Fan Fiction ❯ Putting The Peices Back Together ❯ City Called Gotham ( Chapter 7 )

Chapter Seven: City Called Gotham

"Thanks again, Victor."

"Hey, don't even mention it, Babs." Cyborg said as he rolled out from beneath her car. "You might want to have a little chat with Roy though, those puncture marks look a lot like arrow wounds."

Barbara shook her head as a little smirk played across her face. "That man has always been an enigma."

"Enigma? Not exactly the word I'd use for a guy who goes around slashing people's tires for no good reason. Vandal, maybe."

Barbara let a laugh escape out before turning back to her friend. "Thanks for hanging out with me, Vic."

Cyborg shook his head. "No need to thank me Babs, I'm just sorry I won't be here tomorrow morning to see you off."

Smiling, Barbara said, "You're sweet. But don't worry about it and hey, have fun tonight, alright?"

Barbara laughed as she watched a light shade of pink tint Cyborg's dark cheeks.

Cyborg watched with a smile as Barbara turned and wheeled herself off towards the others in the common room. `Well,' he thought, `if I'm gonna have a good time tonight, then I'd better go up to the office and see if I can finish some work before I leave.'

When Beast Boy died, it was as if a part of Cyborg died as well. After losing his best friend, the metal man was changed. Things that used to mean so much to him, like playing video games, now seemed empty and meaningless to him. For a few months after Gar's death, Cyborg was lost. He needed direction, he needed a companion. Luckily, he was able to find both.

Cyborg's happiness however, was not achieved without its fair share of hardships. When Terra returned, Cyborg went through one of the most difficult times of his life. As he began to realize his feelings for her, those same feelings began to wage war with his mind. How could he love the girl that meant so much to Beast Boy, his best friend? Would it be betrayal to love this girl so soon after Gar's passing? `Yes.' Cyborg convinced himself that it would be.

Deciding that remaining loyal to Beast Boy was more important than his own happiness, Cyborg then needed to find a way to make his feelings for Terra go away. His solution, it appeared, was only a command away. "Erase." "Delete." Cyborg was a unique being. He possessed all the feelings and emotions of a human, as well as the functions of a high-powered computer. One of said functions was able to wipe all of those emotions away. Just a press of a button and a confirmation code was all it would take.

Ever since the operation that saved his life, the operation that made him part man/part machine, Cyborg treasured his humanity more than anything else. At least, almost anything else. Erasing his emotions was the only way. If he kept them, he would continue to have feelings for Terra, and that, in Cyborg's mind, was betrayal to Beast Boy.

It was nine months ago. A lone, hulking figure sat silently in his dark, dimly lit room. Lights blinked from time to time, and the steady `whrr' of running computers was the only audible sound.

Cyborg's heart and mind were in turmoil. Garfield Logan, the hero known as Beast Boy had been closer to Cyborg than anyone else alive. Forget "best friend", Beast Boy was a brother to Cyborg. And Terra meant more to Beast Boy than any other girl ever did. Cyborg never expected to fall in love with Terra. She was spunky, and he liked that about her, but other than that, they didn't seem to share anything in common.

That was until Beast Boy died. Then, they found they did share something in common. Pain. Pain can be a very powerful thing. It can end relationships and sever friendships, but it can also bind people together forever.

As Cyborg sat in his room, he held a picture of the team in his hand. It was taken years ago, during that short time when Terra was a member of the team. Beast Boy never looked happier, and that was why Cyborg wanted it to be the last thing he saw before he erased his feelings forever.

A tear fell from his eye and landed on the photograph. `At least the pain will go away too.' He thought.

"He'd hate you forever if you do it, you know that right?"

Cyborg snapped his head in direction of the voice, his gaze stopping at the doorway where a certain blonde-haired young woman stood. "Terra…"

"You think I'm stupid Vic?! I know what you're doing!" She was furious, but as the tears fell from her bloodshot eyes, Cyborg could see that she was in as much pain as he was. "…Why Vic? Why would you do it? Deleting your feelings, god, that's just a small step above suicide."

"I know, Terra."

"So that's it then. You'd rather commit emotional-suicide then be with me??" Sniffling, Terra lowered her gaze from Cyborg's face to the floor.

