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“Dude! Robin’s back!” Beast Boy shouted as he dropped the game controller, jumped over the sofa and ran to his friend. “Where is it?! Come on dude! I need closer!” He almost squealed like a cheerleader as he danced from foot to foot. “Here. It’s in my bag, should be in one of the side-pockets. Find it, I gotta go to the bathroom!” With that, Robin ran off, trying desperately not to piss himself.

Turning into a little hamster, BB dove into the bag and snooped around. Odds and ins along with new clothes sailed out of the bag.

“Um... Beast Boy... why are you going through Robin’s bag?” Raven asked with her less than cheery voice.

Turning back into himself, Beast Boy jumped out of the bag and scratched his head. “He said it was in here! But it’s just all his new clothes that he bought! Doesn’t this dude use plastic bags?”

“He doesn’t need plastic bags. That’s why he takes that everywhere. I mean, he’s Robin. He goes into a store, none of the guards are gonna check him.” Cyborg said as he switched off the game and walked over to his little green friend.

Ignoring the half robot, Beast Boy rummaged through more of the bag. “Didn’t he say it was in one of the side-pockets...” Starfire asked, floating over to the rest of the Titans.

“Yeah, but Robin sometimes says the wrong pocket, so I usually check through the entire thing.” Beast boy said as he looked through the bag once again. “Dude! I never noticed the inside pocket before!” He felt the pocket before opening it. “Hard, rectangular... yes! It’s the tape!” He pulled out the tape and danced his weird dance for a moment before Cyborg basically ripped it out of his hands and held it over BB’s head. “Duuuude!! No fair! Give it back!!” The little green shape shifter whined.

With a grin, Cyborg gave it back while shaking his head. “You’re sad, man.”

Sticking his tongue out at his friend, he popped the tape into the VCR, not noticing it didn’t have a label on it. The loud fuzz on the screen stopped and the movie started.

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A crack of small twigs rattled the air then a small giggle was heard. The scene displayed beautiful colors, animals, and a huge Ferris wheel was the centerpiece of the attractions.

Soon, there was a path being made. Trees surrounded the immediate area, and behind them were large buildings where the games were set up. The girl that held the camcorder smiled happily. She walked into a clearing with well over twenty tents and trailers set up. She was looking for a certain trailer. An old brown trailer with a huge red and green ribbon painted across the side.

She finally found the trailer and squealed with joy. The camcorder also had a full battery, so she’d have plenty of time to record the whole day. She was going to visit an old friend and she wanted everything she could record. Running up on the steps of the trailer, she saw that same sign that was on the side on the door as well. A red ribbon with a green outline and on the ribbon it read; The Flying Greysons! Her hand shook as she knocked on the door. Breathing was heard, it was nervous and erratic.

Hearing a loud crash then a shout, the door opened. “It’s about time you... got... here...” The voice stopped as shock took over his nerves. Both of them were quiet for about half a minute, just looking at each other. Finally another giggle was heard. The guy that had answered the door had done so in only a white towel around his waist and one hanging around his head.

He gave a cheesy smile and blushed then gestured for her to come in. Stepping inside, she saw a whole bunch of stuff had been knocked over. This must have been all the stuff she heard falling over.

“Long time, no see. What brings you here Lilly?” The guy asked as he began to pick everything up. Lilly giggled lightly when her friend bent over to pick something up and his towel hiked up on him, giving her a nice view of the moon.

“I can tell all that acrobatics really keeps you in shape.”

Standing up incredibly fast, his entire face red with utter embarrassment, he put his hand up with one finger, signaling a ‘one minute’ sign. He came back out a couple minutes later completely clothed.

“You clean up nicely. And I got that on tape Dickey.” She giggled once again as his face flushed again. He walked over to her and hugged her fiercely but softly. He looked her over, admiring how much she’d grown. They hadn’t seen each other in five years. They met when both were six and had last seen each other when they were eight, and now they’re both 13.

They sit and talk for a while. Over what’s been happening and surprisingly, not much with Lilly. Dicky tells her of all the different cities and states they’ve been to. The new techniques he’s learning from his family, the different shows they’ve had. A couple of them cancelled do to weather.

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The titans keep watching without a word. They still haven’t figured out what movie this exactly is, maybe a student film, or low budget? The guy, Dicky, looks very familiar, but they can’t tell where they’ve seen him from before. They watch as the camera fuzzes then turns back on.
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“Does Mom still call you ‘Her little Robin’?” She asked with a giggle as she pinched his cheek.

He gently pushes her hand away with a laugh. “Ah, come on.”

“Well... does she? Does she? Huh? Huh? Huh?” Lilly egged on, tweaking his nose, nudging his arm and ruffling up his hair.

He laughed again and leaned in closely. “Yes. I’m still her little Robin bird.” He smiled and kissed Lilly gently on the lips. It was their first kiss, but both of them had wanted it for a long time.

Lilly blushed a deep crimson and giggled with an innocent shyness. She had set the camera on the table in front of the small sofa; it was still on and facing them. She leaned in and rested her head in the crook of his neck. He put his arm around her and slowly stroked his nimble fingers through her red, curly hair. He smiled down into her shimmering jade green eyes, which surprisingly, had small violet specks that cast through the them. He ran his thumb along her dark and many freckles, giving another light tint to her cheeks as she nudged his hand. She stared back into his midnight blue orbs with love and a sort of devotion. Even with only the memories of them as children, the more they grew up, the more they missed each other. Kissing his lips one more time with the same gentle thunder, Lilly reached down and flicked the button on the camera.

A dizzying and loud haze and then, vision was given to those watching. Walking out into the crowd of carnies, they slowly made their way to a huge red and white tent, meeting some other people along the way. Getting into the tent, her eyes widened at how big it really was without all the people in it. Looking to her side she saw... nothing. She looked up the long ladder and saw Dicky climbing. She shuddered, not even wanting to think of how high it really is up there, being deathly afraid of heights. Pointing the camera up, Dicky began to walk along the rope with a long balance poll. His footing precise from years of practice. He wobbled just a bit, but regained his balance easily. Grumbling, he looked along the rope and noticed it was looser than it should be. Only one-third of the way there, he kept walking. Even though a little dangerous, he could make it across.

