DARK KNIGHT MEETS BOY WONDER: REIMAGINING THE ORIGIN OF ROBIN

(NOTE: The following fan-made story is a reimagining of the origins of DC character Robin. Please do not consider this story as the characters' true origin. Although most elements of this story are borrowed from the Batman comic books themselves, some are borrowed from numerous Batman media such as TV shows and movies, and some elements were made by the author himself to avoid making the story a simplistic, one-sided retelling of Robin's origins.)

Chapter One: BRUCE WAYNE

I'm Bruce Wayne. Most of you know me as a billionaire, head of Wayne Enterprises. But I wasn't like this before. My parents were murdered in an alleyway when I was a child. I was forced to live as an orphan, my parents' butler Alfred decided to be my guardian. He raised me, and supported me when I wanted to assume the identity of the Batman. I became Batman, in order to rid the world of evil. Now, I bet you're wanting to hear more about my "origin", who killed my parents, my life as a troubled child. But, I'll save that for another time.

I'm a grown man now, running my father's "empire". When the sun sets, I become a crimefighter. I am vengeance, I am the night. I am the Batman.

But no running around as Batman tonight. Tonight, I've decided to take a "night off" and take the lovely Vicki Vale out on a date. She's a reporter for the Gotham Gazette. We've been dating for a few months now, and I've never gone this steady this long for a while. So much for billionaire playboy. Nah, I kid. Vicki's just perfect.

We've decided to go to Haly's Circus, and see the world-famous acrobat family, The Flying Graysons.

"LAAADIIIEEESSS AND GEEENTLEEEMEEEN…. The Flying GRAAAAYSOOOONS!" the announcer overdoes it. What do you expect? It's a circus, anyway. I see Vicki staring right at me with a weird look in her face. I flash a smile. She must think I'm talking to myself again. You're making it too obvious, Bruce.

The Flying Graysons are unbelievable. Especially the young boy, Dick. I'm amazed that a boy his age can leap that high. It's obvious the boy has no fear. Wait, what's going on? The boy lands on his feet, but his parents seem to be in trouble. Oh my God! The boy's parents! There must have been some trouble with their platform. This is serious. Medics need to check on the boy's parents. "Bruce, what's going on?" Vicki asks me as she tightly holds her hand. I don't answer her. She's terrified enough.

A twelve year old boy witnessed the death of his parents in front of his eyes. I know what must be going on in his mind. He might not be able to sink it in for a few days. I feel sorry for him. I know what it's like. I've been there. It feels like Hell.

The parents, John and Mary Grayson. What could they have done to deserve their demise? I attended their funeral, I was seated at the back row. It was a real pain to see the kid looking at his parents being buried. He wasn't crying, but there were tears streaming down his cheeks. He need not hide his pain, I thought to myself. He's a brave boy.

After, I approach him, and ask him if he wanted to stay at my house for a few days. His eyes lit, amidst all the tears, he looked up to me with a smile, teeth shining, af if he's seen a guardian angel. He didn't hesitate, and he accepted the offer, after all, either he'd stay at my place or at the adoption home.

"Well, this is it, Dick." I finished giving him a tour of Wayne Manor. His mouth is still wide open. "AWESOME!" Dick jumps around and runs all over the place. He's a twelve year old kid, that's understandable. Though I wonder whether he got over with his parents' deaths or whether he's just masking his depression. He need not hide his fear, I thought to myself.

Dinner.

"Excuse me, Dick. I've got some very important business to take care of." "Can I come?" "No, you can't. Sorry. Very important business." I move away from the dining table. The very important business I was referring to was the Batcave, I had to continue my research. There's been a robbery at Gotham Bank.

I check the Bat-computer, though no information I've collected seems to be of any use. I've decided to visit the bank myself.

I'm at the bank, and I ask the police for details about the robbery. "Well, Batman. Almost three million dollars were stolen. Security cameras had weak reception during the time of the robbery." Interesting story, but the identity of the robber remains a mystery.