Young Justice -:- Hello, Goodbye

Summary: [1.2] A series of short drabbles showing key moments from Dick Grayson's early life. Continuation of ROOTS (yes, this is the fic that I said I wouldn't write...) Pre-Series/Origin Story/1st POV

Setting/Spoilers: Set before the show – individual drabbles will have their own setting notes/no spoilers

Pairings: None (Except familial ties/friendship)

Genre/Rating: A mixture – again, each drabble will be different

Disclaimer: If I owned Young Justice, it wouldn't have been cancelled. It would have run forever and ever and ever like Supernatural

Author's Notes: So yes, here we are, doing what I said that I wouldn't because I realised that yeah, okay, there was more of this story to tell. I'm doing short scenes (emphasis on short) because I never write short and this is weird and new and dammit I need practice!

And this first one comes with an apology. Though no one has really verbally taken offence with me, I realise now that I have been rude and prejudiced and have fallen into an archetypal trap. The fact that I did this to my favourite character just makes this ten times worse.

I am sorry for misusing the term gypsy in reference to part of Dick's heritage, that was ignorance on my part. What I am even more sorry for though, is then using that and the fact that he was raised in a circus to somehow justify his skills as a thief. Story-wise, Dick still needs to be an excellent pickpocket in order to survive, but I realise now that I was wrong to use the traveller/circus stereotype like I did.

As such, I am retconning my own work with this piece. Roots will be edited accordingly, but there's no need to re-read. Again, I am sorry, and I hope that this somewhat makes up for the misconceptions that I painted as truths.

The Last Gift

Patience is not my strongest quality. Sure, the ability to sit still and wait for the right moment has been drilled into me through years of training, but it was never natural for me. It still isn't.

So that day, back when I was a kid still living in my family's trailer, waiting for my parents to get back from practice was essentially torture. Especially with the small wrapped box practically burning a hole where it was hidden in my hoodie.

You see, it was my Mom's birthday, and for the first time ever, I had gone out and gotten her a gift all by myself.

And it was awesome, if I do say so myself. Mom was gonna love it. Just as soon as her and Dad hurried up and came home already.

The trailer was small, even from the perspective of someone as tiny as me. Dad always used to bump his head on the cupboards whenever he stood up too fast; making me laugh and Mom tut and threaten that it would be me someday that would be too tall for the van. (If only.) The windows were mostly smoked out for privacy (not that there was much of that to be had at Haly's) making the interior kind of dark, but always homely.

I can still remember the smell of Mom's cooking that permeated everything. Can feel the threadbare cushions and hear the constant sounds of the close-knit community around us.

But anyway. I was waiting in the trailer, sitting on the edge of the fold up couch that doubled as Mom and Dad's bed, my legs swinging two inches off the floor as I waited impatiently. They were late; which wasn't all that unusual. My Dad could have a conversation with anyone, Mom usually having to drag him forcibly away if they actually had to be anywhere. I was tempted to go out and find them, but that would ruin the surprise, so instead I just sat there, listening to the clock ticking away.

Finally, I heard their familiar voices approaching, lightly arguing about something or other as their shadows grew closer to the door. I tried to hide the fact that I was totally waiting expectantly for them. I don't think that it worked.

"[Hey, son,]" Dad greeted, barely having to take a step inside to be able to reach me and ruffle my hair. He shuffled out of the way and dropped into the chair by the kitchenette so that Mom could step in as well; her eyes immediately settling me as the eyebrow raised.

"[Has something happened?]" she asked in Russian; though I was raised on both languages so I didn't really notice the switch. She studied me, sitting there nervously, hands in my pockets and chewing my lip, jumping to the conclusion that I had somehow managed to get myself in trouble again.

Usually, she wouldn't be wrong. I had a knack for that and a bit of a reputation at Haly's for being 'mischievous'.

I shook my head and grinned. "[Nope!]" I declared proudly, and then dug the crudely wrapped box out of my pocket. "[Happy Birthday Mom!]"

Mom blinked, and then turned to look at Dad who shrugged. He wasn't in on my plan this year. I had picked the present and hid it and wrapped it all by myself. I held it out for Mom to take, her surprise quickly melting into a warm smile. "[You made me something?]"

I just smirked innocently in answer, making Mom's brow furrow again as she carefully tugged at the haphazardly tied ribbon; the paper just falling off after that, revealing a jewellery box. Almost apprehensively, Mom flipped open the lid, and gasped.