“Yo! Little Dicky!”

He wobbled once again on the rope and fell. Lilly gasped as she watched him begin to fall but saw as one leg caught on the rope. Dicky looked down to see Tommy, his older brother. “Damn it Tommy! Don’t scare me like that! And I‘m not little!” He shouted and grumbled again.

Tommy grinned. “You have a net below you. Besides, you know you’re not supposed to practice without Mom, Dad or me to watch you.”

“Oh, shove it up your a**!”

Tommy laughed. “Big temper for such a little guy.”

Dicky only growled and threw his other leg over the rope and pulled himself up. Letting go of the poll, he grabbed the rope with both hands and looked down to see Lilly still taping. He tried to pull himself up, see if he could stand up and walk the rest of the way, but it was no use. The rope was to loose and it was hard to even sit on it. Flipping Tommy off, he let go and landed on the net below. He then rolled off and jumped his brother. Lilly caught it all. They began to brawl, punching, kicking, yelling and rolling on the ground. She laughed hard as she tried to keep the camera still to catch the brotherly tiff. Of course, being older and bigger, Tommy was winning, grinning all the way.

“You know you can’t win little Dicky!” He laughed as he said this and rolled Dicky on his back, straddling his little brother’s hips and holding his hands above his head. Dicky was helpless.

“Damn it Tommy! Get off! You’re breath stinks!!” Dicky shouted as he struggled. Tommy laughed again, then, being the guy he was, breathed heartily into his little brother’s face. “Uhg! You smell like hot a**!” Getting off and letting Dicky up, he laughed and began to walk off.

“Yes! I do have a hot a**. Thank you! Thank you!” He said loudly as he took a deep bow then walked out of the tent.

Dicky grumbled and rubbed his head while walking over to Lilly who was still giggling. He smiled when he seen her giggling. She always brightened his day, just by being there she could make him smile. He leaned down and gently kissed her lips lightly, the camera caught the sweet kiss from the way she was holding it while she was laughing and holding her stomach. Her breath caught in her throat as the kiss shocked her. She slowly relaxed and leaned into it. Her arm lost all feeling and the camera dropped at her side. All you could see were the ground and a foot. You could hear her small gasps and moans. Suddenly, the noise stopped and the foot moved away. The camera moved up to watch the front as she walked. She chased after Dicky, catching up to him. She walked, looking straight ahead and not making a sound. She was so embarrassed, her cheeks were horribly flushed. With a cheesy grin, Dicky wrapped an arm around her waist, getting an adorable but strange purr that rumbled from her chest.

A few minutes later they heard a loud and very feminine voice call out. “That’s my mom.” Dicky looked around, seeing more and more people enter into the circus pathways. “It’s almost show time. Go ahead and go find you a seat in the tent I was training in. I gotta go get ready.” He let go of her and winked lightly before he ran off to the trailer. She nodded and began to walk back to the tent.

She walked into the huge red and white tent. The crowd was tremendous and horribly loud but she fended herself through the crowd to get a front row seat. As she sat down, she could see Tommy and his dad out there taking down the training net. Checking her camera to make sure she had enough battery life, she turned it off to conserve what was left. She then sat and waited for the show to start, trying to ignore the loud crowd pushing and shoving there way into the tent and over and between the benches. She had already seen the show before, but this time, she could record it and they might even throw something new in tonight than what they did from last night.

Lilly turned the camera back on after the crowd finally died down and two women walked out with two huge cats. They were the warm-up act. She had seen them before and she loved the lionesses. Kala and Tika were the lioness’s names. They were sisters and born and raised by the sister tamers in the circus. The act was called “The Amazing Zinga’s!” That was their last name. They had worked with big cats all their life and had trained with Kala and Tika since the two cats were born, so there was a less likely chance that the lionesses would attack the trainers.

The act was about 10 minutes long. Both sets of sisters received a roaring round of applause. They took their bows and walked out of the tent with the cats by their sides on collars and chains.

The spotlights turned back on and starting going haywire. Moving in rapid and jagged circles, if you could even call them circles. More like really squiggly crazy eights. She heard a booming voice come over the various stereos hanging from the corners of the tent. A bright flash and a huge puff of smoke filled the ring. When the smoke cleared, there stood a man. He was tall and pale with short black hair, untrusting eyes and a small mustache. Everybody clapped for him. This was the ringleader, Lucius. He looked like a backstabber, but was one of the nicest men you’d ever meet.

“Ladies and Gentlemen! Boys and Girls! People... and freaks... of all ages! I am so elated that you’ve come out tonight to see our show! So, as not to keep you in suspense any longer, I present to you a family with the most amazing agility, grace and limber limbs I’ve ever seen in my day. Sailing through the air without effort, ‘The Flying Grayson’s!’” As he began to walk out of the ring, a standing ovation erupted from the stands. Apparently these people had seen Dicky and his family perform before. Lilly pulled her camera up and began to record as Mom and Dad began to easily scale the ladders.

When they reached the top platform, they stopped and posed, letting pictures be taken. They turned in all different directions, posing and waiting for the pictures before they began to walk out onto the rope. Back on the ground, Tommy was waiting for Dicky. He tapped his foot impatiently on the ground while the other was ready on a step. Suddenly, one of the spotlights moved rapidly to one of the openings in the tent. A young boy in red a suit and green tights ran in and up to Lucius. After getting a nod from the ringleader, he ran over to the ladder and he and his brother began to climb easily and quickly in rhythm with one another.