"Terra…"

"He'd hate you for it. Don't you realize that, Vic? If…if Beast Boy were here now, and he saw you doing this…he'd never forgive you."

"Yeah, and if he were here now seeing me fall in love with you, he'd never forgive me for that either."

Suddenly, Terra's hand struck like lightning, slapping Cyborg across the face.

"You asshole. Is that what you think of him?? Some shallow person who would hold a grudge over a stupid thing like you and me? You disgust me."

"I…I'm sorry."

"He loved you, Vic. If Gar were here and we fell in love, do you know what he would do? He'd tell you everything about me. What I like, what I don't like, just so you'd have a better shot. He'd support us, he'd support you. The only thing and I mean the only thing he would never forgive you for, is ruining your own life."

"You're…you're right, Terra, and I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking…"

"You weren't." Terra smiled softly at her companion. "You know Cy, instead of running and hiding from your feelings, you should talk about them." Terra blushed slightly as she hesitated. "…with me."

For the first time since Beast Boy's death, Cyborg found himself smiling back. "You know, I think I'd like that."

"Yeah, I bet you would." With that, Terra leaned in and gave Cyborg a soft kiss on the cheek. "Promise me something, Vic?" she said with a soft voice.

"Anything."

"Please don't ever scare me like this again, ok? I…I need you, Victor. I need you here, with me. All of you. Don't ever let go of your feelings, Cy. They're what make you you…and…and I like you."

A soft smile slowly danced its way across Cyborg's lips as he brushed the hair out of Terra's face. "I like you too, T."

"So do you promise? To never let go of your feelings? To never let go…of me?"

"I promise."

Over time, their love for each other grew and the hero known as Cyborg finally found someone that he could be happy with. But his peace with Beast Boy would never truly be made until the day that Victor Stone had an epiphany.

Although he no longer had any interest in playing video games, he could not deny that they were a large part of Gar's and his life. So Cyborg once again went back to video games, but this time around, instead of playing them, he decided to make and program them. He created a small, one-man company called `BB Games' and sold his creations to larger video game publishing companies.

Since the technology Cyborg was accustomed to working with was so advanced, it was no surprise that his video games became wildly popular and garnered huge sales. All the money that Cyborg received from his video games went to different charities he set up in Beast Boy's name.

After several long and painful months, Cyborg was finally at peace with both Beast Boy, and himself.

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"So Robin," Raven said with a swagger, "have you figured out where you're taking me for dinner tonight? All that THC hasn't made you forget your promise, has it?"

Robin smiled. "Of course not. But I think I'll let you pick out the restaurant, Raven. I don't…really know what kind of things you like to eat."

Raven wrapped her arms around her husband and smiled sweetly at him. "That's ok, Rich. How about that Thai place down town? It's been a long time since I've had curry."

"Mmmm. Curry." Drawled Speedy. "Some curry would be excellent right now. Curry and sandwiches. Hey Terra, if I make some sandwiches, will you make some curry?"

"I don't know how to make curry, Roy. I could make some sandwiches too…"

"Double sandwiches? Sounds good to me."

"Hey," Robin chimed in, "do you think I could get in on some of that sandwich action?"

"Only if by `sandwich action' you mean `sandwich making'. Them sandwiches don't make themselves you know."

Raven shook her head. "You people are really something else, you know that? There is a whole tray of sandwiches sitting right over there. You asked me to make some snacks to get me out of the room, remember Roy?"

"Mmpgh." Roy said; his mouth now full of sandwich.

It was then that Starfire entered the room. Smiling warmly she draped her arms around Speedy's neck and said "Greetings, my love. May I join you on the couch of sitting?"

Swallowing the last of his sandwich, Speedy replied "Sure thing, babycakes."

Ignoring his ridiculous pet-name, Starfire turned to Raven. "He has been smoking again, yes?"

"Yeah. Mine too." She said as she pointed with her thumb to Robin who was in the middle of a savage battle with Terra over the last sandwich.

Starfire sighed. "Males. Whatever shall we do with them, Raven?"

"I don't know about you, Star, but I've got a few ideas of what to do with mine." Raven purred.

"Shit!" Terra cried suddenly. "That reminds me! I gotta go find Cyborg."

"What's wrong?"

"Don't worry Robbo, nothings wrong. It's just that we're going to my place tonight and it's all the way across town so I kinda wanted to leave before the traffic gets too gross."

