Flashback Chapter 4 Dress Rehearsal

Bruce watched little Richard Grayson on the security cameras. It was almost a month since the boy had been orphaned and he'd decided to help him due to the burning anger and hurt in his eyes. Half of that time had been spent in a home for juvenile delinquents, just because he was a Romani gypsy boy. When he'd found out, he'd become the lad's legal guardian. Clearly 'the system' was too prejudiced and incompetent to actually care for the children caught up in it.

Now he wasn't sure what to do with the kid. They both knew he could never replace the child's lost family. But Bruce didn't know how to offer Dick a new family. He couldn't be much of a father; he had the Mission instead. He was out most of the time, either fighting crime, down in the cave, or managing his business. The little time spent at home was used to sleep and eat. On top of that he would most likely die young. But now the boy had financial security, and Alfred had taken quite a liking to him. He had a future, if a rather strained one, which was more than when he'd been slung in Juvie.

He'd also had the Graysons interred in Wayne Manor's Cemetery, near his own parents.

But Dick wasn't happy. It was too early to expect him to be the same overly cheery boy he'd been before the 'accident'. It was not as if Bruce had ever really gotten over his parents' death himself, but Dick was just…lifeless.

Maybe justice would help bring back the light to those young eyes. Bruce turned back to the hunt for Zucco.

Dick had never felt so alone. In the circus they'd been like an extended family, so there was always someone ready to share a mug of hot chocolate and chat about anything and everything for hours. Even in the home juvenile detention, he'd at least attracted attention; granted the wrong sort of attention…At least he'd known the other boys cared whether or not he was there, if only so they didn't lose the butt of their jokes. But Mr Wayne didn't seem to care. He simply never saw his new guardian. He seemed to have been taken in, and then just left to Alfred.

Alfred was nice. Alfred tried to keep him occupied with books and TV and a computer, seeing as Mr Wayne wanted to give him time before sending him to school. Alfred made him cookies, and taught him cooking (Mr Wayne wasn't allowed in the kitchen). Alfred tucked him in at night, and comforted him when he had nightmares. But it didn't feel right.

Mr Wayne was never there. While he'd spend all day in the office, either at Wayne Tower or in the manor, he'd also vanish right after dinner, and not back to his office. Deeper into the manor. He just…disappeared. Dick was getting fed up with it. Where did he go?

"Sir, this is not fair on the boy. He needs a father figure."

Bruce tried to ignore Alfred, but this was getting repetitive. "Alfred. Is it fair to give the boy a father only for him to bury another loved one? It's better he doesn't become attached."

"Then why did you take him in?"

Bruce finally tore his eyes from the computer and looked at his butler and surrogate father. "Two reasons. The first was for him. He had no hope, no future, nothing. And I also did it for you, Alfred. I've seen the look in your eyes. You miss the child I was, and fear the day you'll be alone. I can't be his father, but you can be his grandfather."

Alfred was surprised; it was clear as day on his face. "You don't want him yourself? Sir, I believe the slogan "A dog is not just for Christmas" applies even more so to children."

Bruce sighed. "I do. I don't know why, but I do. He's just a kid, and he's in so much pain, just like I was, and I want to make all the hurt go away. I've never felt anything like it before." Alfred smiled at the rare attempt to describe emotion. "But I can't afford to indulge. He would suffer, and the Mission would suffer," he finished.

Alfred sighed, looking heavenwards in exasperation. "Dick's suffering anyway. And the 'Mission' would hardly suffer if you had someone to come home to. If you really care for the boy, let him see it."

As Alfred left, Bruce returned to the computer. But the words stayed in his head, ringing for hours.

Dick was in shock. It was too much to process. After days of spying, to his disbelief and amazement, he'd found Mr Wayne's secret passage. He'd crept down it, and nearly reached the end when he heard Alfred and Mr Wayne talking. He hid behind the final bend, and listened. Listened to the strange explanation for his new life. Listened to Mr Wayne- Bruce- tell how he gave Alfred a grandson, rather than getting himself a son, but wanted one anyway. He heard the excuse: the mission. What mission? What was this thing keeping him from the man who wanted to be like his father? He hated this mysterious mission.

