A/N- This is a Christmas present for my dear friend schubskie. It has major whump... Absolute major angst... Angsty, head trauma Robin, everyone's favorite holiday dish! I hope you enjoy it. ^_^
(The team knows Robin's ID.)
"Why do we fall?"
Blood was everywhere. It coated the floors in a slick filmy mess and the walls in horrifying, smudged hand prints. The room was wet in places, dry in others, but with both, the rustic stench of the liquid filled the nostrils of the room's only inhabitant.
The boy, sixteen at the most, sat with his back against the wall. A fresh cut ran across his forehead, adding to the already staggering amount of bodily fluids in the room. His breathing was shallow, a few ribs were broken, his dark black was plastered to his head with a fevered sweat, but he was very much alive. Not many people who had been in that room in the past could claim the same. It was quite the achievement on his part, even though the boy didn't see it much as an honor.
He was alone, disarmed, and cold. He was injured, sick, and tired. He was being held prisoner in his city, his playground. His hope of a rescue was close to being extinguished with the ones who would miss him most likely away on various missions. Not to mention, it was only a matter of time before his captors would return and rip off his mask, reveal his face to the criminal underworld, and make his carefully constructed persona come crashing down. He wasn't in hell, but if there happened to be more lighting, he could probably see it from there.
The worst part of the whole ordeal was that he deserved it. A civilian had died, and not just an average stranger on the street. He knew this girl. They had sat next to each in English for two years. They were friends, and he had let her die. He wasn't fast enough to save her. She saw too much. Wrong place, wrong time. That's what they had said when they gunned her down. All he could do was watch.
Robin had made rookie mistake, trusting he could always catch himself before he fell off an edge, but not this time. He shouldn't have challenged the Marvelli's alone. He should have waited for Bruce to return home before attempting to stop their holiday drug shipment. He should have listened to Wally's protests concerning his going out by himself. He should have paid more attention. If he had, maybe a girl might have been home for the holidays. Robin can't save everyone, he knows this better than anyone, but he should have saved her.
At the moment, his live was full of 'should have.'
Closing his eyes, he rested his head against the concrete wall of his cell. His breaths continued being shallow, and his head continued pounding as he thought of a hundred different places he would rather spend his Christmas.
With Bruce and Alfred at Wayne Manor.
Maybe with the growing number of residents at Mount Justice.
The annual, stuffy Christmas party at Wayne Enterprises.
With Wally.
Robin let out a pained whimper. He clenched his eyes tighter, almost to the point where his vision was completely void of light. He shifted his position a little, hoping to ease the pain, but was rewarded with a flash of agony from his torso, leaving a sharp throb were it had traveled.
"Oh how the mighty have fallen." A voice taunted, causing Dick to jump. His injuries crying out in protest. "Look at you. The one and only Boy Wonder. " It continued.
Robin jerked his head up. In the dim light cast from the solitary hanging bulb on the ceiling, he could see the blood, the state of himself, but no one was will him in his prison. Must be an intercom, he thought to himself.
"It looks like the old saying's wrong. It looks like you can fall hard whether big or small. Enjoy your last hours, Boy Wonder. This looks like it will be your final Christmas." The voice stated before falling silent, leaving him alone once more.
Tears pooled in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Had he really fallen? Weren't Robin's supposed to fly? Or was it just his concussion making him question himself? He was tired of questions. More importantly he was tired of questions he didn't want the answers to. Frankly, he was just tired.
"Dick."A voice that sounded suspiciously like Wally's filled his ears, cutting through his dark thoughts like a knife. His head trauma was worse than he had originally thought, he was starting to hear voices. That was far from a good sign.
"Dick!" It repeated.
"Wally." He whispered back to the voice. He knew he was alone. He knew Wally wasn't with him, but he couldn't help himself. He need someone there. Anyone.
"You've gotta get up." Wally's disembodied voice instructed.
"Can't" He mumbled and he leaned his head back to its position on the wall, closing his eyes once more.
"Why not?"
"Hurt. I messed up Wally." He mumbled.
"Everyone does once in awhile. That's how life works. That doesn't mean you get to give up."
"Not the same. Somebody died this time. S'my fault."
"No its not."
"It's all my-"
"Stop! The Richard I know wouldn't let that get to him. He knows better than that."
Dick didn't respond. He didn't know how. His head was too murky to do the deep thinking required in sorting out what voice-Wally had said. Silence fell once more.
"Wally." He called out to the voice. "Wally!" His cry was met with no response. Panic raced through him. He couldn't be alone again. He didn't want to be alone on Christmas.
But then he heard it. "Hey Dick." Dick almost cried in relief. "Do you remember that thing you used to tell me every time I ran too fast and fell on my ass. You said Bruce used to tell you the same thing. You said it always made you remember why falling was okay, even though your parents..." Wally left the rest of that sentence unsaid, but before Dick could respond, he started up again. "Every time I fell. You held out your hand to me and said, 'Wally, do you know why we fall?' Do you remember what you said?"
"I-I-" Dick stuttered.
"Dick, answer the question. Why do we fall?"
"S-so we can learn to pick ourselves up."
"Pick yourself up, Boy Wonder." Wally demanded. "I'll be there in less than a minute, and I expect a smile on your face."
"What?"
"You go missing on Christmas day, and you didn't think I wouldn't come looking for you. I'm hurt. I spent a good thirty minutes arranging this rescue OP, and you didn't think we'd show. I'm so not feeling the love."
"You're here?"
"There's no way I'd let you be alone, especially on today. Thirty more seconds, Dick. I'm almost there."
"Thank you."
"There's no need to thank me. Oh, and Dick."
"Yeah?" Dick responded just the door to his cell burst open to reveal Wally's bright red hair and the yellow of his uniform.
"Merry Christmas."
"So we can learn to pick ourselves up." - Batman Begins
A/N- Oh that was so lame all over the place, but I tried. Also, yes that was a mind link brought to you by Megan. Yes, she heard everything. Is that the point? NO. Please do not poke holes in my Christmas present. (PS - I didn't proof read... So there!)