across a collection of books with no words printed anywhere on the covers. On each spine, there were numbers written on them. '04-05', '06-08', '09-12'. Robin realized these numbers were years. `What are these, year books?' Robin picked up the '06-08' book, and opened it to the first page.

Raven's Diary

2006 - 2008

Robin's eyes widened as he realized exactly what it was that he held in his hands. These books were the answer to all his questions. Slowly, his eyes drifted over to the book labeled '04-05'. `Oh my god. This…this is the year I was in when I went to sleep, before I woke up yesterday. And the year after. They said Star and I only lasted for about a year, well, if Raven wrote anything about that, then it would be in this book. But should I actually read it? I mean, this is really personal stuff. Plus, Raven already promised to tell me everything I wanted to know herself.'

Despite his own logic, Robin found his quivering hands slowly opening the book's cover. Then, with a deep breath in, Robin began to read.