Titans - Rising Robin & Invasion! Crossover Fanfic (Flash x Arrow x LoT)

Chapter II: Hello Again

Richard sighed, breathing slowly as he took in the sounds of the nightlife in downtown Blüdhaven. The town was easily a worse dump than Gotham. The scum in this town, however, wasn't as...passionate about their crimes. It was just petty.

Richard looked over the rooftop & breathed heavily. He had spent so much time here, & he wish he could say he loved it. Blüdhaven was his home for a while. He couldn't have asked for another better place to have grown up in, to REALLY grow up in & create his own identity. It was a decision he had made & would never regret. Richard would never forget the times he had in Gotham, but at the end of the day, he knew that Gotham was more of a heartache than a home. It hurt him in way too many ways. In Blüdhaven, he at least had his own duty to himself as a man. He wouldn't let Gotham hold him back any longer.

Of course, he had gone through so much. From the second his parents died, his world had changed forever. He was given a new life with Bruce. He trained alongside the Batman. He had been given brothers. He had fallen in love. But then everything changed.

Jason died, & came back from the grave with a newfound vengeance. Barbara was in a wheelchair, paralyzed from the waist down, & could hardly look at Richard anymore. Bruce had lost control of the team entirely. Richard had offered to bring Tim with him to Blüdhaven, but Tim decided to stay with Bruce & take care of him. Richard hated that it had come to that. The remainder of the team was taking care of him, & not the other way around. Bruce let the life in the suit get to him. He lost it. Richard promised himself he would never lose control like Bruce. He would never blur the lines between the right & the wrong.

That's where Rachel Roth came in. She & Richard had been through a lot together, & after so many years, he needed Rachel's help. He was worried that after what happened with the Titans, that she would turn her back on him. Richard could only wait & find out.

"Hey," said a voice from behind Richard.

Richard turned around & then smiled when he saw her. "Speak of the Devil," he muttered to himself.

A woman in a hoodie stood before him. The woman removed the hood off of her head to reveal a pale girl with dark hair with a hint of purple in the light of the moon. She smile softly. "Hey, Dick."

"I don't go by that, anymore," Richard said, "It's Richard, now."

"Hmm, ok, Richard," Rachel responded. "You'll always be a dick to me," she said jokingly.

Richard chuckled. He shook his head, grinning. "It's good to see you, Rachel."

"Same," Rachel said coldly. Richard didn't let it get to him, seeing as she was always that way. She began to approach Richard. "So why'd you call me out to Blüdhaven?"

Richard took a deep breath. "I need your help," he said. "Something happened."

Rachel arched her eyebrow. "Something happened?"

"Yeah," Richard said. "I...I don't know how to explain it. I really want you to check this out."

"Richard, what is it?" Rachel hissed.

"Cheyenne," Richard blurted out. Rachel stared at Richard, & he struggled to find the confidence to continue. "It's...I think she's alive."

Rachel kept quiet for a few moments. She opened her mouth to speak, but she only managed a soft croak. "Cheyenne?"

Richard nodded. "In my apartment. She was just there."

Rachel shook her head. "Don't play games with me, Circus Boy."

"Rachel, I would never joke about this. Never."

Rachel's eyes stared Richard down cold. "How dare you," she muttered.

Richard sighed. "Please, I don't know what to do. I need your help." After a few moments of silence, Richard made his way towards the fire escape on the rooftop, but he noticed Rachel not moving. He turned back to her. "Rachel," he said softly.

Rachel shook her head. "No," she said.

Richard scratched the back of his head, sort of expecting this reaction from Rachel. She continued. "No, I'm not going to help you. I came all the way down here to tell you no. Call it petty, but, I refuse to have anything to do with you. Not after what you did."

Richard shook his head. "Rachel, please, you know-"

"No, Richard, I don't know," Rachel spat. "I don't know how you thought it was okay to lie to us, to the entire team. It's not like it Logan eating my ice cream behind my back. It's not like it was Victor sneaking out for a late night drive, because none of that hurt. But when we woke up, & you were gone, that scared the living hell out of us."

Richard stepped towards Rachel, but she held a hand up, forcing Richard back into his spot with her telekinesis. "Finding out Slade had escaped, & that he found a protégé was nerve wrecking. Fighting him, & unveiling the Red X, then...discovering that it was you...that broke us, Dick. That broke our hearts."

Richard opened his mouth to speak, but Rachel forced his throat to shut, keeping him from speaking. "No, you don't get to explain yourself, because I never got a chance to explain what you did to us. You broke the team's trust in you. After Slade killed M'gann, Conner was already shattered. But seeing you with Slade, Conner saw the one man he trusted in the whole world, suddenly siding with the man who killed his beloved. You broke Logan's heart, because he looked up to you. Victor, he respected you. Kori loved you, despite all reasons not to, & you just about stomped all over that. And me...I hated you from the start. But I respected your heroics, & even more so, I respected your ability to keep the Titans united. You showed us how to be another family, & you made us happy."

Richard's eyes watered as Rachel shook her eyes, tears dripping from her face as well. "You went behind our backs & destroyed the team. And you didn't say a word about it." Rachel released her grasp over Richard, causing him to collapse to the ground, rubbing his neck. "I understand why you did it. For the sake of the mission, right? Bruce taught you that. But...you're not Bruce. You lied to us. You..." Rachel's voice trailed off, & she sat down on the ground, her breaths suddenly shaking. She began to cry heavily.

Richard rushed to Rachel's side & wrapped his arms around her. He brought her head to his shoulder & sighed. "I should have let you guys know I was going undercover. I know it was wrong. It got the job done, it avenged M'gann, but, I ruined what we had. I know. There's not a day I don't think about it. And I'm sorry. I'm...I'm sorry."

Rachel shook her head. "Richard, the Titans were all we had. You get that...right?"

Richard nodded. It was true. He really was the one who gave them a home, a real home, after finding them in Cadmus. Richard didn't like to think of it that way, but...he really did give them a second chance. Richard spoke again."How...how is the rest of the Team?"

Rachel sighed, sitting up. She wiped her face with her hands, then looked up at Richard with her dark eyes. "Conner is studying at a university up in Metropolis, I think. Logan is crashing with Victor & one of his friends, Ronald."

Richard let out a deep breath, feeling comfort in knowing the boys were alright. "And Kori?"

"Staying with me in D.C.," she said sharply. "We're with this girl I know, Dawn."

Richard nodded. "Dawn," he said softly. He looked up at Rachel. "So...the Titans..."

"We're alive," she said softly. "For the most part. I've kept running tabs on us. Logan still calls me, though. He asks me to let him 'give me the night of my life.'"

Richard let out a soft laugh. He was pleased to hear that the Team hadn't abandoned each other. Not like the way Richard did to them. Richard let out a solemn sigh. "Rachel...I really am sorry."

Rachel looked up at Richard, staring into his eyes. For a moment, they didn't seem so dark. It looked as though she sincerely missed him too. At least, he hoped she did. He truly did care about the team. Rachel cleared her throat, looking away. "Cheyenne isn't alive," she muttered. "There's no way. I saw the beam collapse on her in the fire. Kori did too."

Richard shrugged. "I don't doubt that you did. But...I would recognize her anywhere. And it's her. She was just there when I came home tonight."

Rachel bit her lip for a moment, pondering Richard's claims. She sighed & looked up at Richard. "Show me."