Lilly smiled as her camera followed the family up to the platforms. Tommy began to walk out on the rope, hoisting his mother up on his shoulders. As the other three began their act, Lucius turned the microphone back on. “Here he is ladies! My apologies for his tardiness. The guy you’ve all been waiting for! Dicky! Isn’t he just adorable girls!” He shouted with a chuckle as the girls literally went nuts. He stood on the platform and posed for pictures, whirling around on the pole and blowing kisses, one of those straight to a certain girl in the front row. But of course, about 30 girls in the 5 rows behind her were screaming and fighting over whom it was really for.

Dicky walked out onto the rope, feeling relief wash over him when he felt the rope had been greatly tightened. He stood on one foot and bowed to the ladies. “Such a lady-killer Dicky. You dog, you!” Lucius spat into the microphone again with another laugh. Dicky shook his head. Lucius had done this little ‘routine’ of his for quite some time now and the girls ate it up. Hell, most of the girls came just to see Dicky and Tommy. It was all a matter of age.

They performed different little tricks, jumping, running, and flipping on the rope. Doing cartwheels and circles. Soon, Tommy and Dicky jump up on their parent’s shoulders. Tommy on Dad’s and Dicky on Mom’s. The parents walk along the rope steadily, and the brothers grab the trapeze handles above them. They begin to swing, forcing their weight back and forth as their parents watch for a second to make sure they’re safely on the bars. Satisfied with their sons, they resume their routine. Lucius does commentary the entire time.

The boys flip from side to side, landing on the other trapeze, keeping their rhythm exact. Due to their weight difference, the timing between them begins to slip, but just a little, it always did this. Dicky would just land a couple seconds later then they would get back on track.

As the routine on the trapeze ended, Tommy let go and did three flips, aiming for the platform. But for some reason... he never found the platform and without the platform to stop his spins, he kept spinning, unable to stop. The time he fell seemed like an eternity to him, which was only a couple mere seconds to the onlookers. What he saw in the blinding flash that was created by flipping so fast, were lights, colors, and finally... darkness.

Dicky had landed at the same time as Tommy was supposed to this time, which was rare. He had seen the entire thing. The rope had snapped and the other platform had moved somehow. Kind of like the rope was holding it straight and it would tilt without it. His father had landed flat on his chest, cracking all his ribs and forcing them into the soft tissues of his organs, one ramming straight through his heart. His mother hit soon after. Just before the rope had given way, she had jumped to do another stunt and had also found nothing under her. When she hit the unforgiving ground, she landed on her tailbone. The land had sent a jolt through her spine and it snapped just at the base of her neck. As the rest of her weight landed, the broken part of her spine was sent up and lodged into her brain, killing her instantly along with her husband. The last to hit the relentless ground was his brother. He had hit the ground with such force that the snapping of his neck was heard over all the gasps, whispers and screams. He lay on his stomach but his head was turned completely around, looking up at the tent ceiling.

He just looked down at his family, the ground colored burgundy with their life‘s fluid flowing from their Riga mortis destined bodies. The audience ran out in terror as the circus people gathered around their fallen friends. Lilly stayed in her seat, the camera still rolling. As the people ran down the benches, she was knocked from side to side, front to back, but she ignored it, keeping her eyes on the camera image. Her eyes paled with fear, her mouth wide open in utter shock.

Dicky stood on the platform, his face was emotionless, his body quivered, his hands balled into fists. He just stood there... until Lucius climbed up the ladder and grabbed Dicky, holding the little man to his chest and trying his best to comfort him.

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They all look at each other as the video fuzzes over again; indicating it’s off. They then look back at the screen when it comes back on. They see a bronzed back leaning over then coming up with an armful of clothes.
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“Dicky... don’t. Just, calm down. Please...” The soft, innocent voice pleaded.

“Calm down?! Calm down?! Did you not see what just happened?!” He screamed at her. The camera caught most of everything until he walked out of focus. Lilly had set the cam on the table but accidentally hit the on button as she turned around to watch Dicky pull various things out of different trunks.

“Dicky... you can’t leave. Where are you going to go?”

“I’ll find a shelter...”

“You’re only 13. They’ll put you in a foster home.”

He ignored her last remark and kept packing. She walked over and placed her hand gently on his arm. At this action, he turned around, swinging his arm with full force and knocking her back, making her head slam against a chair. He breathed heavily as his fingers dug into the wood table he was holding onto, actually making indentions. Lilly rose up and held the back of her head with a small whimper.

She stood up and still tried to reason with him even through her dizziness and pain. “Dicky... you can’t leave. You were raised here, you don’t know anything else. You have family here. Let them help.”

“My family is dead! Didn‘t you see it?! My father has no chest! My mother’s spine is lodged into her brain and Tommy’s head can now turn a complete 180! What do you expect me to do? Stay here and keep entertaining everybody as we travel town to town as if nothing ever happened?” Tears began to stream down his face, his tan cheeks taking on a dark shade of crimson, his entire body shaking. His hands were balled into fists once again, blood trickling down his knuckles this time.

“No.” was all that Lilly said as she stood up. “I expect you to be a man and accept it. I understand your pain. I’ve lost loved ones too, but running away from your problems never solved anything, you know that.”

“It helped my father...” He said in a low tone.

“Fine... if you want to leave the safety of your family and friends here, then be my guest. But if I see your face on the missing children’s list, don’t expect me to help them find you.”

“I don’t need your help...” He said in a low whisper while wiping tears away from his eyes.

Lilly only shook her head and picked the camera up. “You still haven’t changed... and you probably never will. Goodbye Dicky. I hope you make the right decision.” With that, she walked out of the trailer, shutting the door behind her. Looking down, she saw a green light and went to flip the switch to turn the camera off. Before she did, the cam picked up one last audio that would be recorded to the tape. Loud crashing and screaming coming from the trailer and finally, a window busting. She flicked the button and static once again took over the screen for the last time.

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“Whoa.” was the only word that sounded in Raven’s monotone voice though lace with shock, through the echoing room of the tower.