Speedy scoffed. "You two are always going over to your place. What's so great about it anyway? I swear, you and the Tin-Man must spend more time in your apartment than you do here in our fully-loaded tower. What's the deal there?"

"Well Roy, for one thing, Vic doesn't have a bed here. Just that metal slab he straps himself to. We tried it once and I fell off. And secondly, when we're at my place, youaren't."

Robin grinned. "Dude. Burn."

Speedy raised an eyebrow at his friend. "Excuse me? `Burn'? Man, you really are sixteen."

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It was later on that night, and Robin was in the bathroom that he and Raven shared brushing the last remains of curry from his teeth. As he stood there brushing, Robin's thoughts of his pleasant dinner with his wife were interrupted by a sultry call.

"Roooobin" Raven sang in a sexy, husky voice.

Robin peeked his head out from the bathroom to see Raven lying seductively on their bed, wearing only the skimpiest of nighties. "Y…yeah?"

"We've been home for almost an hour already, Rich. When are you going to come join me in bed? I'm waiting for you."

Gulping nervously, Robin stammered, "Um…I…yeah, I'm coming." Cautiously, he approached the bed. Before getting under the covers, he said, "Raven…before anything happens, I just…well, you should know…I mean, I love you and everything, it's just…this is all real new to me, and I'm pretty nervous. I mean, having sex with someone for the first time is always weird enough, but I mean, this would be the first time for me, and not you, and…aaand you're laughing at me."

Raven smiled. "I'm not laughing, Rich. I'm giggling. You're really cute, you know that? Look, sorry to disappoint you Robin, but I have no plans of making love to you tonight. To tell the truth, I'm not even sure if it would be legal for me to have sex with you. I mean, sure, you look twenty-six, but you're still a sixteen year old in there, Rich, and I don't want to make things weird. All I want from you tonight is a warm body to hold me, and your tender lips to kiss."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Robin smiled and got into bed. "Yeah, I think I can do that."

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When Robin awoke the next morning, his arms searched under the silky blankets for his lover, but their search came up empty. Opening his eyes, Robin realized he was alone in the bedroom. `I guess Raven's already up and getting ready to leave.' He thought.

After a nice hot shower, Robin began to pack his things for Gotham. `I guess I'll be needing all these suits if I'm going to have to attend a bunch of high-class social gatherings. And then of course, I'll be needing this one.' Robin packed the Batman uniform and then decided to head down the hall and find his wife.

As he was walking past Starfire's room, Robin heard muffled voices. At first he thought nothing of it, until he heard clear as a bell, "What troubles you, friend Raven?"

`Raven?' Robin thought. As he listening closer he realized he could hear her, but she wasn't talking. She was crying.

"God Star, these past couple of days…they've been so…difficult. I'm trying my best, but it's just so hard to have to put on this happy-act all day when all I want to do is fall into his chest and cry. Every time he says he loves me, I have to fight back the urge to break down in tears. His kisses are always so bittersweet, because no matter how good it may feel…it just isn't the same. I miss him, Star. I miss my husband. And I'm getting scared that maybe…maybe he's never coming back."

Robin had to use his arm to prop himself up against the wall so that he wouldn't fall over. Up until now, Robin had been convinced that Raven was happy, that he was making her happy. But now, he realized that it was all an act. This amazing woman, who had given so much of herself to comfort him and make him feel loved, was now in pain, and there was nothing he could do about it. Well, that was not entirely true. There was one thing he could do…

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"You guys all ready to go?" asked Babs with an air of confidence.

"Sure am." Raven answered as she floated all the bags and suitcases into the car's trunk. She wore that same slight-smile on her lips that Robin had become all too familiar with over these past few days. However, now he knew that the smile was a ruse, and beneath it, was a woman in pain.

`She deserves to be happy, dammit.' Robin thought as he got into the car, wearing a fake smile of his own. `She's the most incredible person I've ever met…I can't let her feel pain because of me.'

Starfire and Speedy were there to see their friends off, so the five of them stood around the car saying their goodbyes as they waited for Barbara's driver to show up.

"I'm gonna miss you two crazy kids." Speedy said as he leaned an arm on Barbara's Buick. "Without you two here, things around the tower are going to be a lot…louder."

