Chapter 12: Trouble, Trouble, Trouble.

Disclaimer: See chapter one. I do not own Taylor Swift's song.

Author's Note: Usually, my brain just flows with ideas, for I can write fluidly. However, there comes a time where I am not feeling the mode. It is almost always those serious chapters that I come to a screeching halt; I have to make those ones just right. I am not saying that I do not enjoy writing serious chapters, but I also enjoy absurd humour. This chapter is one of those chapters. It is where there is yet again another turning point in the story. Nevertheless, I have this chapter down, now. I will race you to the bottom, folks!

Ever since Robin became romantically involved with Slade, his dreams about his past life ceased to materialise. Instead, night-terrors manifested within his cranium. And to add to the ordeal, the hero was feeling disastrous, for his health was unsound. Vile from his throat had spewed forth, resulting in vomiting, leaving his throat bone dry. His body temperature was gravely sky high. Tremors overtook his frail form that had lost ten pounds in water weight.

The Titans left Robin to lie down in bed while they protected the city. Today was one of those days were everything seemed to go possibly wrong—Killer Moth was on the loose, Mad Mod was reaping havoc and destruction against the sovereignty of the United States, Control Freak occupying the media, the Hive, and so forth. When the Titans arrived home dog-dead-tired, the girls checked up on their leader, only to their horror did they find him unconscious and unresponsive.

Screams echoed throughout the tower. Cyborg and Beastboy darted to the commotion. Robin was drenched in sweat and lying in a heap of blood. Blood was oozing out from every orifice and pore of his body—eyes, mouth, ears, nose. Cyborg checked his pulse. It was faint; nevertheless, it was there. Cyborg gingerly picked up his leader and fireman carried him to sickbay while the rest of the team followed suit. Lying him on a hospital bed, Cyborg ordered the team to obtain the needed medical equipment and to carry out all necessary procedures. Beastboy tore off Robin's clothes, Starfire hooked him up to an iv, Raven monitored his vital signs, and Cyborg performed dozens upon dozens of blood tests. As frantically as everyone was running around like a decapitated chicken, it was a miracle that they did not crash into one another. Upon discovering the results of the tests twenty minutes later, did their hopes falter. Taking a risk, Cyborg scrambled to a drawer to pull out a syringe. Stabbing Robin in the heart and pushing the plunger, Cyborg gave Robin an epinephrine. The Boy Wonder jolted up with a scream from the acute rush of adrenaline. His mien was of angst and disorientation, glaring at each Titan hysterically.

"Robin, it is okay. We are here," Starfire cooed.

"What happened?" Robin asked nonplussed.

"We were gonna ask you the same thing, man," Cyborg responded.

"Robin, do you remember anything at all, even if it's small?" Raven inquired.

"No, nothing..."

"Listen, Rob, we did a lot of tests and found some things," Cyborg explained.

"Okay, so what's the diagnosis," Robin felt his heart skip a beat.

"I don't know how to tell you, but we found—we found a, umm, a type of, ah, virus. It's attacking your blood cells and DNA."

"Then reverse it."

"We can't."

"What do you mean you can't?" Robin's tone rising.

"It's permanent," Raven interjected. "You don't have that long to live."

Robin was utterly silent, for he was absorbing in the data. When he glanced upward, Raven continued.

"On another note, we found nanobots in your bloodstream. These nanobots have the capability to release chemicals. These chemicals altered your subconscious."

"I'm not following," Robin scowled.

"Dreams, Robin. They are not memories from your past life."

"What are you trying to say?" Robin's voice was dangerously low.

"They're not real. They're lies. Slade injected you with them to brainwash you. He probably injected you with the virus too."

"Dude, that doesn't make any sense. If Slade loves Robin or atleast pretends to, then why would he try to kill him?" Beastboy mused. Everyone but Robin gawped at him for making an intelligent statement.

"Get out," Robin whispered hoarsely. The Titans knew better to oppose their leader when hearing that tone of voice. They all scrambled outside with haste. Beastboy, being the last one, halted at the doorway. He turned about and ambled toward Robin, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"If it means anything to you, I think that Slade loves you. I see the way he looks at you. He's so lucky to have you." Before indecision could overtake him, Beastboy leaned down and kissed Robin on the cheek and sauntered out of the room, leaving Robin stupefied.

0_o

Madness. Complete and utter madness. Mad as hatter. It was all thanks to the virus and partly the adrenaline. Tumbling to the floor as a result of attempting to arise from bed, Robin bolted up and dashed toward the window with great velocity. He crashed through the window, plummeting fifteen stories into the bay, glass shattering ubiquitously.

The bizarre boy swam at least two miles before stepping foot on land from the aftershock of the fall. Rainfall poured loud and hard from the unusually dreary sky of Jump City. He whisked through several alleys before ascending to a fire escape to a rooftop. Rooftop over rooftop did the Boy Wonder fly. He landed in a crouch when he opted to halt. He sat at the ledge and gazed upon the wretched sky, letting the rain soak into his skin, wearing nothing but underwear. Out of the darkness, came a shadow, ambling towards the boy.