The next thing they heard was a heavy thud hitting the ground. When they looked back, they saw Robin just standing there. There was a fearful, uneven silence for another minute before Robin was able to talk in a quivering voice. “Where... where did you get that tape?” He asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Beast Boy found it in your bag, man.” Cyborg said while standing up from his embedded groove on the couch.

“What... that wasn’t... that’s not the movie...”

“It was the only movie I could find dude.”

“What?” Robin grabs his bag and searches through it for just a bit before pulling out the actual movie. “Side-pockets Beast Boy! What part of that don’t you understand! I never put the movies in my bag! All my clothes are in there! Side-pockets you idiot!”

BB’s ears flopped over as he looked down to the floor like a scorned dog.

“Robin! As much of an idiot as Beast Boy really is, he made a mistake. That’s no reason to be so hateful.” Raven said, her voice laced with a bit of surprise at Robin‘s reaction.

“Yeah man. He made a mistake. Get over it.” Cyborg interjected.

Starfire had flown over into the corner, holding BB as he tried not to cry.

“Get over it!” Robin shouted as he rammed his fist into the wall next to him, making the plaster and parts of concrete crack and fall to the ground. Starfire's body jolted with his screaming and the anger that emitted from his body.

Walking over with quick and demanding steps, he pulls the tape of out of the VCR and shakes it furiously. “This has no label on it! No ******** label Beast Boy! Did you actually think his was ‘The Curse’?”

Beast Boy kept looking down at the ground, his ears folded over and whimpering slightly as he sought shelter in Starfire’s arms.

“Dude! Ease up! It was an honest mistake! You know, you have gotten movies before that didn’t have labels on them because they’ve been played so much.” Cyborg yelled back.

“This is new!” He opened the case and showed them the tape. “Look! Labeled!”

“Calm down or I’ll do it for you.” Raven input, her eyes beginning to glow with white embers as a dark aura of anger surrounded her.

Robin gave her one look, a scowling and deadly look. He took his tape and bag, throwing down the video store tape and went up to his room without saying another word.

“I... I didn’t mean to...” BB said in an almost inaudible whisper of guilt.

“It’s not your fault... for once. You made a mistake. Robin needs to take a chill pill.” Raven said in that still bland tone as her eyes turned back to their dull, violet color and she took her hood down, showing her pale, ashy skin that would seem cold to the touch.

Robin locked his door as soon as it closed behind him. Sometimes he wished he had a regular hinged door so he could slam it. He lay down on his bed, dropping the tape on the floor. That adrenaline rush of anger had surprisingly taken a lot out of him. He looked on his nightstand at the small model of a red and white-stripped circus tent. Inside were two stickers that went around the walls, acting as the audience which was nothing but a bunch of different colored dots and streaks. There were also two plastic ladders and a string going from one side to the other in the middle of the ring. Two little trapeze bars hanging from the top and finally four figurines. Three males and one female. On the outside of the tent was a sign, a red oval, outlined with green and on the inside of the red were the words; ‘The Flying Greysons!’ in black Park Avenue font.

He took out the four figurines and looked at them for the longest time. Tears burned the backs of his eyes as they threatened to push out and blur his vision. He grabbed his bag, loaded a couple weapons into it along with the model and figurines then finally set the tape back in it’s secret inside pocket. Throwing the bag around his arm, he grabbed a small piece of jewelry. A simple gold chain with a small trinket hanging off of it. A small robin with its wings spread out in flight. Putting it over his head with a warm memory of his beloved mother, he put his black, leather jacket on, knowing there would be a chill in the wind, and walked out of his room with his head down but his pace fast and solid.

“Robin?” Starfire said in a questioning voice as she flew beside him. “Our friend, Beast Boy, is still... how you say... down in the trash. Oh, will you please forgive him?” She looked at his bag around his arm. “Where are you going Robin?”

He ignored her... he didn’t look up, kept his pace without missing a stride. ~Dumps Starfire... ‘Down in the dumps.’~ He corrected her in thought.

Reaching out her arm, she gently took Robin’s shoulder in her soft but sure hand. “Please, don’t leave. I fear for your safety my friend.”

Swiftly, he reached up, grabbed her hand and wrenched it to the side harshly, making her wrist do a complete 180. She mewed in pain and grabbed his arm, but was unable to apply pressure. She fell to one knee, tears streaming down her cheeks from the pain. She looked into his eyes, hers glistening in pure horror and shock. She couldn’t see his eyes behind the mask but she could see the twisted hatred that was wrought into his features.

“Leave me... the ********... alone.” He said through gritted teeth with an antagonizing voice. Letting go of her hand, he walked through the back door and began loaded up his cycle, which turned into a jet ski as soon as it hit water.

When he finally arrived on city land, his cycle changed again for land and he began to weave in and out of heavy traffic. Making split-second decisions as he sped up when his sadness began to surface, breaking through his anger. His helmet fit snug over his head, drowning out any noise, yelling, horns and screeching of tires. Finally, he turned into a shady area that lead a couple miles down a dirt path surrounded by evergreen trees. The path was straight with very little curves and the curves that were there were very small with soft turns. He cranked the gas up to 50mph and was there within 10 minutes.

Driving up to a circled driveway, he killed the bike, parked and hopped off. Walking over to the huge steel gates he punched in a code and the gates opened with loud groans and creeks. He walked his bike into the privet grounds and took his helmet off, setting it on the bike seat. Punching a button to close the gates, he grabbed his bag and walked up the cobblestone walkway surrounded by beautiful statue, small water fountains, and multi-cultural flowers of all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Taking a deep breath, he pushed one more button whose wires lead throughout the entire manor, giving a loud, echoing ring.

“Goodeve- Master d**k?!”

“Hey Alfred.” was the Boy Wonder’s only reply as he walked into the familiar mansion.

“Good to see you again Master d**k. My I take your things?”