"So Roy," Raven asked, "when are the reserves showing up?"

"Hotspot should be flying in from Keystone this afternoon."

"And Charlie?"

"Ugh. I don't want to talk about it."

As Speedy turned away, Starfire smiled and finished his story for him. "Roy attempted to contact the Golden Eagle via his communicator, however, when Charlie answered, he pretended to be a video recording and `hung up' on poor Roy."

Speedy growled, "That good for nothing punk. Our communicators don't even have video answering machines!"

"'Good for nothing'? Man, I hope no one's talking about me."

When Robin turned to look at the new voice, he realized that the man whom it belonged to was someone he had never seen before. He was roughly Robin's own age, and had about the same build. He had short, dark hair that he kept under a driver's cap and wore a warm, friendly smile on his face.

"Madrox!" Roy shouted, "My man! How's it going brother? I came down to see what you were up to yesterday, but you were already gone."

"Yeah, I wanted to get to a pub before the nightly crowds moved on in."

Barbara rolled up next to her driver and with a smile, nodded towards her traveling companions. "Dick, I want you to meet my driver and personal assistant James Madrox. But we all call him Jaime."

"Good to meet ya," Jaime said, "Miss G's told me all about you."

"Well, I guess we'd better be going." Barbara said as she wheeled herself over to the passenger side.

As he shook Robin's hand, Speedy said with a grin, "Take care, you guys. Oh and Bats? If you run into Poison Ivy, tell her Roy says `whassup'."

"Yes, do take care, friends." Stars added, "And please hurry home soon. It shall be dreadfully lonely here without you."

"Bye Star," Raven said. "Keep an eye on Roy, huh? He's a lot more likely to get into trouble without me here to keep him in line."

Starfire smiled. "I shall try, however I sometimes think not even T'kwanta, the Tamaran god of miracles could succeed in keeping him out of trouble."

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"So Jaime, how long have you been working for Babs?" Robin asked, after they had gotten onto the freeway and were making their way out of Jump City.

"Well, I've been working for Miss G for a couple of years, now. She's definitely the most fun boss I've ever had. You're lucky to have known her all your life, Mr. Grayson."

"Please, call me Dick."

"I bet you say that to all your drivers." Jaime said with a chuckle. "So if you don't mind me asking, what business does the CEO of Wayne Enterprises have with the Titans?"

Robin smiled to himself before answering. Although Raven was dressed in her trademark cape and leotard, he was in a three-piece suit and tie because while her identity is public, his still is not. "Well you know, Titans tower doesn't pay for itself, I happened to have invested a lot of money in the Titans. They're actually close personal friends of mine. That's why Raven here has been kind enough to accompany us as my bodyguard. You never can be too careful when going to Gotham these days."

Raven gave Robin a small but approving smile. He had played his part perfectly. `He bought it,' thought Raven as she looked at Jaime. `That should keep his curiosity at bay for a little while.'

"Alright guys, so here's out agenda." Barbara said. "By the time we arrive in Gotham tonight, it'll probably be pretty late, so we can just drop our luggage off at home and then Raven? After that you should contact Batman, he said he would meet you here in town."

"Alright."

"Hey Dick?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't stay up too late partying tonight, we've got a lunch-in to attend tomorrow, and then tomorrow night is the big charity event for Wayne Enterprises."

"Sounds good to me, Babs." At first, Robin was worried that it would be too obvious for both Dick Grayson and Batman to suddenly show up in Gotham at the same exact time. However, his worries did not last long. Barbara assured him that nearly everyone who was anyone in the corporate world would be arriving in Gotham this same day, making it impossible for anyone to single him out as Batman.

"Hey Babs?" Robin asked.

"Yo."

"Can I ask you a question?"

"No need to, I'll ask it for you. `Hey Babs, why are you a cripple?'"

"H…how did you know?"

Barbara turned around to face Robin and gave him an impatient look. "Dick, I know you have amnesia but that doesn't excuse you for that one. I've known you all my life, Dick, I can tell when you're trying to ease your way into a sensitive subject."

"Duly noted, sorry Babs."

