Into the Depths – Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen
Guests in the Haunt

May 25th, 2009. Monday, 12:17 am.

As Slade exited his room, he double checked on Dick. He didn’t enter the room, nor did he open the ajar door any further. He saw Joey sitting in the desk chair next to the bed. The young man was watching Dick as he slept peacefully. Occasionally, Joey would brush the boy’s bangs from his eyes.

Slade turned away, overwhelmingly thankful for his son’s return into his life.  He was grateful for the extra pair of eyes to watch over Dick. It wasn’t exactly good timing, considering everything, but it was almost a miracle that they were here. Slade knew that they were going to need all the help they could get while trying to figure out what was wrong.

And who was targeting Dick in the first place.

Slade slowly walked down the hallway towards the kitchen. His mind couldn’t stop thinking about who was purposely attacking Dick. He hadn’t known anyone with this kind of power. None of the Bat villains possessed this power, so they weren’t targeting Robin. None of Slade’s own past enemies possessed this kind of power, so they weren’t targeting his family like in days of old.

Was it a Teen Titan enemy? But even then, Slade was well versed in those villains and enemies – chumps, the lot of them. Thus, this was a new one. This was a new enemy with a new purpose. To think that this enemy would go to this length was extremely worrying and frightening. Slade wasn’t sure his heart could handle this kind of parental worry. No metal, no bullet, no calamity could stop Slade’s heartbeat, but the fear for his son was paralyzing beyond any measure.

Of course, the enemy wasn’t the only problem now.

Once Slade reached the kitchen, he dropped into a chair, his face dropping into his hands. That same overwhelming feeling was washing over him once again. But now it bore a different weight, a heavier weight. His single and foolish mistake was far more puzzling than an unknown enemy. He couldn’t understand why nothing bad was happening because of this mistake. It was like there was nothing wrong.

But Slade had spent hours every day over the course of a month to create the serum that was specific to Dick’s blood. He had spent so much time making sure Dick wouldn’t have a bad reaction to it. During the time, it was to make sure that his apprentice would have something that could protect him from fatal wounds.

It didn’t make sense.

A hand touched Slade’s shoulder. It squeezed gently as the old man’s voice spoke up softly. “Slade, are you all right? What’s wrong?”

Slade didn’t look up as he let out a long sigh. “I gave him the wrong one.”

“What?”

“I didn’t give him the serum I created specifically for him.”

There was a long pause. That hand tightened for a moment.

“What did you give him?”

“The pure version.”

Slade could hear the audible, sharp inhale. The hand withdrew just as Slade looked up at the old man. Wintergreen looked positively stricken with fear and worry. He clasped his hands together, before they slipped into a prayer motion – which he then lifted his hands to his face, covering his mouth – before, finally, his fingers intertwined as he stared at Slade with wide, fear filled eyes.

“Slade, I hope you’re trying to add humor into this trying night,” said Wintergreen, his voice somewhat breathless and muffled by his hands. “But I do wish you would refrain from doing so, because this old heart of mine can’t handle it.”

“I’m not joking.”

The panic was absolute. Wintergreen’s hands covered his face as he lifted his head into the air. Slade managed to catch, “Please, not the child.” Then, there was further whispering from the old man and Slade became uncomfortable for a moment when he realized that Wintergreen had uttered a small prayer, one filled with pleading.

“Will, he’s all right,” said Slade quietly. “I don’t know why, but he’s just fine.”

Those aged eyes appeared from behind wrinkled hands. Relief flooded within their color, but then confusion entered as well. Wintergreen shakily took a seat in a kitchen chair near Slade and leaned his elbows onto the table, his hands covering half his face once again. An expectant expression filled the old man’s features.

“I don’t know why,” said Slade, shaking his head and keeping his voice quiet. “I would’ve thought my blood injected into any body would’ve caused complications, even death. It was just my blood, too – nothing else. It was the most potent injection I could’ve given to anyone and Dick is perfectly fine. He was healed immediately and his strength rose to a height that his specific serum didn’t reach. I don’t understand.”

Wintergreen studied Slade as he listened to him. The old man took a deep, calming breath, before he stood up. Within a minute, he had taken out two mugs and had filled them with steaming coffee. After which, he came to the table with the mugs in hand and gave one to Slade. The old man sat down and took a long, slow sip; closing his eyes briefly, before setting them back onto Slade.

“Slade, I think you need to work on your delivery on unexpected news,” said Wintergreen, a tired, yet amused look in his features. “I do believe you took off ten years of my lifespan with this. I hope Richard repays you in my behalf someday. Preferably about his impending marriage or birth of his first child. Better yet, both.”

