The next night, Dick slipped quietly into the same room where the picture of his parents was. He sat in the lazy chair again, still studying the scene outside the windows. He wasn't used to staying up as late as he already had, and so his eyes slowly closed, and he drifted to sleep. Not even an hour later, something startled him awake. It was Alfred. He dare not move. He didn't even breathe. Alfred toyed with the Grandfather Clock for a minute, then it opened. Dick's eyes widened. After the butler had returned, and was nowhere in sight or within earshot, Dick crept over to the clock. He fumbled his fingers around, trying to mimic some of Alfred's movements. No luck.
He leaned against the clock slightly as he sighed, and it opened. He fell in, and the door behind him closed. The elevator kept going down, it seemed like it took forever. Bullets of sweat began to form on the young blue-eyed boy's brow. When the elevator stopped, he stepped out into some sort of cave.
Not just a cave, the Bat-cave. "Whoa." is all he could say.
"It's freezing down here." He managed to softly say through his chattering teeth. Every word he said echoed, so he stayed quiet. It didn't help, though. Every step he took echoed. Every breathe that came out as an icy fog was heard throughout the whole stone underground facility. He marveled in awe at all the memorabilia that was spread throughout the second level.
"This. Is. So. Cool." He whispered to himself. He was too amazed and shocked to think about what he would do with his discovery. Then, "Ahh-" Dick was about to scream due to the sudden jolt of his body. Cold, icy leather covered his mouth. The temperature seemed to drop drastically as the color drained from his face. A strong, tight arm wrapped around his stomach, getting tighter. The pressure from the squeeze was almost bone-crushing. His eyes got extremely wide at first reaction, but now they were shut as tight as could be. He didn't want to see whatever it was that had suddenly restrained him. Thoughts raced through his head.
'Zucco
had come for him next.' 'Someone just had to get through him
to get to Bruce.' 'Bruce found out.' 'Another maniac
was on a rampage.'
He was so terrified he almost passed out from the shock. His body was limp. Whatever had grabbed him had taken him so suddenly that he had no time to react. He couldn't fight back. His adrenaline was racing, but he couldn't move. His legs felt like Jello. He could feel his heart beating, and he could've swore he heard it too. He was released, and collapsed to the ground. He didn't stand up, but what he did see when he looked up was... The Batman.
The two just stared at eachother. The Dark Knight's eyes seemed to look right through Dick. Dick's adrenaline was rushing, his brain was telling him to run, but he couldn't. He wouldn't. He couldn't think straight. All he could do was just look at the tall, dark figure. The dark figure just stared back at him. The white slits that had formed in the upper part of Bruce's mask seemed to bore holes into Dick's soul.
He felt like gravity was gluing him to the ground.
All he could do was look into those eyes.
The flashback started: The Flying Graysons were performing their grand finale for Haly's Circus. It was a stunt no one had ever done before. Without a net. Just before the show, Tony Zucco and his brothers had sabotaged the act by cutting the ropes slightly. Only so much that the two acrobats would fall to their deaths when they performed the unimaginable stunt without a net. Dick's mother came to grab him from the swinging bar, but just before she could reach him, she fell.
"Dick..."
The horror in her eyes.
Her hands still reaching towards her only son.
She never looked to the ground. Only at her beloved son.
Dick stared right back at her. His arms outstretching as far as they could.
Useless.
That
day he watched his parents die right in front of his young and
innocent eyes. Tears formed in his eyes as he broke down. All he
could do was cry.
By the time Dick had reentered reality, tears
had formed in his eyes and were falling to the ground in front of
him. Suddenly he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He didn't flinch,
but looked up surprised to see Bruce - not Batman - Bruce, a warm and
sincere smile on his face.
Dick didn't think about what he did next. It was just a reaction. He wrapped his arms around Bruce and cried into his cape. Bruce was not used to this affection, but hugged back.
He held Dick tight.
All he wanted was for Dick not to take the same path as him: living his life for vengeance. Maybe it was because his life had tragically taken the same turn.
They just knelt there for a few minutes. Dick crying; Bruce thinking.
Then, Dick suddenly got up, and Bruce left with him.
Silence.
Neither one of them said a single word.
They rode the elevator back up, and sat in front of the fire for hours staring into the flames as though they could see the ones they had lost and still loved.