"Don't worry about it, but thanks for thinking about my feelings. That was sweet. Anyway, it happened about four years ago. You know what the worst part of it all is though? He didn't even know I was Batgirl. That twisted bastard broke into my home and shot me at point blank simply because I was the commissioner's daughter. The Joker shot me because I was Barbara Gordon, not Batgirl. He didn't even think that he knew me. He just wanted my father to feel pain. After he shot me, he took pictures of my bloodied body while he laughed. That laugh…I'll hear that laugh for the rest of my life, Dick. That laugh will haunt me to my grave." Barbara took a deep breath in before continuing. "But, despite all that, I've been getting along rather well as of late. The hardest part was getting over the fact that I would never be Batgirl again. That lasted about a year. Once I had moved on, I was able to get on with the rest of my life as well. And Jaime's been a huge help. I'd be lost without Jaime, he helps me with everything."

Jaime smiled. "Yeah, I'm a regular `multiple-man'."

"Alright, Dick," Barbara said with a grin, "you got to ask me a question, now it's my turn to ask you one."

"Go for it."

"How does it feel to be going back to Gotham?"

"It's…strange. See, to me, I haven't been back to Gotham since I joined the Titans, which makes it a little over two years since I've been there. But the Gotham that I'm thinking of probably hasn't been there for several years. I don't really know what to expect…except that it will always feel like home." `Gotham City,' Robin thought. `It's been a long time, old friend.'

I'm looking over the skyline of the city

How loud quiet nights in the midst of crime

How next door to happiness lives sorrow

And signals of solution in the sky

It was hard for Robin to imagine a Gotham City without Batman. He was the conscience to this city that had none. He was as synonymous to this city as Superman was to Metropolis. However, Bruce wasn't the only Batman to have his roots firmly in Gotham soil.

`Gotham City: 48 Miles' said the sign.

`Forty-eight miles to Gotham.' Robin thought. `Forty-eight miles to a lost childhood. Forty-eight miles to lost parents. Forty-eight miles to a cause worth fighting for. Forty-eight miles to home.'

A city of justice, a city of love, a city of peace

For every one of us

We all need it, can't live without it

A Gotham City

As the outline of the city skyline slowly started to appear in the horizon, Robin closed his eyes and took a deep breath in. `This city is where I learned who I am, it's where I was taught everything I know. This city is my history. This…is my city.'

How sleeping awake because of fear

How children are drowning in their tears

How we need a place where we can go,

A land where everyone will have a hero

"Seriously, Babs? Can you shut off the R.Kelly already? You know how much I hate this song…"

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For as long as anyone could remember, the Pennyworths had always been servants to the Wayne family. All his life, Alfred Pennyworth had lived in Wayne manor, tending to first Thomas and Martha Wayne, and then their son Bruce. Technically, the house now belonged to Dick Grayson, but since he lived in Jump City now, Barbara Gordon and her assistant Jaime Madrox resided in the manor and kept Alfred company.

Throughout the years, Alfred had been the one keeping Bruce in line. Bruce was the world's greatest detective, and one of the greatest super heroes to ever walk the earth…but he was not perfect. Bruce refused to allow emotions get in the way of his work, and if ever he needed someone to steer him into the light, it was Alfred who did it. Batman may have been the city's conscience, but Alfred was his.

After Bruce was murdered, Robin didn't speak to Alfred for weeks. Alfred feared that Robin somehow blamed him for Bruce's death, but when he was finally able to confront the masked hero, he found that it was actually quite the opposite.

"Master Dick? Might I have a word with you?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure Alfred. What is it?"

"Sir, you don't mind me saying, I have noticed you avoiding me ever since master Bruce's passing. If there is something you would like to say to me about it, I would greatly appreciate it."

Robin sighed. "You're right, Alfred. It's just…god…Alfred…I'm so sorry."

The butler looked up at him in surprise. "Excuse me, sir?"

"Everything that happened was my fault, Alfred. Slade wanted me, he didn't care about you or Bruce. If it wasn't for me…Bruce would be alive, and you would never have been kidnapped. Slade is such a maniac that I don't even want to think about all the horrible things he could have done to you, Alfred. I'm just…I'm just so sorry."

"Is that why you've taken to wearing master Bruce's old costume? Is that why you have become the Batman?"

Robin nodded. "Our world needs a Batman, Alfred. I only hope I can do Bruce some justice."