Slade choked as the coffee went down the wrong pipe. He had to set his mug down onto the table as he coughed and spluttered magnificently. “What?!” he finally managed to breathe out, his voice croaky. Wintergreen only lifted his mug to his lips again and sipped, his hazel green eyes twinkling with great amusement.

Wisely, Slade kept his mouth shut, once he regained himself. There was no way he wanted to think about Dick getting married one day. That would mean his son had grown up. Slade barely even knew much about Joey and he couldn’t handle hearing about Joey getting married – and the young man was of that age. Though, twenty was a bit young for Slade’s taste.

Thirty-five. That was such a brilliant number, wasn’t it?

Probably wouldn’t fly with any of his children, however.

Slade suddenly felt extremely old, even despite his endless age. He hated knowing that he had such limited time with his children. Even with the great blessing of having Joey and Rose return to him, he couldn’t help but feel saddened by the wasted years.

Now with the worry about Dick being targeted and perhaps even being affected by the wrong injection, Slade felt burdened and tired. It was like every choice he made seemed to bring some horrible thing upon his family. What if something bad happened to Dick because of his mistake? That child was constantly being affected poorly by his choices. Were the good ones enough to outweigh the bad?

How could he be so arrogant to think that he had any effect on the child? Dick was just a boy. He was too young to truly understand someone’s worth, wasn’t he? He might say that Slade was a good thing in his life, but was it even true?

And the thing Slade hated the most was all the second thoughts that ran through his mind now. He never questioned himself, he never reevaluated his actions – he never thought of what he should’ve done better. That is, before Dick entered his life, anyway. That boy surely changed everything, didn’t he?

But what if…

Slade leaned against the table and hid his face in his hand. He kneaded his eye with his fingers, his thumb tracing over the black eye patch.

He couldn’t lose Dick, too. That boy could not die. Another son of his could not die.

But Slade knew. He wasn’t born yesterday. He knew the danger well. If he didn’t figure out what was wrong quickly, Dick could die. Slade would lose him. Slade would watch his youngest die, after watching his eldest die.

And just like the first, it would be Slade’s fault.

Slade was broken from his thoughts as Rose came into the kitchen. He pulled away from the table and turned his attention onto her. He felt bad instantly. Her eyes were red and her whole expression was filled with the intense worry that they all felt.

“Are you all right, Sarah Rose?” asked Wintergreen, looking at her. “Oh, you poor thing, did you throw up, dear?”

Rose shook her head. She sounded tired as she answered. “No. I’m fine.” Then, her expression darkened. “And it’s Rose.”

“The name on your birth certificate is Sarah Rose and that’s what I’m calling you.”

“Your name is William Randolph Wintergreen, but you go by Will,” retorted Rose, her eyes narrowing. “Call me Rose.”

“It’s not your full name.”

Slade couldn’t believe that this was the conversation topic at the moment. However, he was almost thankful for it.

“All right, William Randolph,” said Rose haughtily. Wintergreen’s eyebrow twitched. It wasn’t missed by Rose. “Well, it is your full name, isn’t it? Or would you prefer to go by old man?”

Rose folded her arms and gave the old man the most obstinate stare down Slade had ever seen. He hadn’t even seen such a look on Dick’s face, even during his most defiant times. He fleetingly wondered if he should intervene, but he felt uncomfortable trying to parent a child that he hadn’t been in the life of – not to mention she was Rose, the little girl Slade had always had trouble with.

Where was Addie when you needed her?

Wintergreen matched the stare down when an air of impassiveness that rivaled Slade at his best. Then, the old man stood up and went to the stovetop. He motioned to the table.

“Would care for a cup of hot chocolate… Rose?”

The girl sat down into a chair at the table with a triumphant smile on her face. “Yes, but make it coffee, please.”

There was a noncommittal sound from the old man. A few moments later, as Wintergreen placed a mug in front of her, he caught the incredulous look that was adorning Slade’s face by this. The old man gave him a wise smile.

“Learn something from this, Slade,” said Wintergreen, verging on the sound of a wise father speaking to his son. Slade didn’t have time to feel irritated by that tone. Then, the old man winked. “Pick your battles.”

Slade was still trying to work out the revelation in his mind. He couldn’t win against Wintergreen; Dick couldn’t win against Wintergreen – that put them on the same playing ground. Well, at least with the old man; Slade still overrode Dick, since he was the father.

