Gotham City
October 19th, 2006
22:32 EST
After months of searching, Batman and Robin had tracked Zucco down, hiding out in a remote warehouse on the outskirts of Gotham. Robin had rushed in impatiently, taking out all of Zucco's hired goon's single handedly, failing to notice Zucco himself making a run for the exit.
"Stay back, you freak!" Zucco screamed as he ran. He flung the exit open and took two steps through, when he came face to face with Batman. He gasped. Batman gave him a rough shove and Zucco tumbled backwards, scrambling away from the exit on all fours.
"Get up." Robin said coldly, emerging from the shadows in front of him.
Zucco got up on his feet and lunged at Robin desperately, trying to escape from the ominous figure of Batman standing in the exit in behind him. Zucco came close to grabbing Robin within his outstretched arms, but Robin sidestepped and delivered quick kick to the underside of Zucco's chin as he passed, causing him to fall backwards and hold his face in agony.
That was one of the many things Batman had taught him, these last few months. No matter how strong he was for a boy his size, he was still small. His legs were the strongest muscles he had, and so, he should make use of them whenever possible. It was one of the ways he had to even up the playing field in a fist fight a little more.
Robin stepped closer, kneeling down to straddle Zucco's chest. He knew Batman was standing behind him, watching, but he didn't care.
The rage he had felt ever since that night 7 months ago still burned deep within him. He thought of his mother and father, his aunt Karla and his cousin John, their broken bodies lying dead in the middle of the big top. His uncle Rick, forced to spend the four days he'd managed to cling to life paralyzed and in pain.
Robin didn't even hesitate before pounding Zucco's unprotected face with his fists.
The training he had endured under Batman's expert tutelage had supplemented his own strength considerably. Every blow landed solidly, with the splat of flesh splitting open. Robin didn't throw his punches in a flurry, but in a slow sequence that transferred the full force of his small body.
"You killed them! All of them!" He screamed, punctuating the end of each sentence with a punch.
A wet gurgling sprang from Zucco's throat, but Robin ignored it. After a few more punches, Robin reached down and twisted Zucco's arm, then got up and stomped on his leg. Hard. There was a snapping sound, and a scream of agony broke the silence that had filled the tent.
"Robin…" Batman grabbed Robin's shoulder as he pulled back for another punch, but Robin quickly twisted out of Batman's grasp and pushed him away. He turned back to Zucco, grabbing him by the lapels of his jacket and lifting him up.
Tears streamed down Robin's face as he prepared to deliver one final blow.
Just as he was about to throw it, he got a glimpse of Zucco's face in the soft evening light. It was unrecognizable. Blood dripped from his nose and mouth, with both of his eyes swollen shut.
Tears blurred Robin's vision as he grabbed Zucco by the lapels again. "You killed them…" he said softly. It was a wasted effort: Zucco was already unconscious. Part of him wanted to kill Zucco, so badly, but the other part didn't see the point. Killing Zucco wouldn't bring his family back.
Nothing ever would.
Slowly, Robin let go, and Zucco fell back to land on the ground with a wet splat. He was down, and would be eating and breathing through a tube for the next few months, but he was alive.
"They're all dead…" Robin whispered. He buried his head in his hands and tried to hold back the tears, but he failed. His rage had died out suddenly, but the gaping hole he felt at the loss of his family remained. Tears flowed freely out of his mask to land on the concrete under his feet.
Tears streamed down his face silently as he heard Batman step closer, and he prepared himself for the admonishment that was sure to come. But Batman remained silent.
Robin turned to face his mentor. "It never goes away, does it?"
Batman didn't say anything. He knelt down, and if he hadn't been wearing the cowl, Robin would have seen the glint of tears forming in Batman's own eyes. He simply extended his arms, beckoning.
Wordlessly, Robin stepped into his new father's embrace.
And Robin cried.
Barcelona, Spain
August 25th, 2016
8:10 AM CET
Dick flipped through the pictures stored on his own, smiling faintly as he did so. A selfie taken with Zatanna on their first date. Pictures he'd snuck of Artemis and Wally together at the Gotham Academy Formal. Looking at them brought him back to a simpler time, much like being here in the Circus did.