"Master Dick, I…I never got a chance to say this to master Bruce, and damn it all if I'm going to miss my chance again. Being given the chance to know the two of you…has been the greatest honor of my life. You are truly something special, master Dick. You possess all of master Bruce's integrity and sense of justice, yet you have something that even he needed desperately."

"What's that?"

"You have love in your heart, and that is something more powerful than a thousand `batarangs'."

Robin smiled as he wiped a stray tear away from his eye. "Thank you, Alfred."

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For three hours, Raven followed Robin through the streets of Gotham on patrol. For those three hours, Raven bore witness to a side of her husband she had never seen before. He raged through the city like a rogue lightning bolt striking in random directions and crashing down with a brutal fury. The petty thugs and thieves were in no way prepared for an attack from the bat. Raven would have almost been repulsed by Robin's savage brutality if not for his grace and fluid, intoxicating motions.

Suddenly, Robin's wrist communicator started to beep furiously. "Go ahead, Babs."

"Batman, I just heard over the police radio that there's been an attack at the Wayne Enterprises building downtown. A similar attack was made two nights ago at the Kord Industries building. But listen up, this isn't like the other cases you've had tonight. This time, it's a rogue."

Suddenly, Robin was excited to be out on the streets again. This was the rush he had been longing for; it was here that he truly felt he knew who he is. "Raven?"

"Yes?"

"I know you're worried about me, but if you don't mind, I think this is something I need to do alone. It's personal whenever one of the rogues are involved, and I don't want you getting caught up in this game of cat and mouse."

"So what do you expect me to do? Go home?"

"Of course not, Raven. Why don't you head on over to the East End and take care of the gang riots?"

"How do you know there are gang riots in the East End?"

"There are always gang riots in the East End."

After a moment of hesitation, Raven said, "Alright. But take care of yourself, okay?"

"Are you kidding me? This is what I've been waiting for."

As Robin got closer to the Wayne Enterprises headquarters, he felt the air around him slowly getting a bit colder. When he began to see his breath, Robin's suspicions were confirmed and he knew which rogue it was that was making the attack.

When he got to the building, Robin found half of it encased entirely in ice. Suddenly, one of the frozen-solid walls exploded and Mr. Freeze stalked through the makeshift doorway. Freeze's somber, skeletal face stretched into a look of shock and dismay as Robin swung into his sight.

"Freeze. I thought you reformed."

"Guten tag, Batman. To what do I owe the honor of this visit to my fair city?"

"Your city, Freeze? Don't make me laugh. If the city was yours, you wouldn't be out here robbing Wayne Enterprises blind."

"Fool! You think Victor Friese would waste his time with petty theft? I do not attack this place to take its riches; I attack to teach them a lesson! The Gotham City that we know is run too heavily by these corporations. They have their sticky fingers wedged too deeply in this city's soul. It was the corporate monster that made me the way I am, and I can take it no longer! It is time for a new Gotham! It is time for a city free of the corporate lies and control. It is time for Freeze to usher in a new era of Gotham City! I am not a bad man, you see. I am just doing what is best for the city."

"And what about the security guards and late-shift workers that were in the building when you froze it? Were you doing what was right for them?"

"Sometimes, there must be sacrifice in order to bring about change."

Robin smiled as he whipped a pair of batarangs out from his utility belt. "I was hoping you'd say something like that. You see, I've got a lot of stress to work out…"

As Robin charged at Freeze, he was caught in a powerful blast of ice and cold. Freeze smiled at his ice-encased foe. Then, slowly but surely, the area around Robin's utility belt started to melt. When it was weak enough, Robin broke free of his icy prison and smirked at Freeze.

"I have self-powered heaters in my utility belt that activate when my body temperature drops below zero. Face it, Freeze, you can't win."

Exploding from the shards of ice that once held him, Robin charged at Freeze once more and delivered several blistering blows to his chest. Freeze tried to block Robin's onslaught of attacks, but they were too over-whelming for him. As soon as Freeze was caught off-guard, Robin seized his moment and executed a flawless round-house kick to Freeze's sternum.

