Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. Is that going to make anyone feel better?
Summary: It's difficult to explain. A discussion between Batman and a very good friend (not Alfred) sheds some insight into why Batman drove Robin away. It's a short piece but please take the time to R & R
Not my most light-hearted fiction. Beware of some angst. Dick Grayson is Robin. 'nuff said.
'I didn't want anything to happen to him,' Batman said not turning to his companion.
'Well that's stupid,' the man said bluntly. Batman turned and gave the man an icy glare. The man however was unconcerned. 'You can't stop anything happening to him, you know. You can't control what the world has in store.'
'I know.' Batman muttered turning back to survey Gotham from his position by the gargoyle.
'Do you?' The man said quietly.
'What do you-?' Batman narrowed his eyes.
'You want to keep Dick safe- I understand that- but think about it Bruce. The world nearly ends every other month, he could die then.'
'We work to stop that.' Batman replied gruffly, and then after a moment's deliberation and quick glance around 'not Bruce here.'
The other man smiled. He was always business. It was infuriating sometimes but at the moment it was just another amusing habit of Bruce's he had gotten used to. 'Fine. That's our jobs. That helps keep him safe. But tell me Batman, can you keep him from being hit by a car? Having a motorbike accident? He might even get ill. We all do sometimes. Controlling what he does won't change those risks.'
'I won't risk putting him in any more danger than necessary,' the no-nonsense tone was barely recognized with a wry grimace.
'He's been hurt enough times in his life, sure. To last several lifetimes in fact' the man agreed vaguely for a moment. Batman didn't object. It was his fault for taking him into those battles. Eyeing Batman carefully the man immediately combated this point. 'Bruce, the emotional blows hurt far more than any of the other times. The worst thing you feel is losing his parents, you weren't physically injured yet it was the most painful experience you had… but what if you felt they shut you out deliberately? What if you cared about them and you thought they abandoned you?'
Bruce reddened angrily beneath the cowl 'They wouldn't-'
'I know,' the man said gently. 'They wouldn't. I wasn't suggesting that. You know you're Dick's surrogate father, don't you?' He took the silence to be a yes. He's always been a daredevil, if some of the things Alfred's told me are true… did he really climb into the tiger den at the zoo because he said that they used to be with his circus?' He caught Bruce's small smile playing at his lips and said with amusement 'Thought so.' He grew serious again. 'Bruce, you tried to take away something that meant a lot to him, that you had trained him for years to become. I understand your reasons, but I'm betting that he doesn't know you were trying to protect him. He thinks you abandoned him. That he wasn't good enough to be your partner.'
'What? But he knows…' He knows I care. Batman thought to himself. Doesn't he? He remembered those last God-awful words that they had said to each other; maybe these ideas weren't so wrong after all.
'He is still a kid; remember that they have the right to be irrational.' Batman grunted at the man still watching him intently. 'Although you know he makes more sense than you do sometimes.'
Batman raised an eyebrow and met the man's eyes.
'He would have got himself in worse trouble without your training Bruce, never forget that. You took him out of the detention centre in time to make sure he didn't think the system had failed him. You took him in, trained him to help people, you made him swear an oath, but don't you realise you'd be forcing him to break it? You made him think he wasn't good enough to uphold it. He became Robin to help people in the unique way he can. Even you can't do that quadruple flip of his. He's like you in so many ways, but he's not… the same.' The man struggled to find the words. 'He told me Robin was his nickname from his mother. That's not an identity he can cut himself off from, like Batman or Bruce Wayne. If he would choose to forget it and become plain Dick Grayson it would be denying something else his parents gave him. He needs to fight for the right cause instead of for the sake of bitterness.'
There was a long silence as Batman struggled to deal with the concepts the man sighed impatiently. 'I'm not going to keep a monologue running all night.'
'I…' He wanted to speak but the words never seemed to come. What had he done? The man understood though, apparently the single letter was enough for him. He squeezed Batman gently on the shoulder.
'Go talk to him.' He said softly before he floated into the Gotham air, the cape drifting lightly in the breeze.
'Thank you Clark.' It was barely a whisper but Batman knew Superman had heard it. He nodded once in reply and flew away leisurely in the direction of Metropolis. Bruce looked at the communicator in his hand and took a slow breath. He set the receiver to dial Titans Tower. Attempting to keep his voice level as he heard the familiar voice on the other end of the line answer snappishly he said simply. 'Robin.'
There was a silence on the other end of the line for almost a minute before he heard a very small and vulnerable voice reply. 'Batman?'
Hope you like. If there are any errors I'm wrote this at one a.m. in the morning in less than half an hour. A little more angst than I'd thought it would be but…
I'm basing this a little on the comic world and I am a very strong believer in Dick Grayson as Robin. Superman is often known as the closest person Batman has as a best friend or even brother as he considers Robin very much to be like a nephew. This is my explanation for how he knows a lot about their past.
This is intended to be a one shot but if I get enough reviews I may continue with the theme. Thanks for reading.