He smiled as both the old place and the old fart hadn’t changed a bit. “Nah, I got it.”

“Of course Master d**k. Shall I summon Master Bruce for you?”

The young ward nodded as he took off his jacket and mask and laid them both along the couch back, setting his bag on the floor.

He walked around the huge, echoing room. His eyes catching familiar and unfamiliar sights. Some new paintings and knick-knacks riddled the shelves and walls. And then some old ones, which still looked in good shape due to good housekeeping.

The room was dark, as usual. Only a few dim lamps on to light the way to the hallway. Some furniture, all covered in black pleather. Just because Bruce was rich didn’t mean an animal had to suffer for his vanity.

“Long time, no see. A deep but sultry voice sang from the shadows.

d**k whipped his head around and smiled as his jet black hair bounced around then back into place. The bat walked out into the strangled light.

Striding over to his former partner and somewhat teacher, d**k put his hand out. As Bruce took his hand, shaking it firmly, visions of his parents and brother falling to their deaths played in the boy’s mind again. Tears welled in his eyes but Bruce couldn’t see them, at least, he thought the detective didn’t see them.

“Come with me d**k, I was just about to have dinner.”

He walked with his mentor into the dining chambers and sat down at the familiar spot he used to hold when living there.

“That Starfire girl is beautiful.”

d**k snapped out of his hazed thoughts. “Huh? Wha-?”

Bruce chuckled as he sipped his evening wine. “Starfire. I received the pictures you sent two days ago.

d**k nodded. “Oh, oh... yeah... Star... beautiful.”

Bruce looked at the young man, a bit of worry evident in his wise and aged eyes. “And that Raven girl... hmm... maybe if I was still your age.” He pondered out-loud with a chuckle. “I don’t mean to be so crude d**k, but she does look like my type at that age.”

d**k smiled lightly. “Yeah, she’s straight forward, bull-headed, has a wicked tongue and a dry humor to back it all up. Definitely your type.” They both laughed at the comment.

No sooner had d**k’s stomach growled at him for leaving it empty all day then the food arrived. Steak, they both liked it the same, medium-rare. The side dishes were mashed potatoes with gravy and corn. d**k sipped on his soda which Bruce had surprising kept in stock since he left a year ago.

They both sat in silence as they ate. This was normal, not at all uneasy. After they were done, Alfred took their plates back to the kitchen to be washed. They sat there at the table, talking for more than an hour, just asking how each other were doing. Bruce had kept up with the Titans through the newspaper and d**k had done the same with Batman.

Finally, Bruce stopped pussyfooting around the bushes and got down to the real question; why was d**k here?

When asked that question... tears once again threatened to spill forth from the young wards midnight blue oculars. He put his head in his hands and shook his head just a bit, his ebony hair flopping over to cover his fingers just to the knuckles.

Quietly standing up from his cherry oak chair, he walked over to the young man and put his hand on the other’s shoulder. He knew exactly what was wrong. Why his friend had returned. He understood perfectly and didn’t think d**k any less of a man for crying.

d**k stood up and buried himself in Bruce’s chest and let it all out. This was the only person he could confide in, this was the only person he could cry too. Bruce was like a father to him. Even just living with the man for a couple of years, they had grown close, like father-son figures. He couldn’t confide in the others. Starfire wouldn’t understand, Raven wouldn’t know how to take it, Cyborg would be the same as Raven, he just wouldn’t know what to do and Beast Boy would make jokes to try to lighten him up. He didn’t need jokes, he didn’t need talking... he just needed somebody to listen and understand without telling him to try to forget it or get over it. And furthermore, he was their leader; he couldn’t show such weakness in front of them. He couldn’t have breakdowns. He couldn’t cry. A temper was expected, but not this.

They stood there for what seemed like hours. Bruce had his arms around the shivering body in front of him. All he could do was stoke the muscular back and offer small sounds of calming. Like light shushing noises that sounded some-what like the gently flowing currents of an ocean wave. Soon, d**k had slowly cried himself into a light doze. He could barely hear voices, barely feel his feet leaving the ground.

Bruce had began taking him upstairs to his old room. He had taken off d**k’s cape and boots and handed them to Alfred to bring up with his coat and bag. Laying d**k on his old bed, he pulled the covers up over him as Alfred set his bag on the floor along with his shoes and put his cape and jacket up on a couple wall hooks. Finally resting his famous mask on the nightstand next to the bed. They left the room, talking quietly about their old friend as Alfred shut the door behind him.

Soon, they heard a loud buzz; it was the buzz signaling somebody was at the manor gates. Pressing the small button with a yellow light, Alfred answered the guests. “Good evening, welcome to Wayne Manor. Who is it that you’d like to speak with?”

“Um... yeah, is Robin in there?” A deep voice asked while shushing the others that came through the intercom in whispers. The Titans had tracked him. d**k had forgotten about the small tracker on his cycle.

“I’m sorry, but Master D- Robin is sleeping at the moment. If you’d like to leave a message, I can give it to him when he wakes up.”

“Could we come in and stay until he wakes up?” Asked a jagged monotone voice which belonged to the sorceress of the group.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot. Neither Master Bruce nor Master Robin wishes to be disturbed. You can come back later once Master Robin has awoken.

“Alright. Thank you.” Said one last voice that was high and angelic but riddled with worry and hurt.

Two weeks passed and not a day went by that the Titans didn’t come to the Manor to try to talk to Robin, but every time, he was asleep again, gone, or was busy. Cyborg assumed leader but they were still lost without Robin. They still apprehended the criminal, but it seemed harder without Robin’s guidance and plans. It took longer also.

