Chapter 4

They had finished dinner and moved back into the den by the time Dick was about to start on his most recent Slade encounter and he had to take a moment to steel himself before beginning the story.

Bruce used the moment to reflect on the emotional rollercoaster Dick had just taken him on. His reactions to the various stories had ranged from amazement to horror and to sadness, but most of all Bruce couldn't help but feel a swelling pride in his chest at how well Dick seemed to have been leading his team. Second to that feeling though was an anger that burned in the pit of his stomach. It was like a fire that grew hotter every time Slade came back into the story, and that happened often. All Bruce wanted to do was find that asshole and show him exactly what happens when you mess with Batman's Robin. Bruce was also worried about Dick. He had seen a rage burning in his son's eyes, not unlike the rage he himself felt toward the Joker, when he spoke of how Slade had used him and his friends to further his own ambitions. It wasn't the anger that bothered Bruce, that was to be expected, but it was the fact that Dick seemed to be dealing with in the same manner Bruce himself did and that was not good. One of the main reasons why Bruce had taken Dick in in the first place was specifically so that he would not end up like Bruce, now Bruce was beginning to feel as if he was watching exactly that begin to happen. He needed to put a stop to it as soon as possible.

His musings were cut off as he heard Dick sigh deeply and he looked up to see that Dick had pulled his legs up against his chest with his arms wrapped around his legs and his chin resting on his knees.

Dick took a deep breath to steady the emotions that were building up again before starting to speak again, "Even though I saw Slade fall into that pit of lava the fact that we hadn't been able to find any evidence of his remains still bothered me, it was always at the back of my mind, you know? I need more evidence than just a mask and some of his toys before I can really believe that he's gone. You get that, right?" he looked up to stare at Bruce with pleading eyes, he needed to know that he wasn't the only one who couldn't just let things go.

Bruce nodded begrudgingly, fully aware that if it had been the Joker then it would have bothered him exactly how Slade was bothering Dick.

Dick's shoulders sagged a little in relief at that and he let out a small sigh before carrying on, "So about a week ago I was monitoring the city. I told myself that I was just looking out for any criminal activities, but I was really looking for Slade. It was pretty late; everyone else had gone to sleep and Cyborg had come to turn on the defence systems, and to tell me to get some rest, but my mind was too busy for sleep that night. I don't know why but Slade was really bothering me that night, so I went down to the basement to go over the evidence we had on him again. Then when I picked up his mask it released some kind of dust, it must have been laced with some kind new fear toxin strain because what came after," Dick shuddered at the memory before looking up at Bruce again, "Do you remember a few years back when I got hit with the 'day terrors' strain?"

This time it was Bruce who shuddered, how could he forget? The 'day terrors' strain had caused his son to see horrible visions, but they came and went randomly and where Dick was asleep or awake. In the end Dick had constantly been questioning everything that was going on around him because the visions hit him so suddenly and so powerfully that he couldn't tell that it was nothing more than a vision until Bruce had been able to snap him out of it. It had taken him days to stop questioning his reality after Bruce had given him the cure.*

Dick saw Bruce's reaction and took it as a positive answer before carrying on, "Cyborg had come down and was just telling me to let Slade go when we got an alert. Cinderblock was attacking something; I honestly can't remember what exactly, so we went to stop him. It wasn't as easy fight and I ended up getting thrown off the road and into the forest below… and that's when I saw him: Slade. I chased him into the forest and I tried to fight him but I couldn't lay a hand on him; he was moving so fast and just disappearing and then reappearing behind me and hitting me before I could react. He told me that he had planted earthquake generators at critical points in the city and that together they would cause an earthquake strong enough to break the city in half.