But the old man couldn’t win against Rose…

Which reiterated the fact that Slade couldn’t win against her…

Oh, Heaven help them all.

“Hey, this isn’t coffee,” said Rose, pulling back from the mug with a wrinkled nose. “Blegh. I hate chocolate.”

“I know, dear,” said Wintergreen.

“But—”

“You’re much too young for coffee, Rose. Drink your hot chocolate.”

Well, all seemed right with the world as Slade watched the grimacing reaction from Rose while she drank the hot chocolate. She didn’t argue with the old man, though. A few moments passed, before Slade knew that he had to move on. He couldn’t sit here at the table all night long.

There was work to be done.

“Will, the rest of the Titans are coming to stay indefinitely,” said Slade, taking a deep breath. Wintergreen looked surprised by this for a moment. “At least until I can figure out what’s going on with Dick. Could you prepare the family room for them?”

Wintergreen pointedly ignored the further grimacing noises that Rose was making – they were getting louder now – and nodded to Slade.

“Of course. I’ll get started on that right away. When are they coming?”

“Better be in a few minutes,” said Slade, his mood darkening. He wasn’t looking forward to that. “I want them out of that Tower tonight.”

“Visitors!” said Wintergreen with an excited cry. “We have a full house tonight. This evening surely is an eventful night.”

The old man looked perfectly thrilled to have four teenagers within the confines of their home – no matter that one of them definitely didn’t like Slade. Wintergreen was gone and down the basement stairs a moment later, his steps light as he descended to the bottom floor.

Slade pressed a hand to his forehead. To him, it felt like the calm before the storm. There was something inside his chest that was telling him that this wasn’t over. Dick was sleeping peacefully, yes. But that didn’t mean he would be all right when he woke up.

They weren’t out of the danger zone yet.

Once everyone became settled, Slade was going to investigate the Tower. Whoever was attacking his son was going to pay. He would find this enemy and put a bullet through his head. As much as he didn’t want to do that behind Dick’s back, he thought it best. This enemy meant business. This wasn’t just a stupid Titan enemy. This one was a life and death situation – like the Joker was to Batman. Well, this enemy picked the wrong family to mess with – Slade was the Boy Wonder’s father.

Oh, yeah, that was the perfect tabloid.

“Rose,” started Slade, frowning slightly as yet another thought crossed his mind. The girl looked at him. “Does… your mother know you’re here?”

Those grey blue eyes lifted upward, before they flickered to the side. Finally, they rested back onto Slade and he felt extremely uneasy now. He knew the answer and it certainly wasn’t a good one. He sighed. If Adeline didn’t know they were here, she was going to hit the roof when she did fine out.

“Not exactly,” said Rose, smiling guiltily. “Joey thought it best not to tell her we were going to stay here.”

“Smart boy,” muttered Slade, sighing again. One thing after another, wasn’t it? She hadn’t taken his apology very well when he’d given it to her. He could remember it very well, as it was also the day he had decided to abandon Deathstroke. Slade knew an apology wouldn’t heal the past, but he had hoped that Adeline would soften from it.

Not at all.

Slade was still thinking on the matter when the kitchen door opened suddenly and the first Titan came into the room. Slade inclined his head to her, seeing that it was the alien girl – she was the most agreeable of the lot of them. He liked that about the girl. Soon, they piled into the room. They looked just fine and Slade found that a small lift of relief went through his system. He pushed it down – he was only relieved for Dick’s sake. His friends were fine.

“Good evening, Slade,” said Starfire with a nod of her head. Beast Boy gave him a tentative lift of his mouth. Raven merely nodded once, her eyes avoiding his gaze, while Cyborg let out an annoyed huff.

It was almost insane that Slade was on amiable speaking terms with the Titans – minus one, of course. It felt a bit strange, but Slade was chocking it all up to being a very off night.

“Hey!” cried Beast Boy, catching sight of Rose at the table. She gave them a light smile of acknowledgment. “What’s she doing here?”

“Oh, look, it’s the Titans,” said Rose, her tone drawling in such a way that it matched her father. “Did you burst through the front door? Too bad there aren’t any windows to blast through, huh?”

“You are her!”

“Brilliant deduction on my gender, there.”

“Hey!”

“We didn’t burst through the front door, just so you know,” snapped Cyborg, his tone clipped. “He gave us the code a long time ago. Big surprise that you’re here, Sadie. Should’ve known you were in cahoots with this man the entire time. Did you help kidnap him, too?”

Cyborg gave Slade his best glare yet – his robotic eye seeming to glow more red than normal.