He heard soft, light footsteps approaching, and scrambled backwards, using the grace he learned in the heights to sneak back before he was caught. He ran back up the passage, through the manor and into his bedroom. He collapsed on the bed, thinking of all he'd heard. The initial surprise was wearing off, replaced with relief that he was wanted. But it was in turn replaced just as swiftly with anger at Bruce for ignoring him because it was 'for the best' and renewed hatred for 'the mission' that kept the man away.

He lay there for hours, eventually falling asleep still musing on the confused emotion hidden in Bruce's words, and his own that had been unleashed.

The next morning, Dick still couldn't understand it. He kept sneaking glances at Bruce over breakfast, and was startled when he noticed Bruce doing the same thing. Alfred was hovering more than usual, watching intently. What for?

Bruce cleared his throat. Dick looked over. "Uh, Dick?" Bruce said. "Would you like to… I don't know, go to the zoo or something today?"

Dick could hardly believe it. Had Alfred really convinced Bruce to stop ignoring him? He smiled shyly and nodded.

Bruce was having a lot more fun than he thought he would. Despite bittersweet memories of outings with his own parents too many years ago, the improvement of Dick's mood was wondrous. At first he'd been subdued, almost listless, (and that was his own fault, wasn't it, for ignoring the lad), nothing like the bright, chirpy boy bouncing around the circus. But he cheered up seeing the bears, the big cats, the penguins flying through the water. 'I should have done this weeks ago,' thought Bruce, watching as the kid snickered at the bizarre-looking flamingos, before being tugged off to the monkey cages.

"Seriously?! That's not impressive; I can swing around much better than them." The boy glared at the Capuchins and Howlers and Spiders and Orang-Utans, before back-flipping to prove his point. He moved easily into a cartwheel, segued into a triple somersault- and crashed into two girls and their mother.

Hurriedly apologising, Bruce pulled Dick away. "How about you wait until we find a playground? Then you can show me everything." Dick nodded distractedly, and ran off to the Reptile House.

Bruce held that treat off until after lunch, until they reached the elephants. Then Dick's mood plummeted; Bruce almost asked why, before remembering the painted pachyderm that opened the show at Haly's. Hoping to distract the boy, he took him down to the nearest park.

'I'll have to get the boy a trapeze set for the gym,' Bruce mused, watching his ward flip from bar to bar on the climbing frame. He'd been alarmed at first, before remembering the child's comfort within the circus' heights. This was, literally, child's play for him. Not so for the other children imitating him, or their disgruntled parents. "Dick, shall we go get ice-cream now?"

They were halfway through sundaes when Alfred called. "Sir, I know it's not sundown for an hour, but the GCPD have found Zucco."

Dick was confused. When Alfred called, they'd hurried through the rest of the ice-cream and sped off. That was the best part of an hour ago. He'd been forgotten about. Again. What on Earth was Bruce doing?! He crept into the drawing room next to the library, went to the grandfather clock, reached up and moved the hands to the time he'd worked out earlier, 10:47. A bookcase opened, and he slipped down the passage.

He'd never reached the end before. He knew it was damp, and dark, and large. But he'd never imagined the vast cave before him. At the edge was a vast computer bank. Beyond it were side passages. The main body of the cave hosted a jumble of crates and packing cases. Beyond that, a big black car with tail fins. A Batmobile? No, a Batmobile missing a wheel?!

The computer screen flashed. Pushing away the shock at what he was seeing, he turned, seeing a file open on Anthony Zucco. "Current location" was highlighted. He swallowed, the pain of his parents' murder overcoming all else. The mystery of the cave could wait.

AN: Duh duh duh! Are you excited? Are you thrilled? Are you bored? Please, please, please leave a review. I really want to know what you think of this. If you have questions about the content, or anything at all really, feel free to ask, either in a PM or a review.

Be back next week to see what Dick does next, now he knows where to find his parents' murderer...

Katara