"You'll catch cold like that." Warning bells shot off in Robin's head from hearing the familiar voice. Before he could say supercalifragilisticexpialid ocious, Robin was smote in the back of the head, blackness consuming him, rendering him unconscious.

0_o

"This isn't making any sense," Raven growled, having objects in the living room explode. "Slade's aurora has changed; I didn't sense any wickedness within him."

"If I may state my opinion, either this is not the work of Slade or in fact, his intentions are of goodness," Starfire interceded.

"What are you jiving about? What's good about sneaking into the tower and injecting Robin with a bunch of-"

CRASH!

The Titans raced towards the racket, hoping for the best and expecting the worse. When they reached the sickbay, Robin was nowhere to be found. Fragments of glass and bloody footprints were the only traces.

"Surly, Robin cannot survive in his current condition outside the tower," Starifire cried. And without thinking, Beastboy leaped out of the window and dove into the bay, morphing into an aquatic animal. Ten minutes later, he flew back inside, morphing into a human once more.

"He's not in the ocean. Where's Robin, guys?"

"I wish I knew, BB," Cyborg replied.

"This isn't adding up. It's not exactly Slade's style to dramatically break through a window," Raven said wryly.

"Has our Robin run away? How can we just stand here looking like ignaks?"

"Yeah. What she said. I'm going after Slade—alone. Don't wait up," Beastboy uttered.

"Beastboy, are you sure?" Raven questioned.

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life." Without another word, he morphed into an American eagle and flew into the storm.

0_o

To say that Robin had a headache, was an enormous understatement; the pain in his eyes were excruciatingly painful. He saw nothing but darkness. Feeling disoriented, he pulled his hand to his head, only to find that his limbs were chained.

"The hell?" Robin mumbled.

"Awake I see."

"How long have I been out," Robin's head shot up instantaneously.

"A few hours. You look so adorable when you're sleeping," The man purred.

"You sick bastard," Robin growled.

"I'm curious to know how you've grown," The man ignored the comment.

"What are talking about? If this about my-"

"No," He chuckled lightly. "You're three inches taller and look to put on a good sixty pounds and you have a white streak through your hair, and that too is a couple inches longer," He calculated.

"I-" And just like that, it battered Robin like a freight train, for he now apprehend with what Slade had injected him. A maniacal grin etched into his features. "So, where's Alfred?"

"He went back to England the moment he found out about us. But that doesn't matter now, Uccellina," Bruce smirked, grabbing Robin's chin and upwardly titling it.

"You—you did this! How?" Robin spat.

"The day that you two took that picture together, I vowed to never let Slade take you away from me. I injected you both with nanobots. It wasn't easy, but I managed. You two would have the dreams, thus altering your memories and meeting each other,. It was suppose to look like one of Slade's gimmicks, that he was the one. I should have known that you were too smart to believe that this was his work. You were always a brilliant kid, Dick."

"Why can't I see?" Robin slowly asked, anticipating something dreadful.

"I gouged your eyes out. Never again will you lay eyes upon another man. I will be your first and your last. You will feel and hear only me. I will satisfy you," Bruce replied, placing a hand through Robin's luscious locks.

"But you will never have my love," Robin thought.

"Did he say that he loves you?" Robin nodded his head. "Did he fuck you?" Robin shook his head. "No? He doesn't love you, Dick. Not the way I love you," Bruce reprimanded, caressing the boy's profound body.

"Please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, that I may be avenged for my two eyes," Robin whispered to himself. And Robin grasped the two middle pillars on which the cave rested, and he leaned his weight against them, his right hand on one and his left hand on the other. Then he bowed with all his strength, and the pillars fell, resulting in an earthquake in the batcave. The entire infrastructure shook and collapsed upon them.

0_o

"Dude! Wayne manor is crumbling to the ground!" Beastboy screeched. Slade and the four of the Teen Titans were inside the t-ship, preparing for landing. When they were stationed, the gang bolted out and Raven teleported them all inside the mansion. It was a combination of a war-zone and a maze. They meandered through the ruins and rubble with Slade leading the way.

"Begin digging," Slade barked. Cyborg and Starfire used their brawniness to hurdle the wreckage, Raven worked her magic, and Beastboy aided Slade, morphing into a dog to detect any scent. After what seemed like hours, Beastboy and Slade ascertained two bodies. One belonging to Bruce—mangled and severed— the other one being Robin. Slade froze when he saw Robin's body and distinctively his face, for he was still strikingly gorgeous. Slade gingerly picked up the boy—no, the man—and carried him bridle-style in his arms with a single tear streaming down from his steel grey eye."Mangava tut, Robin."

Author's note: And there we have it, folks. Another dark chapter. Did the scene between Robin and Bruce seem familiar? It should have.