He ran his nimble fingers through his sleek, onyx hair and huffed. All this evidence in front of him, useless. "USELESS!" He shouted as he threw it all off the table with one swoop of his arm. Pictures, newspapers, objects, all intricate puzzle pieces that just didn't seem to fit together hit the ground with a clatter. With a low grumble, he sat down on his bed and buried his head into his hands. He had been cooped up in that room for the past three days. He had gotten his mind off of prior events and was now concentrating on Slade. He just couldn’t find the b*****d, let alone catch him. Taking a deep breath, he walked out of the room, hearing his stomach growl loudly. He hadn’t eaten in a little over a week, nor slept in three days. He spent his nights studying, thinking, and just pacing.

Walking to the kitchen, he passed Bruce who said not a word. Bruce knew not to talk with him while in this state of mind. He knew well because d**k reminded Bruce of his younger self, so he knew the boy well. d**k was clad in only tight blue jeans that were a little to long for him, making the ends drag on the floor under his feet, a black leather belt and his beloved gold chain.

He began rummaging through the fridge. His entire body was tense, his breathing was ragged and his hands were shaking as if he had Parkinson's disease. He was trying to get control over his temper, but it was getting harder and harder every minute. He was so frustrated, what with all that had gone on a couple weeks ago and now all this bullshit with Slade.

Walking back out into the main room, he saw four familiar faces and groaned slightly, his knuckles turning white as he subconsciously strangled the defenseless aluminum can.

“Very sorry Master D- Robin. But I wasn’t sure if you were accepting guests at the moment.”

He sighed inwardly. “It’s alright Alfred. Thanks.”

The old bean nodded and left the room to attend other matters.

The Titan’s eyed him worriedly. Small gasps were heard from the group as Robin let them look him over. His skin wasn’t as ‘perfect’ as many would expect. There were small scars that caressed his chest, permanent purple spots; bruises, that graced his stomach. And cuts... on his wrists... The others had never seen the flesh of his hands before, he always kept them in those stylish green gloves. This was the first time they had seen him out of his trademark suit. The first time they had seen his eyes. They were beautiful... but not all they expected. They expected to see happiness, determination, and compassion, but all they saw was anger, frustration, even... hatred. Why was he so different? Was he still so pissed over the movie? Discolored bags hung under his eyes, his hair was in a greasy mess and his skin had paled.

Beast Boy was in the back, hiding behind Raven and Cyborg. He was scared of Robin, he always sort of had been. They were best friends... but when Robin set his mind on something, it scared BB, all the determination worried him a lot. Starfire was the first to speak among them.

“What has happened to you my dear friend?”

“Nothing.” was his only cold reply.

“Stop being so cruel to Starfire. We’re here to try to help and to get you to come back. We’ve already told you that we’re sorry. BeastBoy made a mistake, aren’t you ever going to forgive him?” Raven asked as she took her hood off, letting her short hair flow out and cover her cheeks.

Robin stayed silent.

“Come on man... we miss you and BB is really really sorry.” Cyborg said as he stepped to the side, showing the little green, furry imp behind him. Robin looked at the multi-talented animagus, into his eyes. They weren’t their brilliant jade as they normally were, no, they were dull and the whites of his eye were tinted a delicate pink. He... had been crying. Robin looked down, still silent. He had also caught a glimpse of Starfire’s wrist... it was bandage. He must have really hurt her for her to still be wearing a wrap. There was another chalk mark to add to his guilt.

~It was just a mistake... and what’s done is done. They were going to find out sooner or later... Man... look how much he’s been crying... more than me.~ Robin thought to himself then looked back up at them. As he opened his mouth to speak, his eyes grew wide as a sharp pain surged through his stomach. He dropped the soda and hit his knees. The group rushed over to him with a bombardment of his name and the question, “Are you ok?” over and over again. He began coughing violently, his entire body shaking with tremors every time he coughed. Soon, the violent coughs turned into horrible hacking and heaving. They set him down on the couch but he couldn’t sit up, the way his body was acting, he had to be bent over. He felt as if he was going to puke, but the only thing he could get up was disgusting, yellowish-green slimy stuff in small amounts... it was bile. He looked horrible. The Titans didn’t think it was too bad until they saw him throw up blood. At that point, Starfire began to yell for help. Alfred came running in and with his face in utter shock, called to Bruce in the kitchen.

Starfire, being the fastest, carried Robin in her arms as she flew to the hospital. Raven and BB, who had morphed into a hawk, were close behind. Cyborg went with Bruce and Alfred in the old black car.

When they arrived at the hospital, the doctors took him immediately into the emergency room. He was still convulsing, coughing and dry heaving terribly, he was still shaking with the tremors that racked his tired and weak body.

Back in the waiting room, everybody just sat quietly. Bruce looked calm but was having a guilt-trip of his own. ~Why didn’t I see it? How could I not know? How did this happen? Is he trying to commit suicide... or is this just an accident? I hope it’s the second one...~ Bruce slowly began to pace back and forth in the waiting room.

After an hour, they were finally able to see him. Slowly, they walked into the room. He was peacefully sleeping... but it wasn’t normal... tubes, wires and hoses flowing out of his body. He looked as if he was on his deathbed. Two tubes came out of his nose for breathing, a tube leading into his left arm and about four wires attached on his chest, monitoring heartbeat.

The curtains in his room were drawn to block out the sun. He had asked for that before the meds they gave him had knocked him out.

They walked over to him; Starfire took his right hand in her two soft ones as tears fell from her beautiful emerald orbs. BB sniffled and leaned down, slightly hugging the Boy Wonder. “I’m sooo sorry dude!” Cyborg and Raven stood at the foot of the bed, just looking at him. Bruce stayed in the doorway while Alfred was still in the waiting room... doing all the paper work of course.

The doctor came in and looked at the clipboard in his hands. He mumbled a couple things while reading the paper then nodded. “What happened to him Doc?” Cyborg asked, with a sort of irritated tone but still laced with much worry.

“Well, it looks like your friend hasn’t eaten in a while. Therefore, his body began to weaken without any of the vitamins and protein it needs. When his body began to weaken, it made a desperate attempt to save itself. The stomach acid began to eat away the lining of his stomach to get nutrients to the body.” He said as he looked down to Robin.

