I'm not really doing this in any particular order. This chapter is about episode 24 – Performance.
Compared to the last chapter this one is going to be quite short, but I hope you like it anyway…
Don't own any characters
BRUGES
December 22
"Dames en heren! Mesdames et messieurs! Ladies and Gentleman! Welcome to the Haly International Traveling Circus, where the world of the centre ring is your oyster."
For some time now, the international Traveling circus had been a suspect to a number of thefts accoutred all over Europe. Once Dick had learned that is old home and in a way his family was somehow linked to the crimes and was threatened to shut down as a result, he knew he had to do something.
Of course Batman couldn't know about this. This was his family and his problem to deal with. He couldn't expect Batman to always solve his problems for him, Dick felt already like a burden and didn't want to be any more trouble for his mentor.
Robin wasn't stupid. Deceiving Batman was going to be almost impossible and required an insane amount of luck and good timing, but eventually he managed to talk to his team when Batman was busy with a justice league mission.
Unfortunately for Dick, Batman was clever enough to figure out what his ward was doing. He knew what Dick was going to do before the boy himself new, but he was also very understanding. He knew the reason why the boy chose to go undercover in the circus. He was however also disappointed that he didn't asked Bruce for help, or even chose to tell him about his plan.
On the other hand he did have go to the team for help and even though he claimed that the mission was ordered by Batman, Bruce pretended he knew nothing about it.
This could turn out to be a dangerous mission, but as long as Dick wasn't going in alone Bruce stayed back just observed form a distance.
Dick had felt a strange feeling of nostalgia as he entered the big tent once again. He had snuck away from his group to have a little alone time in the place he once called his home. Slowly he walked into the centre of the large ring and looked up high into tent top. Dangling in the dark you could just see the trapeze swinging in a slow motion as if somebody had just used it.
Closing his eyes Dick could remember the voices of the audience as they shouted out in joy when they saw his family perform on the trapeze. He could almost feel the hand of his father running through his dark locks when he successfully managed to do a quadruple flip and land safely back on the platform. He could practically see his mother's smile as she and her husband once again swung on the trapeze bar for the final art of the evening and he could clearly see the wires –
Snap
Opening his eyes, Dick could still see his parents falling, hear the clashing of their bodies with the floor… their blood… their lifeless eyes… staring back at him
Everything was spinning and suddenly Dick found himself on the flow, little droplets of water running down his cheeks and falling down onto the dusty ground.
"Robin" The voice sounded loud in the large empty tent and Dick turned quickly sending his head spinning again. He saw a girl standing in the entry and for a hopeful second he thought she might be his mother, before he realised that was impossible.
"Megan?"
"Are you alright, Robin? He have been gone for a while." Slowly Megan came closer. She saw a one of his tears before he wiped it away with his sleeve but chose to say nothing about it.
"We have our first performance tonight, are you sure you are well enough to do it? Maybe you have caught that flu everybody seem to be having."
"Don't worry. I just- thought about- never mind. We should go get ready for tonight."
Putting on a smile, Dick walked u0p to Megan and they left the tent in order to prepare for the evening.
"Dames en heren! Mesdames et messieurs! Ladies and Gentleman! Welcome to the Haly International Traveling Circus, where the world of the centre ring is your oyster."
Dick had felt uneasy ever since the begging of the show. First he thought it might still be from his earlier breakdown, but he quickly realised that his body was simply tired and drained of energy.
Maybe Megan had been right about the flu thing… he thought as he once again leaped onto the bar and prepared for the next flip after which he would be caught my Megan.
He knew he wouldn't make it as soon as he had released the bar and he was right. He missed Megan's outstretched hand by an inch. A second later he found himself falling.
He heard Megan call out his name… just like his mother had done as they fell…
Looking up to her he saw her get smaller and smaller as he plummeted closed to the ground.
This was what his parents saw and felt in their last moments. He saw what they saw, felt the same feeling they felt…
And for a moment he was sure he was going to die just like they had.
Bruce was proud of Dick, he always had been, ever since he had come into his life. He remembered the day well on which Dick had lost his parent in such a cruel way. That day he had been sitting in the audience, watching the family as they performed.
He had also met the Grayson family before the show and immediately liked the joyful family.
Unfortunately, their fall came so quickly there was nothing Bruce could do about it. All he had time for was watch as Dicks parents fell to their doom.
Bruce had become Batman so no child would ever have to suffer from the same loss as he had, but that night Batman was too late.
The fact that Dick had moved on form his loss and was happily performing again made Bruce very proud.
Without his wards knowledge he had come to Europe and bought himself a ticked to this night's performance. Once again he was seated between many people from around the globe who had come to watch. With a large smile he watched as Dick leaped from bar to bar, showing the world his flexibility.
He was happy for his son, until –
He fell.
Bruce relived a sudden and all too familiar sense of déjà vu. Only this time the boy who fell to his death was important to him. He knew and loved this child and once again there was nothing he could possibly do.
He knew he could reach him in time, he knew could never be fast enough, but out of a desperate reflex he stood up and tried to move forward even though there was a mass of people he had to go through.
His eyes never left Dick and he watched as he came too close to the ground for his liking before Superboy saved his life.
By throwing up a barrel he propelled the boy wonder back to the top where he was once again caught by Megan.
Since he had a constant eye on the boy he could see the few inches Megan had levitated him to safety, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Once Dick was safely back on the platform, Bruce sank back into his chair. He was exhausted, adrenalin flooding his body from being exposed to his deepest fear.
If Dick would have died, Bruce would have lost a very important part of his life. He saw Dick and his team retreat back behind stage as the next act entered the stage and Bruce was feeling the desperate need to go see his son and hold him close, just to reassure himself he really is alive.
But that would also mean revealing to Dick that he had followed his activity and 'spied' on him. And Bruce new how much Dick hated to be treated like a child which constantly needed supervision. So instead he slowly left the tent, even though the show hadn't fully ended yet.
Looking back once, he hoped that Dick could pull himself together for the rest of his mission. He trusted the boy and he also trusted his team to keep his little boy alive. Whatever would come, he knew they could handle themselves.
And here we have another chapter done.
I know it was sort of short, but I only imagined what it would be like for Dick to be in the same position as his parents were. ( I mean when I saw that episode I was shocked that Dick was put through the experience of being in his parent position… it must be terrifying to be in that déjà vu position…)
Plus I wondered how Bruce would react if he knew that Dick was about to fall to his death… just like his parents had.
Anyway, please give me improvement suggestions. I can't help but feel that something is awkward about my writing style… I just can't but my finger on it.
Thanks for reading.
(ohh and one more thing… I didn't to a spelling check in this chapter… please excuse any spelling mistakes you may find….)