“Actually, it’s Rose – Rose Wilson,” she said, raising her mug up to her lips. She took a sip and there was a visible effort on her face as she tried not to wrinkle her nose. “Sadie Roslyn was an alias.”

Beast Boy tilted his head, looking confused, while Starfire received a dawning realization on her face. She glanced from Slade to Rose, her monochromatic eyes brightening.

“You are his daughter!” cried Starfire, clapping her hands together happily. Rose inclined her head and continued to take another sip from her mug. She gagged. A moment later, she was pouring the remains of her drink into Slade’s mug. “Oh, glorious! Dick has a sister, then.”

“He’s a little Dickiebird for sure,” said Rose, her grey blue eyes twinkling mischievously. “And no, I wasn’t involved with Daddy before – I was mad at him. So, you can just chill yourself there. We just came home tonight.”

“We?” said Starfire, looking excited at the prospect of more family.

“Yeah, I bet,” said Cyborg, his tone derisive as he snorted once.

“You’re his daughter?!”

“Enough,” breathed out Slade, feeling a headache come on. He put his fingers to his temples and began to kneed them for a moment. “Would you please sit down. We need to talk. Leave your bags in the main area.”

Slade stood from his place at the table and grabbed some of the folded chairs that Wintergreen kept by the side wall. The old man left them there all the time now, just in case Dick’s friends came over. They weren’t frequent visitors, though.

The Titans sat down and as Slade was pulling another chair out, so that he could sit down, the eldest Titan spoke up – the boy hadn’t sat down yet as the others had.

“Look, I’m not here because I want to be,” snapped Cyborg, giving Slade his best petulant glare. The other three Titans looked apologetically at Slade. An eyebrow twitched; Slade had officially reached his limit. He wasn’t about to have any of this nonsense. Slade had just spent the most agonizing ten minutes of his life attending to his son, who had been throwing up and coughing up blood. He was in no mood for foolish, crabby teenage behavior.

“I,” began Slade, pausing with preciseness, “do not care about want you want,” he finished, drawing out each word slowly. The eldest teen stiffened angrily, but he was given no chance to speak, as Slade pointed at a chair. “Sit down.”

Slade had to admit, he was impressed that the teen had the good mind to obey that command – though, Cyborg did complete the task with an intense amount of glaring. In fact, so much so that it would’ve amused Slade if he weren’t burdened by this whole mess. He decided that sitting down himself wasn’t going to happen.

With one deep breath, Slade set his firmest stance onto the children.

“I want to make some things a bit more clear,” said Slade, taking a deep breath through his nose. “You no longer have any say in anything at this moment. This may change—” Slade had to raise his voice as there was a sound of protest from Cyborg. “—but not until the enemy has been ascertained and taken down. You are not to leave here until I deem it safe.”

“You aren’t in charge here,” said Cyborg, folding his arms and glaring at Slade. “You can’t tell us what to do. You can’t make us do anything. You can’t stop us from crime fighting either. The people need us and Rob would want us to continue even when he’s sick.”

“I don’t care,” said Slade, trying extremely hard not to grit his teeth. He couldn’t handle stubborn brats, especially when they weren’t his son. In the very least he could’ve dealt with the bad behavior with a reprimand. That just wasn’t going to work here. “Dick is unable to voice his opinions and feelings at this moment; thus, I will make the decisions I feel best. You are not to leave for anything.”

“You can’t keep us trapped here!” shouted Cyborg, bolting out of his seat. “This is your plan from the beginning, isn’t it?! You want us to stop helping people, you want us to be criminals, you—”

Slade slammed his hands onto the table and the group of teens flinched violently from the loud sound. A glare like no other was set upon them. Rose looked unsettled and worried, but Slade couldn’t reassure her.

“Do you not understand?!” shouted Slade, directing his words at Cyborg. “Do you not understand what is going on here? I had to give Dick a sedative. He was thrashing wildly, scratching at his face – clawing, even. Whatever or whoever is targeting my son had to have been in the Tower.”

Slade jabbed a sharp finger at Cyborg, who flinched back from the motion.

“That could be you. It could be any of you. Any one of you could be in the same condition as Dick. Someone is targeting you and this isn’t your usual criminal. This isn’t Mad Mod! This isn’t some idiot in tights. It’s not even on my level. Whoever this is has the power to cause reoccurring dreams that contain your greatest fears, can cause you to hear condemning voices, can even you give you visions, and can attack your body from the inside out.”

