DISCLAIMER: I don't own Teen Titans or the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" or any of the characters in it.

Recap:

A town was visible, which slowly emerged from a blur into visibility.

"Where? I can't see a thing," Clarence complained.

Joseph sighed. "Oh, I forgot. You don't have your wings yet. I'll help you out. Concentrate. Are you beginning to see something?"

The blur began to take form, and the story of Richard Grayson's life had begun.

Chapter 2

"And now, please welcome The Flying Graysons!" a voice over the loudspeaker boomed and the crowd cheered as 3 figures emerged onto the trapeze platform. They waved to the crowd but quickly came back to concentration. Eight year-old Richard, also known as Dick, Grayson, looked out at the crowd, excited. His mother ruffled his hair before she prepared for their first performance.

"Who's that?" Clarence asked.

Joseph sighed desparingly. "That right there, is Richard Grayson. Now please, be quiet and just watch."

Richard had been looking forward to this performance for awhile. Although his heart was racing madly and there were butterflies setting flight in his stomach, he couldn't help but feel excited to perform, in front of hundreds of people, the routine he had been practicing over and over, nearly obsessively, until he got it right, to make sure that he didn't mess up. He just couldn't mess up. He wanted to be just like his mom and dad. He looked up to them more than anything.

Richard looked up and saw his dad just across the way on the opposite platform. His father, John Grayson, gave him a small wave and smiled reassuringly. Richard smiled back and took in a deep breath. The noise of the cheering crowd rang in his ears, but he'd trained himself to not let the crowd distract himself.

First, his parents would perform a short introductory routine and he would follow in soon after. His mother and father were supposed to jump across and hold onto each other from the swinging chair attached, and Dick would fly in and 'connect' onto his mother like a chain. He could tell that the performance was just about to start, but as his parents readied themselves, he remembered something that happened earlier that day.

Richard had been in the back of the tent, practicing and stretching. He'd heard voices, and heard an argument going on. Richard's curiosity got the best of him, so he neared closer to where the voices were coming from and hid in the shadows as he listened. At Richard's young age, he couldn't interpret even half of what they were saying, but he heard something about a man threatening the circus's owner about paying extortion money. Of course, he had no idea what extortion meant, but all he knew was that it didn't sound good. He kept listening, only to hear the circus's owner refuse to do what the other man said. He heard footsteps coming closer to where he was standing and eavesdropping on the conversation, so he swiftly ran back to where he was practicing.

Dick wasn't sure if he should tell his parents about what he'd heard earlier, but they had nothing to do with it, so why would he worry about it? He brushed the thought aside as to relax himself and began to focus on his goal: to have a pristine performance. His mother had just sprung off the platform, and he watched his mom and dad with eager eyes as they were about to go to work and do what they did best: acrobatics. His mother grabbed onto her husband, who firmly tangled himself on the trapeze. Richard watched in admiration. His hopes soon died, though, as he heard the blood curdling sound of ropes snapping crisply, and screams from the crowd. He looked back over only to see his parents hurtling to their deaths. Richard panicked and frantically searched for the source of the snapping ropes. His vision blurred and the world was spinning. Tears poured out of his eyes as he numbly watched his parents plunge down the the ground below. He wanted to scream, but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out. His throat dried up and his heart seemed to have stopped beating. He managed to croak, "All...my...fault..." in a hoarse whisper as everything kept on spinning around him and everything went black.

When Richard woke up, he was down on the ground, lying in the dirt. The ringleader said, "He only passed out for a few minutes...he's fine." Richard sat up and a tidal wave of relief swept over him. "I had the worst dream-" he began, but he cut himself off as he realized that everyone looked sorrowful and glanced over across the tent. Richard's heart dropped into the pit of his stomach again, and he followed everyone's gaze. He saw two lifeless bodies, lying with no movement whatsoever. He got up and ran across to them, his legs wobbly and shaky. He began to cry again. It wasn't all a dream at all. It was all real.

He reached his destination and fell to his knees in defeat next to his parents. His throat was tight. He began to bawl like a baby. He cried next to his dead parents, who were once so full of life only a few minutes ago. He felt someone pick him up and slightly drag him away. Richard wiped his eyes and looked up. It was Bruce Wayne.

Richard's eyes widened in amazement as he stared into the eyes of multi-billionaire Bruce Wayne. "I'm sorry, son," Bruce said, swallowing hard. Two medics came by and swiftly pulled Richard's parents corpses onto two stretchers. Richard watched in a trance as they wheeled them away.

Bruce Wayne continued to speak to Richard. "I have decided-" Bruce helped Richard stand up, "to take you in. They were going to send you to a juvenile services system, and I've been there. It's a very cruel place. Instead of locking you up in that place, you will live with me." Richard's eyes began to well up with tears again. "I-I want my-my-mom and dad-back!" he sobbed.

"Yes, I know you do. But they're gone, Richard, and I'm sorry to say it. I can't begin to explain how sorry I am. How many more times must a child lose their parents?" Bruce asked hypothetically. The question hung in the air like floating dust particles. "Now, would you rather come and live with me, or be locked up in some foster care system?" Bruce Wayne queried, looking at Richard inquisitively.

"Live with you, I guess." Bruce put an arm around Richard, who was so short in comparison to himself, and led him off. "I'd say that, my friend, is a very good choice."

"Well, that's an extremely depressing way to begin a story," Clarence declared.

"Yes, yes it is. But Richard is very fortunate for Bruce Wayne to have saved him from that juvenile services system. Things will heal over time," Joseph reasoned.

Bruce Wayne was now Richard Grayson's legal guardian. Richard stepped foot in Bruce's limo hesitantly, and looked back at the circus tent. Ambulances and police cars surrounded the area. A tear streaked down Richard's cheek as he looked back at the sight. He plopped down in the seat as the driver closed the door. He stared in a trance at the floor and took in a deep breath. Everything was all his fault. All his fault. Richard had always blamed everything on himself, and to this day, he never stopped. "All my fault," he mumbled for the second time that day. Bruce looked over at him. "What was that, son?" Richard mumbled again, "Nothing." He turned away from the window and fell asleep. The car ride home was going to be emotional. So all he was going to do was sleep.

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Yay! Chapter 2 is done! I hope you liked it! So sorry it took me a little while. I actually had only a vague idea about what Richard's past was like, so I had to do a little research on the good ol' Internet! PLEASE REVIEW!

Faded Starlight