Disclaimer: Young Justice and all related characters and story plots belong to DC Comics, Warner Brothers, and the network on which it airs, Cartoon Network. I am making no profit from this story whatsoever.

Author's Note: Well, it's not exactly Saturday anymore, but it's been a full twenty-four hours since I last updated, so I'd call it a promise kept. Here's the penultimate chapter. Tomorrow will be the epilogue, and then this story will be officially over. This is good, as I can finally put all my focus on the Earth 16 Universe series (as well as some other projects).

As always, big thank you to Marco CoolDude for proofreading. Oh, and don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile page!

Robin's Reckoning

GOTHAM CITY

SEPTEMBER 12, 00:40 EDT

Batman slowly made his way through the Gotham City Amusement Park. He wasn't able to move as quickly as he would have liked to, though, due to the pain in his knee. The noticeable limp in his gait was really something he couldn't afford at the moment. He wasn't about to let Zucco get away from him a second time, and every second counted. One way or another, the man was going to end up behind bars at Blackgate Penitentiary.

Thinking quickly, Bruce ducked into one of the popcorn stalls. Lowering himself to the ground, he made sure he was completely hidden behind the counter. This gave him the opportunity to put together a makeshift splint for his leg out of a spare piece of wood and some strips of cloth he tore from his cape. A small price to pay, really. Alfred would be more concerned about his leg than the condition of his costume. With any luck, the splint would help him in the upcoming fight.

"Spread out, boys. And keep your eyes peeled. He can't have gone far with that bum leg," said Zucco's voice from somewhere nearby.

Batman paused, listening for footsteps to gauge exactly where the crooks were. Almost right away, he could hear one of them approaching his hiding place. Too close for his liking. He managed to get back onto his feet and hide among the shadows just as the bald saboteur entered the stall. He looked in the obvious spots, failing to notice the presence of the Dark Knight as he barely glimpsed at the darkened corners. Big mistake, as Batman was able to sneak up behind him while Baldy was distracted. Bruce backhanded the thug, knocking him unconscious in a single hit.

Batman moved on, quickly locating the second goon near the carousel. Fedora was a bit more thorough in his search, looking at everything. The faces on some of the plastic horses frightened him, however, causing him to be jumpy and not as observant as he should have been. Bruce took advantage of his paranoia, slipping onto the carousel behind the thug while he was moving in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, the carousel's mirrors gave him away as the goon happened to catch a glimpse of him in their reflection. He turned and fired his gun at the Dark Knight, who barely managed to dodge it in time. He thought fast, whipping out a bolas and throwing it at the guy, successfully tying him up.

"Hey, Tony, he's over here!" Fedora called out.

The Dark Knight had just enough time to duck behind a horse before another round of bullets showered him from Zucco's machine gun.

"You're not getting away, Batman. This isn't ending until one of us is six feet under, and I assure you, that ain't gonna be me," declared Zucco confidently.

Batman shifted his weight, biting back a groan as his knee flared up. His bad leg was turning out to be more of a hindrance than he had hoped. He wasn't going to be able to outrun the gun forever. Sooner or later, Zucco was going to hit him.

The night air was filled with the sudden roar of an engine, startling the mob boss and causing him to look to his right. A motorcycle was racing onto the scene at top speed, not slowing down even as Zucco started shooting at the driver. Instead, the driver grabbed Zucco by his fancy dress shirt and dragged him away from the carousel, towards the docks. Eventually, the driver let go, sending Zucco crashing hard onto the wooden planks. The driver skidded to a halt near one of the railings and ripped off his helmet, tossing it aside as he ran directly at Zucco. With a swift kick, the newcomer knocked the machine gun off the dock and into the river below.

Robin had been traveling at top speed to get there as quickly as he could. He knew that his bike couldn't beat the speed of the Batmobile, but he didn't worry too much about that, his thoughts laser focused on catching Zucco. It was all that mattered - finding Zucco, avenging his parents. Nothing could deter him from that goal, not even his best friend. Wally had tried to call him on the com link, but Dick purposefully ignored it. The last thing he wanted or needed was a distraction.

Zucco took one look at the Boy Wonder and sneered. "Guess the rumors were true. The Bat has a little brat."

"You're done, Zucco," growled Robin angrily, glaring at him fiercely. "I'm not letting you go, not now, not ever."

"That so, kid?"

Zucco swung at him, but Robin jumped away from the fist. He landed just behind the crook, knocking him off his feet with a well-placed kick to the man's shin. It didn't keep him down for long, though, much to the Boy Wonder's surprise. Who knew Tony Zucco knew how to put up a decent fight? Still, it wasn't enough to stop the determined young acrobat. He landed a strong kick to Zucco's ribcage, surely bruising a few ribs - if not outright cracking them - in the process. He took pleasure in watching the man struggle to get back to his feet.

"Your folks never taught ya to respect your elders, did they, kid?" Zucco spat.

Robin's eyes narrowed as he growled furiously. How dare he talk about them like that?! He had no right, not after he'd ripped their lives away from them.