Slade pushed off the table and continued to glare at Cyborg, who was finally appearing as if Slade’s words were taking effect. The teen looked stricken by them and he slowly lowered back down into his chair.

“This isn’t a joke! This is serious. This is dangerous. Whoever this enemy is, they mean to harm, maim, perhaps even kill.”

There was a pause, before Slade dropped his tone.

“Therefore, starting from this point on, you will – without fail – obey everything I tell you and upon the first request. I will not give you a second chance, if you manage to live through the first. This is about safety, nothing more and nothing less. If you disobey and you live through the fallout of such disobedience, you will wish you hadn’t, because my consequence will be most severe.”

“You aren’t our father,” hissed Cyborg. “So, quit acting like you can tell us what to do. You can’t make us do anything.”

Slade leaned forward onto the table. He came to stare about a foot away from the eldest teen’s face. It was hardened and filled with anger, but Slade paid no mind to it.

“I don’t have to be your father to impress upon you the consequences of disobeying my orders,” said Slade, his voice barely above a whisper, yet it bore into every heart with an intense volume. None of the other Titans spoke through it. They merely sat rigid in their seats, their eyes wide. “You are underage and at this moment, you have no choice in the matter. If I have to, I will place my entire home under lockdown. I am this serious about it.”

“I’m almost eighteen,” hissed Cyborg. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“Watch me. Legal age or not, you’re still a child,” snapped Slade. “And if you care anything at all for Dick and your other friends, then I suggest you suck up your pride and listen to reason.”

Cyborg was about to open his mouth and voice his displeasure some more, when Starfire placed a hand onto his forearm. She gave the eldest teen a pleading look.

“Please, Cyborg, let us just get some sleep. The morrow will be a better time to discuss this.”

Cyborg looked like he didn’t like this idea, but he grudgingly agreed. Once again, he was interrupted from saying anything before he could open his mouth as an older voice came through the kitchen.

“All right, Slade. You’ve frightened these poor children enough now, don’t you think?” said Wintergreen, putting his hands onto his hips as he stood at the entrance of the basement. He appeared tired, but they all were. Then, his expression softened, the concern rising there. “I’ll take care of the children. Don’t you think you should check up on Richard now?”

The anger left Slade’s face immediately. The worry was now ever prevalent in the man’s face. He nodded and left without another word. Wintergreen looked at the group. The teens glanced between themselves.

Cyborg had quite a bit of turmoil running through his veins at that moment, synthetic or not. He couldn’t believe that he had allowed himself to be bullied by Slade. The man was really obnoxious, wasn’t he? Who the heck did he think he was, anyway? How dare he act like he could tell Cyborg – or any of them, for that matter – what to do! He was Slade. Just because he said he was ‘retired’, that didn’t mean Cyborg was going to let this man walk all over him.

And yet, he had allowed it. Why? Because, no matter what Cyborg’s feelings, the man had brought up some frightening points.

“Come along, children,” said Wintergreen, turning around and motioning them to follow him. “I set up the family room for you. If you can get your stuff? Rose, I’ll show you to your room afterward.”

The old man was helpful and kind, Cyborg could give him that much. But being around anyone who rubbed shoulders with Slade was bad news. The old man must have a screw loose in that mind of his to stick around someone like Slade. Cyborg did have to admit, the old man was very observant.

He had never seen someone who was so gentle and could get Raven to respond to it. Not like the way the old man did it. Not even Robin had that way about him.

It happened once they all came downstairs and had passed a huge basement that resembled a training room. The family room was really nice and would be suitable for them. As the old man helped them with their things, Cyborg was shocked by the way he dealt with Raven.

“It’s your birthday, isn’t it?” asked Wintergreen, coming up to Raven. She nodded, but she didn’t really respond more. There was pain in her eyes and Cyborg knew that it hadn’t been a good day. Then, the old man drew an arm around Raven, almost startling her, and pulled her against his side.

For the first time, Cyborg hadn’t seen such a shocked look on Raven’s face.

“Aw, I’m sorry, dear,” whispered Wintergreen. “But I’m sure everything will get better from here, all right? Don’t let it get to you. Richard will recover in no time.”

There was another squeeze and Raven just nodded, allowing the old man to hug her. Then, he withdrew and Cyborg caught a glimpse of gratefulness crossing Raven’s face.

He just couldn’t understand it.

“If you need anything, just let me know,” said Wintergreen. “There’s plenty of snacks for you if you get hungry in the night. Sweet dreams, children. Things will get better in the morning.”