"[It's beautiful,]" she whispered quietly. Carefully, she took the gift from it's box; the bracelet that I had picked out for her sparkling in the dull overhead light. It was gold, not just gold plated, the thin band decorated with small robins and tiny red stones. I could tell that Mom loved it; I knew that she would, but then she turned back to Dad again, clearly unsure.

"[Son...]" Dad said, leaning forward to make sure that he had my undivided attention. He gestured at the bracelet in Mom's fingers. "[Where did you get this?]"

I shrugged. "[I bought it.]"

Mom and Dad shared a look, the bracelet going back in the box. "[Where did you get the money?]"

Dad was using that tone he reserved purely for when I had done something very, very wrong, but I couldn't for the life of me figure out why. I shrugged again. "[Working the...mile...?]"

Mom looked confused. Dad looked surprised. "[They still do that?]" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else. And then he shook his head, and slipped off his chair to kneel in front of me. "[Who told you about working the mile?]"

"[I don't know,]" I answered honestly. I had always believed that it was the job of younger kids of Haly's, our way to earn our keep and help the circus until we were old enough to be a part of the show. 'Working the mile' basically meant entertaining the audience before they made it to the Big Top, and stealing a few wallets while we were at it. Yes, stealing was bad, but if it was to help Pop Haly, then it was okay. At least, that's what I had thought.

But the way Dad was looking at me, I was beginning to suspect that that may not be entirely true.

Mom tapped Dad on the shoulder, silently demanding an explanation.

"[Okay,]" Dad said quietly, his voice tinged with something like shame; which just sounded so weird on him. "[When I was your age, son, there was this big kid called Granger. He wasn't very nice, but his dad was Haly's uncle who was in charge back then, so everyone listened to him. He used to tell all us younger kids that the circus was in trouble and that we had to help or it would close down.]"

Dad shot Mom a sideways look and shifted uncomfortably. "[He told us that the only way we could help would be to steal. So we did.]"

This wasn't news to me; I had pretty much been told the same thing and I still didn't quite know what Dad was getting at, but Mom looked stunned. She hadn't been raised in the circus like us; she was brought up in a big house with a rich family and had never wanted for anything (except maybe freedom). Having little to nothing was a new experience for her. One that she took in stride and never sniffed at, but still.

"[At the end of the show, while the adults shut down the tent, all us kids would go to Granger with however much that we had stolen that night,]" Dad continued. "[It wasn't until I was older that I realised that the money never went to the circus. Granger used to share it with the other big kids. We weren't helping Haly's at all.]" He paused, looking me right in the eye. "[Do you understand, son?]"

I stared down at the old carpet and shuffled awkwardly. Yeah, I understood.

"[I know that you thought that you were only trying to help,]" Dad said. He gave my shoulder a squeeze to reassure me that he wasn't mad, but I still felt awful. But it wasn't really because of all the money that I had stolen, even though that I realised now that that was wrong. No, what made me feel guilty was the look on Mom's face as she closed the lid on the bracelet that I had bought for her with that stolen money; my special gift now marred. I had ruined everything.

"[I'm sorry, Mom,]" I sniffled, almost in tears.

Instantly I was wrapped in a hug, Mom squeezing me so tight that I could barely breathe, but with so much love that that didn't matter. And then I was really crying, gripping on to her just as tight in return. "[Don't cry, my little Robin,]" she whispered in my ear. "[It's a beautiful gift, thank you.]"

"Happy birthday Mom," I repeated.

Less than a week later, she was dead. I never saw the bracelet again – I don't know if she returned it or kept it or what. But it was the first and last gift that I ever gave her, and I can only hope that it meant as much to her as it did me.

Fin

Apologies again to anyone I may have offended. Roots has been updated now to account for this mistake; but for those of you who do not wish to re-read: the scene where Bruce and Dick meet for the first time is still the same, however Dick 'works the mile' more out of an act of rebellion than the behavioural norm that I had originally depicted it as.

Also, apparently I don't understand the concept of 'short'. I don't think that this really counted as a drabble as such, but nevermind. I've got a few more ideas for a couple more scenes, so I'm going to leave this story tagged as in progress, though I have no idea when I'll next post. This is the one that really needed to be written; but if anyone has any ideas along the theme of 'first/last' please review or PM and I will give it a go :-)

On another note; the bonus chapter for Roots is now being posted separately as it is turning out to be longer than I had anticipated; and Loyalty is being worked on as we speak and is currently on time for a late October posting date!