"He disappeared just before the others found me, they were sceptical about whether or not I had actually seen Slade at first, but they believed me after I told them about his plan. So I sent Beast Boy, Cyborg and Raven to find the generators while Starfire and I searched for Slade. After a while the other's called in to tell me that they couldn't find anything and I got so frustrated, Bruce. Slade told me exactly where he placed the generators so I told them exactly where to look but they still couldn't find anything! I thought they just weren't looking hard enough… then I saw Slade again and chased after him and when he stopped to fight me it was the same as before; I couldn't land even a glancing blow but he kept hitting me. It was like fighting you only about a hundred times worse. Then he ran when Starfire caught up with me, he ran right toward her and I shouted at her to stop him but she didn't do anything and he ran right past her. I was so angry, Bruce, I grabbed her arm and screamed at her… I could see the tears in her eyes, but I didn't care, all I wanted to know was why she had let him run right past her," Dick was staring at his feet in shame as a wave of guilt for how he had treated her washed over him and caused tears to spring into his eyes, he swiped at them before carrying on, "And then she said that he hadn't seen anybody there and I… I just couldn't understand it. I saw and heard him with my own eyes and ears and I sure as heck felt it when he hit me. So I just told her to go meet the others while I carried on the search.

"I went back to his old haunt, where he had been staying when he made me his apprentice, and I found him and we fought again, but it was much worse that time; he really beat the crap out of me and he kept telling me how soft I had gotten in his absence, that I was weak and that I would never be able to beat him… and he was right. I couldn't beat him, I couldn't even lay a finger on him; all I could do was let him hit me and throw me around like doll and I couldn't do anything to stop him.

"When the others found me there he disappeared again as soon as Starfire lit the place up and then, instead of being greatful to them for saving my butt, because if they hadn't found me I probably wouldn't have made it, I got angry at them for not looking for the generators. They all swore that there weren't any generators and that they hadn't seen Slade fighting me or going past them because they had come through the only entrance and then they insisted that Slade couldn't be real and, well, I didn't take that very well. I threatend to take down anyone who got in my way of stopping Slade, which included me. So they did the only thing they could think of: they knocked me out before I could do anything stupid." Dick looked up again to see a dark look cross Bruce's face and quickly sprang to his team mates' defence, "They did the right thing, Bruce. If they hadn't gotten me out of the city... I don't know what I would have done, and I was exhausted physically, mentally, emotionally and all other kinds of exhausted. I wasn't even thinking rationally anymore."

"That doesn't exactly make me feel better about it, Dick, but I can see why it was necessary." Bruce said, shooting Alfred, who was listening to the story intently in the background as he dusted the things he had dusted earlier that day already.

Dick, satisfied that Bruce wasn't planning on hunting his friends down or anything like that, nodded before carrying on, "I woke up in the medical bay, restrained to the bed. I could hear them talking outside the door but I didn't really pay attention to what they were saying, you know how much I hate being restrained, and then suddenly he was there in the medical bay with me and he was coming towards we with something that was crackling with electricity and I knew I had to get out of there and I did. I don't know how I did it, just that one moment I was tied down and the next I was free. Slade went up into the ventalation shaft that was above us and I turned on the tower's quarantine protocol, so that nothing could get in or out, and then I followed after him again.

"I couldn't find him and I couldn't understand where he had gone and then suddenly Raven made mental contact with me. I tried to warn her that Slade was there but she told me that there was something wrong with my heart, that I was in danger because of that and that Slade wasn't in the tower, but he had to be, I had seen him. So she asked me to let her see through my eyes and I let her, I needed to know that I wasn't loosing it. I had a couple of flashbacks as she came all the way into my mind; my vow as Robin, my... parents," the word came out as barely a whisper but his voice grew stronger again as he continued, "A few random flashes of Slade, and then suddenly I was calm as her mind flooded mine and she tried to show me that Slade wasn't there and I almost believed her... but then he was right there and he hit me and suddenly Raven, and the calm she had brought with her, was gone. What followed is kind of a blur. I don't know how, but somehow we ended up in the basement and he threw me down the stairs and he kept beating me and I was too weak to even try to dodge his attacks, and I begged, Bruce I begged him to stop, just stop, but he just laughed at me and carried on. It felt almost as bad as that time Two-Face nearly killed me, if not worse,"

Dick was so lost in recollection now that he didn't notice the way Bruce was leaning forward like all he wanted to do was hold Dick and never let him out of his sight again but was holding back as if he knew that Dick wouldn't react well to it right then, or that Alfred seemed to be fighting the same urge that Bruce was

"And then... and then it all suddenly fell into place. How he kept disappearing every time there was lighting, because it was storming that night, and how no one else could see him and I suddenly knew he wasn't real. I mean I was bruised and battered but I didn't even have a scratch and then he said something. He said, 'I am the thing that keeps you up at night. The evil that haunts every dark corner of your mind.' and that's when I realised that I only ever saw him in the dark. I was right by the light switch then so I pulled myself up to it and turned the lights on and then he was gone. Just like that. Then Starfire found me and I passed out.