It had been nice to relive his childhood, if only for a little while. Unfortunately, the Circus would be packing up and heading for Marseille tomorrow, and Dick wouldn't be going along with it. He'd been tempted, but he knew he couldn't stay and keep living in the past, no matter how much he wanted to.
"You look at those pictures a lot." Raya's sleepy voice snapped him out of his reverie.
He put his phone down and looked over to where she was lying down next to him on the bed. After their initial hook up, a simple routine had emerged where they spent their nights together. She was beautiful, but also intelligent, and much deeper than he'd originally expected. He tried not to pry, but his intuition and observation skills told him that Raya was also someone who'd experienced some personal tragedy.
She'd never volunteered anything about it though, and he'd never asked.
Despite the relatively short time they'd known each other, he'd grown fond of her. In many ways, she represented the path his life could have taken, if things had been just a little different. He'd definitely miss her after he left tonight. But he was on a different path now, and they both knew it.
Dick smiled down at her. "They remind me of the good old days."
"I know the feeling." She groaned as she rolled over. "Making breakfast?" She asked
"Yeah." He hopped out of bed. "You want the usual?"
"Yes please." She said sleepily. Raya was usually a mess until she had her morning coffee.
Dick closed the door and walked over to the kitchen, where he began to cook. He'd always enjoyed cooking, especially for breakfast.
Under Batman's tutelage, some form of training came after lunch, and patrols came after dinner, which meant that he'd usually tried to eat light for those meals. Breakfast had been the one meal that he could enjoy without worrying too much about how it might affect his performance later.
He cooked himself a steak and runny eggs, as well as the toast, bacon and scrambled eggs that Raya favored. She joined him after he was done about 20, padding over sleepily and taking a seat at the kitchen counter. They were both quiet as she sipped her coffee until some semblance of wakefulness returned to her eyes.
By the time it did, Dick had finished eating his own meal, and watched her expectantly. He got a kick out of watching people eat something he'd cooked.
She put the mug down and began to nibble at her food. "You sure you won't be coming with us when the Circus leaves?" She asked from around a piece of toast.
He nodded sadly. "Yeah. It was good to see how things might have turned out if my family hadn't… you know. I was traumatized when I lost them, but it happened so long ago, and so many things have happened since then that I hadn't realized that I'd moved passed it."
Raya tilted her head. "And your friend?"
He knew she was referring to Wally. "That's a little more complicated. I still miss him, but, I'm also starting to make my peace with his death."
His tone puzzled her. He sounded slightly disappointed by the realization. "That's a good thing, isn't it?"
"It just feels wrong to me." He said. "What kind of person can lose his best friend and know he's going to get through it? It's barely been two months since he died and I'm already starting to move on. It still hurts to think about him, but not as much as it did."
"Dick," She eyed him. "How long is the right amount of time to mourn? 6 months? A year? Forever? If anybody knows loss, it's you. Don't beat yourself up about putting your pain behind you. You're a lot of things, but a bad guy isn't one of them."
He considered her words. "Thanks."
She smiled back. "You know how to make yourself feel better?"
"How?"
"Tell stories about him. Laugh at the jokes he used to tell. Don't forget him. Keep him alive here." she said, tapping him on the tapping him on his chest.
He smiled. Her words were strangely heartfelt, and reassuring. Laugh about the good times that he'd had with Wally. That sounded like something he could do.
"You ready for tonight?" She asked, clearing her plate and placing it in the sink.
Dick nodded. Tonight was the night that Boston and the rest of the trapeze troupe had agreed to try and replicate the legendary finale of the Flying Graysons.
He and Boston had briefly discussed whether or not to use a net, but Dick had been adamant: the net would stay up for the finale. It didn't bother him that his life would be on the line, but Dick wouldn't risk letting what happened to him happen to little Sophia for the sake of one trick.
Truth be told, he was surprised by how excited he was by the prospect of performing the finale. He'd been wanting to participate in it since he was a boy, but he'd given up hope of ever doing so when his family had died. To be able to have this piece of his history back, even this small one, felt gratifying beyond words.