Their eyes grew wide as they looked from the Doctor back to their friend.

“It was doing alright for a while, until the lining deteriorated and ate a small hole through his stomach. This is called an ulcer and it somehow tricked the body into thinking something was in the stomach that shouldn’t be there and the body reacted in a purge method, trying to get the foreign contents out. Which is sort of strange because usually it would sent other cells and reinforcements to repair the hole. I’m guessing the body was too weak to do so. So, like I said, he began to purge and that was worse because he had nothing to vomit out. So all that came out was either bile or blood and then he began to dry heave, which really hurt the stomach with all those violent contractions.

Bruce leaned against the side of the door, resting his forehead on his forearm with a deep sigh.

“What is bile?” Asked Starfire with curious eyes.

“It’s kind of like... the end of your stomach Star.” Cyborg said with a low tone.

The doctor nodded then set the clipboard in the side pocket on the bed. He then began to check everything. “Don’t worry kids. Your friend will be ok. This tube in his arm is feeding him plenty of nutritious liquids that will not only fill him up be help to repair the damage done to his stomach.”

They nodded as the doctor walked out to give them time alone. Just as the doctor walked out, Robin opened his eyes and looked at the others. Their heads were down, eyes were closed, as if in prayer. They were so quiet. “Man, I hate needles.” He said with a slight chuckle as he looked down at his arm.

“Robin! You are alive!” Starfire squealed and squeezed his hand. She wanted to hug him, but she didn’t want to disturb the tubes that led in and out of his body.

BB sat up quickly with a smile that quickly died as his ears flopped over. “Dude, I’m soooo sorry. I didn’t mean to. I really didn’t. You got-”

Robin raised his right hand to stop his green friend. “I know. I should be the one apologizing.” He said with a raspy voice. “I shouldn’t have flown off the handle like I did. Beast Boy... I wasn’t really mad at you for putting in the wrong tape... I realize that... I was mad at myself. Seeing myself like that. Seeing me hurt my friend Lilly... and then you guys finally knowing it... I just couldn’t control myself. I didn’t want anybody to know about my past. It’s painful. But I’m sorry for taking it out on you Beast Boy.”

BB’s ears perked up and the other’s smiled.

Robin took a deep breath and looked them all in their eyes. “My name is Richard Grayson. I was an acrobat and tightrope walker in the circus.” It hurt to talk, to take those deep breaths. He talked slowly, unsure and stumbling over his words. “Those people you guys saw were, of course, my parents and my older brother Tommy. And that girl was my best friend Lilly. Ever since I ran off... I’ve missed her every day.” He took another deep breath. “Now, you know.”


Bruce looked at him from the doorway, smiled then walked back into the lobby to help Alfred. He knew he would be alright now. It was out in the open and he wouldn’t have anymore trouble with it after admitting it to his friends.

“And I thought I had problems...” Raven said lowly to herself.

Robin laughed with a hard cough. “I just didn’t want anybody to know... I didn’t want pity. I didn’t want others to treat me special if they knew I was orphaned just a couple years ago. It would be too hard of a reminder.”

“How old were you when they died?” Starfire asked without thinking of the actual question first.

Robin looked up at her, his blue eyes gaining back some of their color. “Thirteen. After I left... Bruce sort of... adopted me.”

“Dude! Bruce is Batman! Isn’t he?!” BB shouted without thinking... like he ever did...

Quickly, Dicky smacked his right hand over BB’s mouth. “Shhh... don’t tell anybody. I wasn’t supposed to tell you guys, but knowing about my brief past as his sidekick... it’s kind of easy to tell once you know Bruce.”

Soon, the nurse came in to tell the others that visiting hours were over. Raven and Cyborg walked out first with a light goodbye and headed toward the lobby. Beast Boy soon followed after having hugged his leader one more time. Last, was Starfire. She stayed for just a couple minutes longer, just basking in his now warmer than ever presence. When it was her time to leave, she leaned down and gave him a kiss on the forehead then said a small Tamaranian healing chant and left with her hopes heightened.

Four weeks he had to stay in bed. Each week they would boost him up to more foods. As soon as he could eat through his mouth, almost all he had was just jello, but a lot of it. And of course an endless supply of liquids.

The day he was able to leave, Bruce and Alfred were there to pick him up. When he asked where the others were, Bruce told them they had had an emergency and were out. Robin only nodded and sighed. When arriving at the ‘T’ Tower using the underwater, air-tight tube that the Titans had installed while Robin was still in the hospital, he looked at it and smiled, just happy to be home. He felt so relaxed. He had finally gotten everything out and the best thing is, is that his friends wouldn’t pity him for it.

Walking into the cozy tower, he flipped on the light-switch and almost had a heart attack as everybody jumped out from behind furniture and small corridors screaming “Surprise! Welcome home Robin!”

He smiled and looked back at Bruce who was carrying his bags in and set them down beside the door as he watched with Alfred in the doorway. Looking up to Starfire, Robin took her hand and kissed her wrist gently. The one he had hurt almost two months ago. His eyes were apologetic and she accepted it with a strong hug and... unfortunately for them, a Tamaranian folk song. As... lovely... as the song was... there just wasn’t time for it... and not enough money to replace windows, so Raven shoved a bottle of mustard in Star’s mouth.

Finally getting a glimpse of the Tower, he noticed green and lots of it along with small, multi-colored lights that lined the walls, doorways, and banister of the stairs. There were red streamers and bows that hung in every doorway and silver, gold, and blue garland that hung down the small support beams holding up the banister. Big but badly cut paper snowflakes covered the windows. Definitely Starfire’s handy-work. And finally, a huge pine tree in the corner of the room, standing about eight feet. Decorated from tip to trunk in garland, lights, and little decorative ornaments. And the final touch, a beautiful classic blonde haired and blue eyed angel in a white gown, gold halo and harp at her side, sitting atop the enormous tree.

