What?

Chapter Twenty-Three: Epilogue pt. 1

The fresh evening air hits me. I smile. It feels so good to be back home. Back in my own clothes, my own uniform. I found that I had missed my Robin colors more then I had realized. When I had stepped into my room again for the first time in over two weeks, I couldn't help but smile. The Titans had left me alone, but they were all smiling as they left. I looked around the room. It was still plastered with newspapers and my sheets were in the same place they had been when I had left. I saw my desk still cluttered with files and weapons I had been working on.

The first thing I went to, though, was my closet. I wanted out of this thing as soon as possible. Once I was in my uniform, I had thrown myself on my bed and savored the feeling. I was home. I was home! I finally had to get up, though. I was going to go out when I noticed the newspapers again. I strode over to one of Slade. I started taking off the tacks and one by one the news clippings of Slade came off my wall. I had a feeling that I'd be putting them back up to help me work eventually, but I didn't want to remind myself anymore about the apprenticeship. Not right now. Not when I just got home.

When I was done, Cyborg had hooked up all of the wires and tubes necessary to remove the probes. Soon only Beast Boy was left to go. After he was done, "Breakfast Explosion!" (what a surprise), need I say any more. I talked to Cyborg though about re-doing the security system too. While I had a feeling that Slade wouldn't be up and running again anytime soon, I didn't want to make it any easier for him when he did by not changing our security system. Cyborg said he'd get started on it, but it would take about a week to finish. He finished in three hours.

The sun was slowly falling from the sky and performing graceful dive below the horizon. In some ways, I can't even believe that I'm home. I guess when he sent me out, that was when my hope of getting home hit a dive. And it only got worse. My grief turned to anger. And that anger just was pent up inside of me waiting to be unleashed. But when it was unleashed...

-T-

I had come back from Wayne Enterprises and had just entered, closing the door behind me. I leaned against the door. I was still shaking. Shaking from the shock, shaking from the rage, shaking from the hurt. I finally made my way back to the main room. I entered slowly so as not to make a sound. I saw my fight being played out on the monitors. Slade was in his chair watching.

"Thrilling," He said.

Thrilling? He thought it was thrilling? I didn't know if he knew I was here, but I still didn't make a sound.

"My apprentice is progressing even faster than I had hoped. All he needed was a little motivation."

Motivation?!

I couldn't take it anymore. I ran up and grabbed his wrist, yelling, "Motivate this!"

I threw a punch, but like so many other times, he grabbed my fist and kept it from going any further. But this time, I kept fighting it. I growled at him. He finally forced my fist, along with my arm over as though to trip me. But I was not going to let anything like that happen. I flipped out of his grasp and landed across the other side of the room in a fighting stance. Yeah, I was angry and I knew that I had every right to be.

Slade flexed his fingers.

"Robin, that was vicious, dishonorable, and ruthless," He said crossing the room, "Excellent work. You're becoming more like me every second."

Huh?

Then he whirled around and began a fist fight. I dodged what I could and tried to defend myself. However, I turned and he grabbed me and lifted me off the ground. I kicked and squirmed, but nothing seemed to be working. I was angry, irritated and annoyed. He made me fight my friends and he has the nerve to make me think of him as my superior.