"Born ready."
—
That night, by the time Jack Haly had finished introducing them to the audience, Dick had gone through a dizzying number of emotions and feelings. Pain, loss, and nostalgia, but also eagerness. Today would be the day he satisfied the hopes and dreams he'd had as a young boy, before he had been touched by loss.
The spotlights came on, focusing on the six of them on the two separate boards suspended in the air. Raya stepped forward so that the audience could see her and waved, giving Dick an understanding look as he remained crouched and hidden. She motioned at him to join her.
Dick took a deep breath before stepping up to wave at the audience, only to almost topple off the board in surprise as he saw three familiar figures seated in one of the VIP boxes.
Bruce sat next to Tim towards the front of the box. Alfred, always calm and collected, sat slightly behind the two of them, a faint but noticeable smile on his face. There was nothing subtle about the smile on Tim's face as he waved up at Dick.
Having his adoptive family there gave Dick a strange sense of contentment. He smiled and waved at them, before turning to wave at the rest of the audience. Inside, his heart began to beat faster, but Dick wasn't worried. Instead, it was a feeling a he knew well: excitement.
After a round of encouraging applause, Boston nodded at Dick, and the rest of the group began their performance.
The assembled members of the Haly's Circus trapeze act held the audience in their hands. The only word Dick could have used to describe it was perfection. He could feel the pulse of energy working through the crowd as they performed more dangerous and impressive stunts. All those weeks of practicing paid off that night, as the timing, transitions, and choreography were all faultless. But their performance went beyond that.
Whenever they swung out over the open air, the audience hushed in anticipation. When they caught each other after performing flips and spirals, the audience cheered so loud that Dick was sure people could hear the cheers for miles around.
As Jack Haly finished his speech and the spotlights focused on them, Boston, Cleveland and Lorna sprang into action. Boston sat down on the bar as Cleveland and Lorna hooked their legs around his outstretched limbs, stretching themselves out horizontally over the ground. Together, they began to swing their bar until they were in time with the music, a technique that most circus performers used to help with the timing of their tricks.
They began to swing back out towards the middle of the big top, which he knew was his cue. Dick launched himself forward, getting as much momentum as he could on his swing before releasing the bar so that he flew straight up, flipping as he got higher and higher.
At the peak of his flight towards the big top, Dick closed his eyes. It was a dumb thing to do, particularly since being able to see Boston would definitely help in order to catch him, but at that moment, he could have sworn that if he looked behind him, his family would be flying through the air with him.
He wished that it were true. He wished that they were here, with him. The pain of their loss had stayed with him all these years, never completely disappearing even after he had put Tony Zucco away. But he'd made his peace with it.
The moment ended. He peaked out of his swing and accelerated towards the ground. And just like that, Dick breathed a little easier, feeling as if a weight had been taken off his chest.
His eyes snapped open as he his downward velocity increased. Acting on pure instinct that could only come from growing up in the circus, he reached out and caught the blur that was Boston's legs.
A move like that would have slowed Boston down, especially since he was holding up two other people, but Dick and Boston worked together perfectly, transitioning Dick's downward momentum into forward momentum so that the four of them moved forward together.
While they swung, Dick flipped through the air and grabbed the ropes of the trapeze, sliding down so that he was balanced upside down on Boston's back, spin to spine. Because of the way he was facing, he couldn't see Raya, but he knew what she was doing by heart. She threw herself off the board, her body almost completely horizontal as she strained to catch Boston's ankles.
There was a grunt of effort from Boston as she caught onto him. He was now supporting the weight of four different people to various degrees. Dick was balanced on his shoulders, Cleveland and Lorna were out to his side, each holding on to one of his outstretched arms, and Raya hung from his ankles.
As impressive as their unorthodox positions on the bar were, the finale wasn't over yet. Raya swung her legs in time with the bar, trying to build up enough momentum to move their unwieldy formation through the air. Raymond, the only member of the troupe not performing, stood on the far board and tossed one of the bars out.
At the right moment of their inward swing, Boston threw his wife and brother to the bar, freeing his arms. Dick, now unable to use Boston's arms to stabilize himself, had to use his back muscles to keep himself wedged between the trapeze's rope and Boston's back.