The Boy Wonder charged at Zucco again, aiming a fist right at the man's face. He made contact with the crime boss' nose, causing the older man to cry out. The sight of blood trickling down Zucco's face brought savage pleasure to the Dark Knight's young protege. But it wasn't enough, not nearly enough. He had to pay for what he did. Zucco had to know what it was like to feel the kind of fear they must have felt as they fell.

"I've waited a long time for this, Zucco," he sneered, mostly to himself, not really caring if he was overheard or not.

Robin shoved Zucco forcibly towards the edge of the docks, using the man's shock as an advantage to make up for his lack of strength. The crime boss scrambled to get back to his feet, backing away from the teenager as fast as he could. Eventually, he had reached the end of the dock, where the railing prevented him from making an easy escape.

"Get - get away from me!" he shrieked.

It took the Boy Wonder a moment to realize that Zucco wasn't luring him into a trap. He was afraid - actually afraid. And it wasn't Batman who terrified him - it was Robin.

Good. That was exactly how Dick wanted it.

Robin grabbed the lapel of Zucco's coat and held him tightly against the wooden railing. Zucco was shaking, begging, pleading for his life, which only infuriated the Boy Wonder more. Why should this pathetic excuse of a human being get to live while his parents were gone forever?

How easy it would be to just let go, to let Zucco fall into the raging river below…

"Robin."

His name was spoken quietly, practically whispered in his ear. Robin vaguely wondered when Batman had approached them, how he hadn't heard him sooner.

"That's enough now. The police are on their way. They can take it from here," the Dark Knight continued.

Robin gritted his teeth in anger, tightening his grip on Zucco. No, that wasn't good enough. Not after what this monster had put him through.

"Robin, let him go," Batman ordered.

"No way. Not until he gets what's coming to him," the Boy Wonder hissed.

Bruce didn't speak for a moment. He understood how Dick felt, but this wasn't how they did things. More importantly, this wasn't who Dick was. If he went through with this, he was going to hate himself for it for the rest of his life. That was the last thing Bruce wanted for his son.

"Don't let your emotions get the best of you. You're better than this, better than him," Batman reminded his protégé.

The Boy Wonder didn't take his eyes off of Zucco, even as he snarled furiously. "Shut up! I didn't ask for your opinion, Batman, and I don't want it! You have no idea what I'm going through!"

Silence followed his outburst. Robin glanced behind him to glare at his mentor, catching the pained look on Batman's face before it was replaced by an emotionless expression. For a moment, the Boy Wonder was confused. What could have caused the Dark Knight to make that face? Was it something he did or… said…?

Oh, God!

Robin was frozen in shock and horror. How could he have said that - to Bruce, of all people, the only one who did know exactly what he was going through. Was he really that stupid, that self-absorbed? His parents would be so ashamed of him right now, and so would Alfred.

"Batman, I - I…" he trailed off, unsure how to even begin to apologize.

As they heard the sirens coming closer, Robin turned back to Zucco. Suddenly, the man's fear wasn't all that satisfying. If anything, it just made him feel more disgusted with himself. Robin released him and let the crime boss fall bonelessly to the ground at his feet. Even as Zucco coward before him, the Boy Wonder turned on his heel and walked wordlessly back to his motorcycle.

When the police arrived, Commissioner Gordon immediately took command of the situation. Within minutes, Zucco was handcuffed, read his rights, and tucked away into the nearest squad car. Jim approached the Dynamic Duo to thank them for their assistance. As he did so, he explained to the two that a concerned business owner who worked on the next block had heard the gunshots and called the emergency number. Once he heard the location, Gordon knew that it had to be connected to Zucco. Batman briefed him on what happened, leaving out Robin having nearly let the man fall to what would have assuredly been his death. The Boy Wonder didn't participate in the conversation, merely watching as the squad car pulled away from the scene, escorting Tony Zucco off to jail.

At last, the nightmare was over.

It was only when Batman rejoined him that Robin noticed the older hero was limping and wearing a makeshift splint. "What happened to your leg?" he asked quietly.

"I twisted it when Zucco shot the floor out from under me. It's not serious," replied Batman.

Robin nodded. "Can you drive home like that?"

"I'll put on the autopilot," Batman promised. "You be careful on the bike. Stay close to the car."

"Okay," replied Robin. He didn't think he'd be disobeying another of Bruce's orders again.

The Caped Crusaders went their separate ways, Batman getting into the Batmobile while Robin climbed onto his motorcycle. However, they left the scene together, driving down the streets of Gotham in perfect sync, heading towards the secret entrance to the Batcave and their home.

And so Tony Zucco's reign comes to an end as justice prevails. And for any who think Dick is out of character here, I urge you to watch "Robin's Reckoning" and before commenting.

This entire series has been a 'what if' scenario for if that episode of Batman the Animated Series, along with 'A Matter of Family' from The Batman, were to happen in the Young Justice universe. Naturally, the title of this episode is a homage to the original source.