No one said anything in response. There were only nods. The silence continued once the old man left, closing the door behind him. Beast Boy was setting up a sleeping bag in front of the TV, but his ears were drooping. The girls were setting up on the large couch – it was big enough for them to share. The silence felt awful to Cyborg. He hated it, but he didn’t know what to say.

He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want Slade thinking he could command him or any of them. He didn’t want to sit on his butt and wait for Slade to find this enemy.

Cyborg wanted to be the one to take down this enemy who thought they could hurt the Teen Titans.

“Tomorrow, we’re going out and looking for this enemy,” said Cyborg, sounding determined. “We can’t let Slade do—”

“Stop it,” said Starfire shortly, her voice soft. Her back was turned to him as she stopped draping a blanket over her section of the couch. “Just—stop it.”

The other Titans looked over at her, surprised by her outburst, gentle or otherwise. Cyborg’s expression soured a little bit, once he got over his shock.

“Star, look—”

“No,” said Starfire, overriding him. She whirled around, her arms hugging her chest. “Why are you doing this, Cyborg? Your comments tonight with Slade have not helped whatsoever. The situation is not good and yet your poor attitude brings nothing but discord amongst ourselves and amongst Slade’s family. This includes Dick.”

“No, it doesn’t,” said Cyborg in a strong whisper. “Robin isn’t part of that family, if you want to call it that.”

“Yes, he is!” cried Starfire. “Why are you being like this? You are the only one who has not called him Dick. The rest of us have accepted Dick for who he is – why have you not accepted him? Did you not think to ask if he was well? Did you not think to ask if there was anything you could do for him? No, you only thought to fight with Slade.”

“What are you talking about?” demanded Cyborg, feeling confused by Starfire’s comments. What was she talking about? “Of course, I accept Robin. I care about him, too. But we have to stop the enemy first. I just don’t accept Slade in all this. It’s not that hard to figure out!”

“No, you have not accepted Dick,” said Starfire, her tone becoming desperate. “Robin does not exist any more, yet you keep calling him that. You keep clinging to that old person. He is not Robin any more. He is Dick.”

“He’s Robin, all right!” shouted Cyborg. “Just cause he’s got a real name, doesn’t mean he’s not Robin. We all got real names that we don’t use any more. But we’re still both. He’s still Robin.”

There was such pain inside Starfire’s eyes.

“Then, you do not understand,” whispered Starfire, her arms tightening around her chest. “You do not understand our friend and who he truly is. You do not understand what he wants or what he needs. You do not understand his heart. You do not understand what makes Dick far superior and far stronger than Robin ever was.”

There was a pause, one louder than the silence which reigned.

“Or is it that… you do not care?” asked Starfire, the emotion overflowing in her whispered tone.

It felt as if Starfire had brutally slapped him across the face. Cyborg was stunned, unable to speak in his defense. He never thought he could feel this hurt by a simple sentence. He never knew Starfire could speak so seriously before, nor had he known her to speak so directly. She was never one to speak harshly. She was the one who brought harmony to the group.

Why was part of Cyborg’s heart cringing, as if she were speaking the truth?

“You know that’s a lie,” whispered Cyborg. “You know I care about Rob. He’s our friend.”

“Yes, you care about Robin,” said Starfire, her eyes filling with strength. “But he is not here any more. Dick is different than Robin. Dick is the one leading us now. He is our friend now, not Robin. Yes, you are angry with Slade; therefore, you put the blame about your feelings on the matter onto him. But the source of your discomfort lies not just with Slade, but with the soft spirit that is Dick.”

Cyborg couldn’t say anything in his defense; she had torn it down effortlessly.

“I do not understand why you would not like Dick,” continued Starfire, her voice soft, yet it seemed to pierce into the soul. “Whatever your issues are with him or Slade, you will have to work them out for yourself. As for me, I am not sure if I can handle more enmity between us all. It hurts us all. We cannot drift apart, not now, not after the long months we endured in fear and worrying for Dick’s life. We cannot fail now.”

Starfire turned away, her arms tightening once more around her chest briefly, before they dropped to her side; her fists clenched there.

“We cannot fail, not after all we have been through.”

Silence filled the room. Starfire didn’t wait for a response. She continued to prepare the couch for her sleeping with the blankets that had been provided for them. Cyborg looked around to the others. Beast Boy wasn’t looking at him, his thin arms wrapped around his chest in a hugging motion – similar to what Starfire had done. Raven’s hood had been pulled up and the darkness within the void hid her face completely.

There were three other people in the room, but it never felt as lonely as it did that moment.

ooOOOOOoo

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