Hunched over in pain, Freeze coughed out the words, "I'm…not a bad guy…I just wanted…change…"

"You've got it all wrong, Freeze. You want to change things so bad? Run for governor." Robin picked up Freeze's limp form and slammed him against the nearest wall. "Know what your first mistake was, Freeze? You said this city was yours. Have you seen the sky lately? Look at it, Freeze! LOOK AT THE SKY!" Robin grabbed Freeze by the helmet and forced his gaze to the sky above them. There, shimmering like a phantom against the dark void was the eerie glow of the Bat-Signal. "Do you see that, Freeze? DO YOU SEE THAT? That isn't a call for help anymore. That is a symbol of ownership. This is my city, Freeze! Don't you ever forget that!"

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Interlude

A cell phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Hello friend."

"Who is this? How did you get this number??"

"That is the riddle, isn't it?"

"Nigma! What do you want?"

"Me? I don't want anything. Although…I do seem to have something that may be of interest to you."

"And what, pray tell, could that be?"

"What else? A riddle."

There is a pause.

"What do you know, Riddler?"

"Ah, ah, ah, friend, you know that isn't how it works."

"Fine. Tell me the riddle."

"What do you call a bird in bat's clothing?"

"I don't know, Nigma, what do you call a bird in bat's clothing?"

"Back in town."

There is another pause.

"I see." The man with the cell phone covers the mouthpiece with his hand and says over his shoulder, "Hey, Rico."

"Yeah boss?"

"I want you to wire ten-large to Mr. Edward Nigma's Swiss bank account."

"You got it, boss."

"Riddler, you still there?"

"Sure am, friend."

"I'm wiring you ten grand. Thank you for the information."

"Always happy to share a riddle between friends."

As he clicks his phone off, the man with the cell phone's pasty white face curls into a cruel, manic grin.

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It was a few hours after returning to Wayne Manor from their night on patrol, and Raven was tired. As she flipped through a book she found in Bruce's library and sipped on her tea, Raven wondered where Robin was and why she hadn't seen him since their return.

Just as she was about to turn in for the night, the door to the bedroom opened and Robin walked in. There was something different about him though. Something about the way he was standing. He looked…older?

"Raven."

"Yes, love?"

"I remember."

"Remember what?"

"Everything."

The cup of tea that Raven was holding fell to the floor and shattered into a dozen pieces. "…what...what did you say?"

"Raven… my Raven…I remember everything. It must have been tonight. Going out on patrol again, beating on Freeze in the streets of Gotham…whatever it was…I'm back."

As Raven looked deep into Robin's eyes, she whispered out the words "Prove it."

Her husband only smiled. "Do you remember our first date, Raven? I took you for a weekend getaway at a ski resort."

Raven's eyes went wide as she stared in disbelief. Dick was telling her things that she had not told him since he awoke with his amnesia. The only way for him to know these things...was to remember them. "I...I remember that, Rich. I was so happy that night that-"

"That your powers caused an avalanche." Batman smiled. "I remember."

Tears fell from her eyes as Raven threw herself into Batman's arms.

"I…I was so scared, Rich. I thought…I thought you'd never…"

"I know. But I did and all I want to do now is hold you, Raven. I love you."

"I love you too."

Suddenly, the door flew open and Barbara came rolling in at full speed. "Dick!"

"Um, Babs? We're kind of having a moment here, if you don't mind."

"I'm sorry, Dick but this is urgent." The tone of her voice made Batman snap to attention. Barbara sounded scared, and she was never scared.

"What is it?"

"It's him."

"'Him' who?"

"He knows you're back and he's looking for you!"

"Who, Barbara? Who's looking for me?"

"The Joker."

(Authors' Notes: Instead of using an OC for Barbara's driver and assistant, I decided to just grab a Marvelite instead. Jaime Madrox is the mutant known as Multiple Man, a former member of various X-Men affiliated teams. There's no specific reason why I picked him, I just happen to like Multiple Man.

Just in case things got confusing, here's some codename/real names for you:

The Riddler/Edward Nigma

Mr. Freeze/Victor Friese

Cyborg/Victor Stone

Beast Boy/Garfield Logan

Batgirl/Barbara Gordon

As for the R.Kelly song and the `Arnold' joke…well…I can't really explain those. I guess I was just feeling kinda weird. Anyway, thanks so much for reading this story guys, and please review! It really means a lot to me.

Next: CHAOS! Forget everything you think you know, the f*#ked up and unexpected happens next chapter in `A Sick Joke'!)