And one last thing, a huge white poster that draped from the top of the stairs with the words “Welcome back Robin!” painted on it in huge red and green letters. Tears began to well in his eyes once more. He hadn’t realized he’d been gone so long. He hadn’t noticed those days passing, or at least what days they were while he was glued to the bed in the hospital. Looking under the tree, he saw numerous amounts of presents... all for him... as he read the tags.

Pulling the mustard bottle out of her mouth with a giggle, she spoke with great enthusiasm. “My friend! Look at the synthetic replica of the earth plant! We added our own decorations! Please, read them!” She finally ended with a squeal.

Robin looked up at the tree and laughed lightly at Star’s words. ~All that just to mean ‘Look at the fake tree!’~ He thought to himself. The tree was most likely fake for BB’s sake. If it were real, he’d go on and on all night about cutting down a home for squirrels, birds and other wild life.

He smiled to her with a nod and looked at the tree, seeing four small cards dangling loosely by pieces of lace. He took Cyborg’s off first. It was white with blue racing stripes going down the middle and Robin’s name at the top. He read it out loud and nodded to Cyborg with a smile then put the card in his back pocket. Next was Raven’s. It was plain black with his name in blue on the front. He read hers silently, that same smile playing on his face with a gentle glow on his cheeks.

Raven had her hood off, a smile gracing her lips as well.

The third one was BB’s. It was green with a couple animals he had drawn on the front. Opening it up, Robin read through it silently before he read it aloud. He chuckled at the few jokes written inside.

He took Star’s card off last. He could tell it was hers, not only because it was the last one, but he could tell it was hers from the very beginning because of the wild designs on the front. Just scribbles, lace, and a lot of glitter. There was no actual pattern but it was still pretty. He read hers to himself as well, and as he read, drops of pure happiness and sadness mixed drained forth from his clouded windows of the soul. He rubbed his eyes lightly with his forearm, not wanting them to see him cry, but it was too late. They had seen their leader shed out tears. Tears of long hurtful years. Tears of utter happiness. Tears of love and fear. And they were happy to see it. Flying over, Starfire hugged him gently as his shoulders began to jump up and down. At first she didn’t understand. She thought her card had made him sad, in a sense, it did. The words in her card were so... innocent... naive... and heartfelt. He couldn’t help but cry.

“AH YEEAH!! Group hug!” Cyborg shouted as he gathered both Robin and Star in his huge metal arms, squeezing the lives out of them both. Beast Boy joined in naturally as Raven just sat back and watched, standing next to Bruce and Alfred. She didn’t want to show this type of affection with everybody there. She would wait till later.

“My friend! We have a wonderful, cheerful feast prepared for you! Please, join us!” Starfire said happily after being let go from Cyborg’s grasp. She took Robin’s hand and began to lead him into the kitchen where a huge table was set up with an endless supply of food. Christmas ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, corn, peas, green beans, cooked carrots, beats, candied yams, baked beans, tofu ... some very odd concoction that Starfire had made...

They sat down, inviting Bruce and Alfred to eat with them as well, which they happily agreed to.

“Oh yeah! You guys haven’t tasted cookin’ till you’ve tasted Cy’s cookin’!” He said with a loud and happy voice to the two older men.

Everybody took their own plates and began filling them up. They had water or tea. Robin couldn’t have anything acidic, doctors orders. After everybody was satisfied with their haul, they sat down and Raven proposed a small prayer. Not only for the dinner... but also for Robin. They all took hands, bowed their heads and closed their eyes as Raven started. She gave thanks for the dinner, friends and family and asked for protection over the only true friend she has. Robin had always understood her. He had always been there and was always willing to help in anyway he could. Always respectful of her wishes and never tried to probe deep into her life like others did. And now she knew why he didn’t.

They began to eat quietly as the Christmas music in the back played very lightly. Cyborg and BB chowing down, having another eating contest. And of course, it wouldn’t be a normal dinner if BB didn’t try to get somebody else to eat tofu. Bruce declined with a gentleman’s elegance. Alfred, however, took a piece and ate it with ease, then asked for more. The first time anybody’s actually asked for more. They’ve all tried it, but didn’t like it. Well... except for Raven. But she didn‘t want BB to push her on it more than he did on a daily basis.

Five minutes into the glorious banquet, Robin stood up, getting everybody’s attention with silent formality. “Ever since that day... I’ve been searching for my family. When I moved in with Bruce, and I still thank you for letting me take refuge in your home, I thought I finally found where I belonged. Bruce, you’re like a father figure to me. At times... I even found myself almost calling you Dad.” Bruce’s eyes widened just a bit. “But... when I lived there, I still wasn’t home. I never called it home. Even in my mind I never called it home. It was always ‘the manor’ to me. There was still a hole inside of me that I needed to fill. But here... when I’m coming back from the store, or a mission on a cold day, I think to myself; ‘Man, I can’t wait to get home.’ I need to stop searching for my family, because I’ve found it. You can’t look for something that isn’t lost.” With that said, he sat down and looked around. Not a dry eye in the bunch. Raven had put her hood up to cover her eyes and Alfred was weeping like a schoolgirl into his napkin.

For the rest of the night, they ate and talked of past experiences, most of them ending with Beast Boy getting stuck in something. These ‘random’ stories causing small food fights between BB and Cy.

After dinner, they watched as Robin opened his presents. Some clothes, but most of them had a lot to do with technology. Robin would have to buy all their presents tomorrow.

Robin had done it. He had finally confronted his past and found what he had been looking for ever since he was thirteen. His mother had always told him; ‘Everything happens for a reason and everybody has a place in the world.’ He never understood what that meant, until now.

As he sleeps, he now has dreams of his family and the good times they had together instead of hellish nightmares about the deaths that had plagued him for years. He is finally at peace. He is finally home.

~The End.~