I do not own any of the characters mentioned in this story. Are characters are owned by DC Comics and their respective creators.

Chapter One: Nightwing

Dick Grayson had had a very eventful life up to this point. He had been an acrobat in the circus. He had been the sidekick to the Batman. He had been a founding member of the Titans. He had even been an honorary member of the Justice League. And he wasn't even 30 yet. He still isn't 30 yet. But the most fun he had ever had in his life was very recent. But more on that in a bit. Let me explain how he got to this point.

Richard John "Dick" Grayson was born in Chicago on March 21, 1991 (That's in most canons). He grew up in Haly's Traveling Circus, with his parents, and they were called the Flying Graysons. Their last show was in Gotham City, when the thing that would haunt Dick for the rest of his childhood happened. Someone cut the cords on the trapeze. His parents didn't have a net. Dick watched in horror. It was his mom's birthday. And her death date.

After that, he was adopted by billionaire Bruce Wayne. But Bruce had a secret that he kept from everyone except the butler, Alfred. At night, Bruce was The Batman, waging a one man war on crime in Gotham. One night, Dick snuck into the secret passage in the hall. It led to the Batcave. Once Dick saw what Bruce had been hiding, he immediately asked to help. Bruce hesitated, but he said yes. So Dick became Batman's partner, Robin. He chose that name because it's what his mother used to call him. And most others who became Robin after him would go on to taint that name. In Gotham he also me Barbara Gordon, and the two would grow a small attraction to each other.

But one night, Bruce and Dick got into an argument, which caused Dick to leave Gotham. He moved to San Diego, and that's where he met the four people who would become his best friends. Garfield Logan, Kori Anderson, Rachel Roth and Victor Stone; otherwise known as Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven and Cyborg. Together, the five would become the Teen Titans, later just the Titans. They all unanimously decided that Dick should be the leader, mostly because he worked with Batman, and they were scared of Batman (except for Rachel). For the next several years, the Titans would solve crimes all over the country, except for Gotham. Over that time, Dick and Kori became attracted to each other, more than him and Barbara ever were, and they secretly dated. That secret got out pretty fast, as Rachel of all people was the first to break the news. Vic wasn't surprised, and Gar was more jealous than anything.

As the five got older, they started to grow apart. Vic became more active with the Justice League, Gar just seemed to lose interest, and Rachel, well, nobody asked what Rachel was doing. It was her business, and no one wanted to interfere. But for Dick and Kori, things got rough. More fights, more sleepless nights, more crying. Kori noticed that Dick had grown angry. This was because Dick felt betrayed. That Batman actually had the guts to replace with some random kid who tried to steal the tires off of the Batmobile. Even more so, the kid was rude, violent, and murderous. That kid died at the hands of the Joker. Kori tried to comfort Dick, but he just pushed her away.

Rachel would always listen in on their fights. Not because she was nosey, or because she had nothing better to do, but because she was worried about the two. Kori was her best friend, and seeing her like this hurt her just a small bit. But she was worried about Dick, too. He had become so caught up in all of it, that he stopped caring for himself. He grew his hair out, he started to get a scruffy look on his face, and he stopped showering. He just looked like his life was spiraling out of control. One night, Kori had gone to bed crying after another fight, so Rachel had decided to talk to her, but Kori wouldn't let her in. So Rachel went to talk to Dick instead.

"Hey."

"What do you want?"

"I want to know what the hell's going on with you and Kori. She's absolutely miserable around you nowadays."

"I don't blame her. I know I've been too hard on her. But I'm too focused on other things right now."

"What happened tonight?"

"We broke up."

"Oh... Sorry to hear that..."

"I know you don't care. I can hear it your voice."

"That's how I always talk. And I do care."

"If you cared, then why didn't you stop us?"

"I don't know, Dick. Maybe it's because I have a life of my own!"

"Doing what? Reading books and drinking tea isn't much of a life, Rachel."

"Neither is constantly worrying about something that happened in someone else's life."

"It's kind of ironic you're saying that."

"I came to help you out. Clearly you don't want any. Good night, Dick."

"Wait. Rachel, I'm sorry I snapped. If you want to help me, I'll let you in."

"Whatever you say, Boy Wonder. Speaking of which, you're almost 19. Aren't you a little old to be Robin?"

"I've actually been thinking about that for a while. And I think I've got the name I want."

"Please don't tell me it's Cardinal."

"No. Nightwing."

"... That actually sounds really cool."

"Thanks. And I've had a few ideas for a costume, too."

And that was that. Dick Grayson was no longer Robin. After that night, Dick apologized for everything he had said Kori, and the two agreed to stay just friends.

Dick had told the team he had plans to move back to Chicago, and they new that the days of the Titans were coming to an end. On the last night, Rachel came in to talk to him again.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"So you're actually leaving tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"How long do you think you'll be there?"

"For the rest of my life."

"Really?"

"Unless Bruce calls me back out to Gotham. And I highly doubt that'll ever happen."

"Okay."

"Are you sad that I'm leaving?"

"We all are. We've been friends for so long. And I can't imagine that we're all going our separate ways tomorrow."

"We'll be alright. And I think Vic has it best out of all of us. I mean, he's a member of the Justice League now. That's amazimg if you ask me."

"I guess..."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"No. I came to ask you something actually..."

"What?"

"Can I go with you?"

"... Are you sure you want to?"

"I don't want to lose any of my friends. Especially you."

"Why me?"

"You were our leader. We all looked up to you. And I..."

"You what, Rachel?

"I've kinda had a crush on you since we met..."

"That's... okay... I didn't expect you to be in love with anybody."

"I'm sorry... I shouldn't have told you that..."

"No, it's fine. There's room for two at the place I'm staying at."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And it'll be fun having another person looking after me."

"Thanks. Also, about the whole crush thing..."

"Yes."

"...What?"

"Yes. I like the idea of us being together!"

"Are you being serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Can I stay with you tonight?"

"I think that might be pushing it a little."

"Dick!"

"Sure. If I really do make you feel safe."

And that was that. The next morning, the Titans went their separate ways. Dick and Rachel moved to Chicago together, and they're been there ever since. Dick donned a black a blue costume, and called himself "Nightwing". The two kept in touch with their friends, and even made some new friends. Joey works as an online iPhone support, and Michael is a photographer for the Chicago Tribune.

And now, after seven years in Chicago, seven years since Nightwing and Raven first showed up to wage their own war on crime, the two were happy.

Two weeks ago:

"Hey, Rachel. Come here."

"What is it?"

"I just got an email from Vic."

"What's it say?"

"It's a file reporting on other young metahumans."

"Who are they?"

"Kid Flash, Arsenal, Blue Beetle, Bumblebee, and... Robin?"

"Robin? Bruce is still recruiting new Robins?"

"I guess. But this file just seems too interesting to ignore."

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Dick?"

"We're going to fing the New Titans."

To Be Continued...