It was a precarious position, but Dick knew he could handle it. As they completed their outward swing, Raya was able to flip herself up from Boston's ankles and catch the board, leaving Boston and Dick alone on the bar. Together, they both drew their arms in, letting Dick slip out of position and fall towards the floor of the big top.
Before he could fall out of reach completely, Dick reached behind his back and grabbed Boston's ankles again, holding himself in an inverted L shape. They swung back and forth once, which let him shift his body, bringing legs and torso through the opening created by his arms and Boston's legs so that he was facing the same direction Boston was.
One last swing, then he launched himself and flipped through the air four times before catching the bar Lorna and Cleveland had just vacated. They'd done it. He'd thought this day would never come, but they'd done it. Sweat and exhilaration poured off of him as he finally dismounted.
"And how was that folks?" Jack asked the audience loudly. Their cheers answered for them. One by one, Dick and the rest of the trapeze act jumped from the board, landing on the safety net and quickly climbing down to the ground.
"Ladies and gentleman, one more round of applause for our daring trapeze artists!" Jack swept his hand over them, and the spotlight focused in as they took their bows. "The amazing Brand family!" The applause surged again as Boston and Cleveland bowed first, followed by Lorna.
"Raymond McCreary, Raya Vestri, and last but certainly not least, Dick Grayson!" Dick was too happy to care that Haly had used his real name. Daniel Lloyd wasn't a member of the Flying Graysons. He hadn't spent a lifetime waiting for this moment.
Raya jumped into his arms as the spotlight focused on them. She whispered into his ear, her voice clear despite the din of the audience's applause. "We did it."
Dick smiled and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. As he waved, holding Raya with one arm, he sought out Bruce, Tim and Alfred in the crowd. Much to his appreciation, all three of them were standing on their feet and clapping. Tim had an expression of awe on his face, while Alfred and Bruce simply had approving smiles.
He wanted to talk to them, but even as he let Raya go, Bruce placed an hand on Tim's shoulder and said something. Tim nodded and gave a final wave to at Dick before allowing himself to be ushered out by Alfred. Bruce gave Dick a questioning look, asking him if he was alright. He nodded in response.
While he wasn't over Wally's death and his breakup yet, Dick knew he was healing. It was just a question of how long it would take him to do it.
They both understood, and that was it. That was all Bruce had wanted to find out by coming here. He gave a small smile before following Alfred and Tim out of the big top, presumably to where their car was waiting.
Dick watched them leave before giving Raya a hug and making their to the exit.
"And that's our show." Jack called out to the audience. "Farewell good people of Barcelona!"
—
The next morning, he slung his duffle bag over his shoulder and left the apartment that he and Raya had been sharing for the last time. He'd said his goodbyes to Boston's family and Old Jack the night before, but he'd been putting this off. They both had.
After they'd both packed, they'd spent the night just holding each other.
It was strange role reversal: he was used to being the one left behind, not the one doing the leaving. "Raya, I-" he said, holding her hands. Before he could continue, she raised a hand and placed a finger across his lips, silencing him.
"Ah-ah. Shhh." She pulled his head down and replaced her finger with her lips.
She leaned into the kiss, and Dick couldn't bring himself to tear away from it. It had been nice, having a relationship that didn't come with the emotional baggage and fears of hero work. But now that he was leaving…
Raya broke away from the kiss and smiled up at him. "I always knew this was temporary. That's the nature of rebound relationships, right?"
Dick was surprised, but she shrugged, moving to hold both of his hands again. "My job was to try and make you forget about your problems, at least for a little while. Mission accomplished."
There was real sadness in her voice, but he could also tell that she meant everything that she said. Dick tilted his head down, and Raya pressed their foreheads together as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I enjoyed it while it lasted." She whispered. "Take care of yourself, Dick."
He breathed a sigh of relief. "You too, Raya." Dick said. She smiled and nodded before she unwrapped her arms from around him and stepped back. They exchanged one last smile before he turned to walk towards the elevator. She closed the door.
He didn't look back.
