Knightmare
Bruce saw him fall there was know way he could have survived it. He had impacted on two separate balcony rails of the old abandon building on the way down. When he reached where he laid he nearly collapsed in grief. Then he saw it. At first he thought he had been imagining the whole thing then he thought maybe he had gone insane. As if the whole world had come to a complete stop then slugged ahead in slow motion he watched as Dick opened his eyes. His son's body was broken. His arms and legs lay in impossible angles his head tilted wrong, but he was alive. He quickly surveyed the boy he must have broken nearly every bone in body. He had called for police back up but this was not his town there was no love loss between the police and citizens so he could not be sure they would even respond to an anonymous officer down call.
"Don't try to move son help is coming." He looked down at the young Bludhaven police lieutenant
"Bru... Ba....." Dick swallowed his words barely audible
" Don't try to speak son. Please."
"The... boy?
"The... boy is fine he went running off down the ally way."
Dick stared up at the man whom had been his strength when it seemed nothing could hold him together. He had also been the sum of the reasons for his need to fall apart. But everything the man had done he had truly intended to do out of love. Not spite. It wasn't long before Dick realized he couldn't move it was difficult at best to try to talk. Only his eyes moved with out difficulty. He watched as Bruce gently hovered over him. He could only see his head movements imagining what Bruce was looking at. He knew how to survey a body he new where the hands should be if he were doing the same thing. He was paralyzed from the neck down.
"Brucccce.." he could hear the words as they hissed from his lips.
"Dick, please be still. Everything will be OK I promise. Just hang on."
"Nooo, ...plllleaase." Dicks eye seem to fill in the words he had not yet said.
Batman removed his cowl his eye where already red with tears. "Dick your alive. That's all that matters."
"Not.....li...ve." Dick hissed with all the effort he could muster. "this...s... not ...life."
Bruce turned quickly stepping away and yelling into the transmitter. "For God sake Barbara call someone! Get me an ambulance NOW."
"Take .. care of her..." Dick's eyes now also filled with tears. "Never let her forget I loved... her."
"Dick your alive. You can tell her just hang in there."
"Bruce ...hold ... me"
"No son I can't ..." He knew if he moved Dick at all his neck would completely break and Dick would die. What was worse is he knew that Dick knew it as well.
"Not...llike..this. Am... dead...hold ... me."
Bruce turned away again. His head filled with memories of a little boy who Flew into his life the most vibrant healthy and athletic boy he knew and again he watched as he grew from boy to man always moving always laughing always... always alive. Oh God he was right he would never survive living like this it would kill him slowly painfully.
Bruce kneeled down at his son. "I .... I...can't."
"Put ... on ... the mask..."
"No."
"Put... on the ... Masssk." Dick repeated his eyes seemed to smile as if he knew something Bruce didn't. Bruce slowly donned his cowl.
"I love you. Son."
Dick smiled up at him. "I know.... I love you Two....too."
With tears streaming out of his eyes Batman carefully put his arms around his broken son and lifted him in to his arms.
He had gently cradled his head but it was no use. A snap and a hiss of air and it was all over.
Batman was no longer innocent could no longer confront the dark world as a Vigilante he had broken his own rule and killed a man. His son.
