I forgot to mention in the first chapter that this story is an AU. I'm sure that you've figured that out but I still wanted to clarify. Now enjoy the show.

"Mr. and Mrs. Grayson, thank you for coming." The doctor said as he shook John's hand. "I want to let you know that when Richard was admitted, he was a bit malnourished and his body bore evidence of abuse." The doctor led the parents through a few corridors of the hospital.

"What do you mean abuse? Are you saying that someone hurt him?" Mary asked.

"Yes and by the looks of it, it had been going on for some time."

"Was any of that… was any of the abuse, uh, sexual?" John asked hesitantly.

"We found no evidence of sexual abuse but we can't be sure." The doctor replied.

They turned down one last hallway and the doctor stopped at the fifth door on the right. "I do want to prepare you, Richard hasn't said a word about what happened to him. He may not be the same boy that you lost."

John and Mary nodded and the doctor quietly opened the door. They barely registered the door closing behind them as they stared teary-eyed at the preteen sitting on a chair in the far corner. His back was to the wall and he stared intently at the two people who entered the room. He knew who they were but his face held no emotion.

John and Mary couldn't take their eyes off of him. He was so much older than they remember but his hair was just as shiny, he was just as skinny, and his eyes were just as blue. Mary couldn't stop the tears from flowing when she saw her baby's eyes. God, how see missed see them.

No one moved for a while when Mary let out a whisper. "Oh my little robin." She cried as she pulled Dick into a hug. An emotion flashed on his face for a moment but it swiftly disappeared. Another appeared when Mary hugged him and he stiffened. John did his best to hold back his tears but the moment his wife hugged their boy, he couldn't hold it anymore. He soon joined her with tears of his own. Dick wasn't used to all this affection and touching and it was making him very uncomfortable. He really wanted it to stop. As if reading his mind, John and Mary pulled away and wiped their eyes.

Mary smiled at her son, who didn't smile back. He had barely shown any emotion when they arrived and that worried her a little bit. "How are you?" she asked flinching slightly as that question sounded a little awkward after all of that.

"Fine." Dick replied.

"Are you sure?" John pressed.

"Yes," Dick said. He turned to Mary. "Can we go home?" he asked.

Mary smiled. "Of course sweetie."

BREAKLINE

The cab was completely silent and the drive to the fairgrounds was uneventful and a little tense. John and Mary was a little nervous about how Dick would react being back at the circus after seven years. On the flight to Seattle, they had try to initiate a conversation to see how Dick was feeling, but the boy was completely cut off. Most of the questions he ignored and the ones he did answer was graced with only one word.

As they neared the fairgrounds, Dick could see the tops of tents. His eyes were immediately drawn to the biggest. It red and white coloring cause a small feeling of excitement and familiarity to grow inside of him. He had seen that tent many times in both dreams and nightmares. The cab rolled to a stop just outside the entrance. Dick didn't wait for John to finish paying that man as he stepped out of the car. A breeze ruffled his hair as he gazed up at the huge sign that read Haley's Circus in bright colors and fun calligraphy. Dick stiffed as Mary suddenly grabbed his arm. "Welcome home, honey." She whispered into his ear.

The circus was completely devoid of life, which put Dick on edge. Tonight was a show night. Where were all the people, the customers, the crew members, the roustabouts? As they approached the Big Top, he could hear the faint sound of shuffling behind the red and white cloth. John pulled back the flap and they were greet a wave of applause and cheers. Startled, Dick took a step back and nearly dropped into a defensive crouch but stopped himself. There was too much noise and too many people. It was too much.

John tried to push him forward but he wouldn't budge. He gazed fell over all of the faces present, a few of them ignited a spark of recognition. He recognized Phil, the strongman, Anita, the fortuneteller, and of course, Jack Haley. There were a few roustabouts and performers that he didn't recognize. There was a small group the stood in front of the rest and something in his chest pulled at the sight of them. Aunt Karla, Uncle Rick and Johnny were cheering the loudest. In Aunt Karla's arms sat a boy of about five years old that he had never seen before but felt as if he knew him.

Mary gently pushed against his back and this time he moved. Aunt Karla gave him a tight, one-armed hug as the boy was till in her arms. When she let go, he was tackled into a bear hug from Uncle Rick which lifted him off the ground. He panicked slightly and had to desperately hold on to the instinct the fight his way out of the hold. As his feet returned to solid ground again, John came at him and attempted to put him into a head-lock. Dick twisted out of his grip and had to, once again, squish the instinct to drop into a defensive stance.

Hurt flashed through Johnny's eyes but it was banished with a smile. "It's so good to see you! You've gotten taller." He commented.

"Of course he has, it's been seven years since we've seen the kid. He's thirteen, almost a man now." Uncle Rick said with a mixture of pride and sadness.

Dick said nothing as he stared at the little boy in Aunt Karla's arms, who stared back with a thoughtful expression for a five year old. Mary followed her son's gaze. She smiled as she took the boy from her sister-in-law. "Dick, this is Alex. He's your little brother." She turned to Alex. "Alex, this is your big brother, Dick. Say hi."

"Hi," Alex repeated giving him a shy smile and wave.

Dick didn't return the greeting. His eyes roamed over the boy, taking in every detail. He was rather small for a five year old with ebony black hair and icy blue eyes that seemed to stare into his soul. He was really nothing remarkable. He didn't know why-

"Dick."

It took him a moment to realize they were calling his name. His eyes focused on John, the one who been calling him. "You must be hungry. Stella should have dinner waiting." He placed his hand on his upper back to guide him to their destination. Dick did his best to ignore the annoying appendage as they all headed to dinner.