Trust... [A Robin Love Story]

Chapter 22: The Way Things Were...

(A/N: Hey guys!! I am so sorry that I haven't been able to update in such a long time. It's back to school for me and things have been kind of rough. New classmates, new subjects, new teachers, entirely new environment all together. So, in accountance of me not being able to update as often as I used to, I'm gonna make this chapter longer than usual so you guys won't get so bored while waiting. Thanks so much for the patience and for sticking with me until now! So enough of the chit chat, ON TO THE STORY!)

Author's P.O.V

The Teen Titans rushed over to where the distress signal originated and they were about to spring into action. But to their surprise, it appeared as if the girl had everything already under control. Slade watched deviously from the side lines as the Titans made their acquaintance with the mysterious blond girl that goes by the name of Terra. Shortly after they left with her, it was as if the hole that Krystal left was already filled in.

Meanwhile, Krystal had already woken up and was ready to go back to the life that she knew before meeting the Teen Titans. She couldn't get up as quick as she wanted because of her throbbing migraine, so she slowly propped herself up then tried to recall what happened last. Slade approached her and threw her a pair of scissors. She was confused as she picked it up, unsure with what he wants her to do with it.

"Your identity has been exposed. You can no longer show yourself so freely anymore. Cut your hair." he said bluntly. She didn't waste anytime taking the scissors and cut it as short as she could. And once she was finished, he walked towards her and reached his hand towards her. She was expecting him to hit her right across the face for doing a horrible job but what he did to her was much more surprising. He laid a gentle hand on her cheek and brushed a stray hair behind her ear. Her fingers were quivering as she cautiously placed her hand on his, as if to confirm that this was in fact real and she wasn't having a concussion.

"You look just like your mother..." He whispered to himself but for sure, she heard him loud and clear. He pulled her into a hug and she just reveled in this strangely familiar yet unfamiliar warmth. He was a lot taller than she remembered him to be, her ear was rested on his chest and just listened to the steady beat that his heart was playing for her. She hadn't felt this kind of intimate touch since.... Hm.. She felt as if she had felt something like this before but couldn't remember when.

After their little bonding moment, he allowed Krystal to retreat to her room before he briefs her on her next mission. The first thing she did once she got there was dig out the small compartment that she made on the floor to hide some of her personal belongings. One of those items are a slightly burnt photo album that she was able to salvage before Slade burnt everything that reminded him of his past. And on the very first page of that album was a family picture of her, Slade, and her mom, pregnant with Krystal's future sibling. Just by looking at it, tears were already welling up in her eyes. It's honestly the thing that kept her going and always putting up with her father's cruelty. After what happened earlier, she really just couldn't help but love her father like a normal daughter would. She knew that staring at the photo any longer would make it harder for her to stop crying so she put it back, fixed herself up then took a last minute look at the mirror, loving the new look that she has knowing that it makes her look more like her mother. Then, out the door she went.

Going back to the Teen Titans, had warmly welcomed Terra into their humble abode. While Beast Boy was fawning over Terra and how cool she was, it gave Robin and Starfire a chance to momentarily forget the drama that happened between them and to fall back in love with each other. Terra was just what they needed to realize the little things that they first felt for each other. But small glimpses of Krystal would flash in Robin's head and then snap him back into reality.

That night, Robin was hesitating on going back into Krystal's room to try and check if there are any more secrets hidden there. It just so happens that Starfire's room was just down the hall and she was about to retreat to her room when she came across Robin staring intently at Krystal's door. She couldn't deny that she felt an immediate pain when she saw this sight, but despite what she felt, she walked towards him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"We will find her soon, Robin." was all she managed to say. To her surprise, he placed a hand on her's and showed her a small smile.

"Thank you, Star." he said.

"What is your business with Krystal's room?" she asked.

"I was just.. Gonna check if she left anything that could be useful to us."

"Oh... I see. When then I will leave you to your task then." She said before continuing to walk down the hall. He reached out and grabbed her forearm to stop her from walking away.

"You wouldn't happen to want to stargaze tonight... Would you??" he asked bashfully. She blushed and smiled.

"I would love to." she said. And with that, they made their way to the roof and they took their usual spot. They were able to talk about what happened and put it behind the both of them. They knew that it was messing with their teamwork and just distracting them from their work. Although they didn't bother trying to obtain closure about their relationship, they both didn't deny that they still had feelings for each other. Their conversation lasted through the night. Little did they know that Krystal was ordered to watch them from the shadows. But it didn't affect her like it did before. Because she didn't know who they really were, all the knew was that they were Slade's arch nemeses. And just like that, things were back to the way they were.

"Affirmative, Terra does not have the ability to control her powers." Krystal whispered.

"Wonderful. Return to the base immediately." he said.

"So do you still plan on making Krystal stay if we see her again?" Starfire asked Robin. Wait, did she hear that right? Did she blow her cover already?? Krystal snuck a little closer to the two.

"I don't know honestly. I still don't know how I feel about her exactly." he replied.

"Forgive me for the question but... Did the two of you engage in any physical contact...?" she asked him, dreading the answer that she was gonna receive.

"To be perfectly honest, yes. I kissed her before, but it was only once." he said.

"Oh... I see." she replied in disappointment.

'Wait a minute, am I the Krystal that he's talking about?! I don't recall even having an interaction with him before this current mission.' She thought to herself.

"What are you still doing there? I ordered you to come back to the base." Slade said sternly though her communicator. Afraid to get on Slade's bad side, she quickly fled from the tower and tried to dismiss the thought that she was the Krystal that Robin was referring to.

"Wherever she is, I just hope she's safe." he said optimistically. Starfire decided to try and look at the glass as half full. She tried to convinced herself that he is confusing his worry for feelings of attraction towards Krystal.

"Have faith, Robin. I am positive that if she were to encounter trouble, she had the ability to defend herself." She said as she put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He smiled as if to thank her for the kind gesture, and in return, he pulled her into a warm hug. She missed the feeling of his warmth and made sure to enjoy every second of it because she was unsure when the next time would be.

The next day, Slade and Krystal had already everything set for their plan on trying to convert Terra to become on of his minions. Krystal wore the coat and mask that her father gave her and proceeded exactly where her father instructed her to go. While the minions fought and tried to destroy the mines, Krystal kept out of sight and watched the fight progress, trying to find a rhythm or particular style of fighting pattern that they used to prepare her for the next phase of the plan. Later that night, she was instructed to trail Terra and guide her to where Slade was.

"Are you sure he is someone that I can trust?" Terra asked Krystal as they were going down the stairs, to where the base is.

"I am positive. In a matter of a few weeks, you'll have almost mastered your ability. And all you have to do is to help us bring down the Teen Titans." Krystal responded.

"Alright." she replied.

"Brace yourself, Terra. Things are gonna get a little rough."