"I woke up in the medical bay again, unrestrained this time, the lights were on and they were all there. Cyborg told me that they had found a chemical reagent in my system that had attacked my central nervous system but he had synthesised a cure and that I was clear of it and I turned the lights off and everything to be sure and it seemed like Cyborg's cure worked. I haven't seen Slade while I was awake since then."

"Oh, Dicky." Bruce moaned, unable to fight the urge to comfort his son anymore and crossing the couch that Dick had curled himself up on and pulling him into a tight embrace, "It's ok, kiddo, it's all over now."

To Bruce's great dismay Dick shook his head, "No... that's why... why I had to come back. That night I was so exhausted that I didn't even dream, but every night since then... every night I've had nightmares about him. It's usually just a repeat of all the beating and the taunting, but in different locations; some times in the forest or in his old haunt or in the basement, but he's there every time I close my eyes and go to sleep. That's why," he looked up at Alfred, "I didn't want to go to sleep earlier... because I was afraid... but then I did fall asleep and I had that dream..."

"The one you were having before I woke you up?" Bruce asked

Dick nodded against Bruce's shoulder.

"Okay, tell me about it chum."

Dick took in a deep, shaky breath again, "I don't actually remember much of it. I just remember you handing me over to Slade and telling him to do whatever he wants with me and- and then when I- when I begged you to come back, to not le-leave me with Sl-Slade you turned around and told me that should n-never have c-come back and that I was never worthy-" unable to carry on Dick descended into broken sobs as Bruce tightened his hold on his son as he tried and failed to stop his own tears, brought on by the heartbreaking way in which his son was crying

"No, Dicky, no! I would never ever do something like that to you I promise. I promise, kiddo." Bruce swore so vehemently that it made Dick choke on a sob

"I'm sorry," Dick cried, "I just- I-I-"

"Hush, kiddo, you have nothing to apologise for and, look at me for a second," Bruce placed two fingers under Dick's chin and levered his face up and looked intently into the deep blue eyes that were still leaking a steady stream of tears, "I am so, so glad that you came back and you will always be more than worthy to me."

"But then- you fired me, Bruce, why?"

"I know, I know I did, Dick, but that wasn't because I thought you were unworthy! It was because I was being stupid and over protective and I was scared that something would happen to you and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if something did, Dick... it didn't take me long to realise that I was wrong but you were gone by the time I did so I couldn't tell you that I hadn't meant it."

"You couldn't just pick up the phone and call me?" Dick asked, as he accepted the glass of water that had magically appeared on a tray in Alfred's hands.

"You left your phone behind Dick."

"Oh, right... but I think that once Titans' Tower went up it was pretty obvious where to find me."

"I didn't think you'd want to see me, Dick. I thought I could get by just knowing where you were and by keeping track of what you and your team were doing in Jump City," Bruce said, "I know I was wrong now."

"I was wrong too, Bruce, I should have gotten over myself and come to you after he forced me to be his apprentice. Heck I should have found some way to send you an S.O.S when he had me steal from you but I was afraid that you didn't want to see me either and... and we're both idiots aren't we?"

Bruce couldn't help but chuckle, "Yeah, Dick, we are, but you're hear now and I intend to do everything in my power to help you to lay Slade to rest."

Bruce felt Dick slump with relief, "Thanks... dad."


AN: I got the 'day terrors' strain of fear toxin from an amazing fanfic called "Trepidation" by sidekick heroisms. I seriously suggest checking it out to fully experience the havoc caused by that particular strain...