Once

By: Coat

Rating: PG for thematic elements.

Spoilers: Up to and including Haunted.

Summery: Post-Haunted character study/vignette of Robin.

Disclaimer: Teen Titans, Dick Grayson/Robin, Bruce Wayne/Batman, Slade, Barbara Gordan/Batgirl, Raven, Jump City, Wayne Manor, etc, are licensed property of DC Comics and Cartoon Network. This is a fan work, and no profit is being made from the use of these characters.

I remember a time when it only took once of not acting fast enough that deprived me the people I loved most. I remember learning that there was nothing I could do to earn a second chance, that we only had once.

I remember sitting there, waiting for Him to come home. I remember thinking that all it would take would be once – He would never come home and I'd loose another father.

I remember when I got older, and had Him convinced I was good enough. I remember him telling me that all it took was once. I remember learning that it just took once, to make the difference to hundreds of people – or to one person. I remember what happened to Barbara, remember that driving home the lesson that even if you weren't careless that it only took once.

I remember leaving Wayne Manor, to come out here to Jump City. I remember my teammates, my responsibilities to them, knowing that it would only take once to drive them apart. It would only take once to get them all killed. It would only take once to get myself killed. Once, now that He no longer protected from the wings.

Last night was almost my once. Raven told me that I could have died, could have killed myself. What I did to the team – it should have been my once, but some mysterious fate decided no, that it was not yet time for my Once.

Or maybe, the same power decided that I could have my once – and also my twice.