Forever an Apprentice

What really matters

Starfire Flew into the room. Determination written all over her face.

"Hey Starfire" Beastboy acknowledged.

"Greetings Friends." She said seriously.

Cyborg looked at Starfire. "You okay Star?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" She said as she flew over to the Titans computer.

.
At this moment Raven entered the room with an empty tea cup.

"Heyyy Raven! Did you like the Tea we bought for you?" Beastboy winked.

"Delicious" she said monotonly As she went to put away her tea cup.

At this moment Cyborg turned from looking in the cupboard. "You bought the wrong kind of chips! I said cheese not chili!"

Beastboy shrugged his shoulders.

BRINNNGG BRINNNGG. Went the Titans computer. Starfire gasped as it went to voice mail. "Hey this is Robi-". Starfire shut it off. "Oh, why does he not answer!"

"Don't worry Star, he's probably on the Plane, it's 1:50." Cyborg said sympathetically. "Oh. I shall try again Tomorr-"

BEEP BEEP BEEP. Went the Tower alarm. Cyborg ran over to the Titans Computer.
"Jinx and Kitten are stealing from the mall!" Jinx and kitten became good friends and they often teamed up. "TITANS GO!"

Meanwhile

Finally Slade got to the point. "I want you to join me"

Robin froze "No no no not again!" Robin thought. His mind went wild. Robin decided to go about this carefully.
"Why?" That was it. That's all he said.

Slade was a little surprised. He thought Robin would go insane. Maybe he was, in his head.
"Well why not? Think about it. That team of yours only drags you down. There lazy unprepared, your to good for them. And what about Batman? He didn't want you to be Robin anymore. And it he wasn't trying to keep you safe, he was just trying to keep his secret identity. If you died, how could he explain how his charity case died? Yes he only adopted you because he thought he could get more respect for himself. He didn't even adopt you, your just his ward, it was never finalized, he might of claimed he didn't have time, but the truth was he didn't want you."

Robin was silent, he couldn't answer. He knew what he said about his team was true, but he didn't want to believe that, he couldn't. Or could he? Robin's head was whirling. Batman didn't want him?...he was right all along about Batman, Robin knew he didn't care. Right now Robin didn't care how Slade knew all that stuff about him, his team and Batman. He didn't care Slade had discovered his secret identity. Did he even care at all? Slade continued

"Think carefully about this. Did you really think Starfire ever really cared about you? She was just using you, just like the rest of your pathetic Team. I'm surprised you didn't figure this out already."

"Nooo, your...wrong. My friends do care." Robin stuttered

"Do they? Do they really?"

Robin stopped. If never thought about. He thought about Starfire. Could she? Would she? What if?...

Slade continued once more. "There just using you, just like Batman was using you. There not your real family. Family's care about each other. They don't use each other for there own sake! Your parents are the only ones who really cared about you. Them, and Me."

Talking about his parents, pushed all his buttons. "Don't talk about my parents!" He snapped. "You don't care about me! Your insane."

Slade was amused. "Oh?...when you were my apprentice I taught you how to fight my style and you admitted that your fighting had gotten better since. And when you fell off that roof I caught you didn't I?"

"Your the one who threw me off!"

"I didn't mean to, besides it was a malfunction in my android." Slade chuckled. "You never could beat the real me could you? So don't even try"

"How do I know your not an android?" Robin asked suspiciously Slade chuckled once more. "Believe me, I wouldn't miss this for anything."

Robin narrowed his eyes.
"Why? Why do you want me as an apprentice? Why not someone else? Someone that's already Evil? Why me?"

"Oh, my boy little you know. I don't want you because your were the Dark nights partner, or a natural born leader or even that fact that you were a acrobat from birth, no that's not it at all. You want to know why? I'll tell you. It's because you have potential. More than I have seen anyone ever have in my whole life. You could do anything you set your mind to. You could even, beat Batman if you wanted to, or even me."
Robin's eyes widened. He thought he would never be able to beat Slade or Batman.
What if...he could? Slade doesn't always lie. Or does he?

"Well now is the time you decide what it is that you want. Not what your friends want or what Batman wants, what you want. And since you can't beat me in a fight yet, don't try anything. Well? What do you want?" Slade held his breath. Sometimes he wondered what was going on in his head

Robin eyes filled with determination, he finally spoke. "I want-"