Alice: New chapter!

Emily: After this, only Aftershock will be left.

Alice: It will have four parts to it, and it will be filled with Robrae.

Emily: I'm going to warn you all: This chapter is nothing like the episode.

Alice: The episode always felt out of place. It was after Terra betrayed them and it just focuses on a chibi Robin coming in.

Emily: Instead I made it a flashback chapter.

Alice: TRIGGER WARNING! There are hints of torture, PTSD, and some disturbing imagery. Please skip if you do not like it. It won't be graphic but if it's not your cup of tea, don't read it.

Emily: On that note, enjoy!

Fractured

Part 1

They were a mess. A complete and utter mess. Beast boy rarely came out of Terra's room, and when he did, his eyes were bright red and his expression somber. Starfire was handling the situation no better. Instead of attempting to cheer up her teammates, which she would have normally done, she floated around the house pale and silent. Besides Beast boy, she was the closet to Terra, and she took the betrayal just as hard as he did. Cyborg just became angry at every little thing and exploded at any given moment. Robin, after his own meltdown with Raven, tried fixing the broken team. Unfortunately Cyborg and Beast boy still did not trust him after his own episode with Jericho, and Starfire was far too depressed to even listen to what he had to say. Even Raven grew quieter, and many household appliances began disappearing from the house. The team instantly understood her emotions were causing this destruction and no one said anything about it.

Currently they all sat in the main room, which has been cleaned up since the attack. Each team member seemed to have reserved their own corner of the room, and there was an ominous silence hanging over them. Cyborg sighed, standing up and walking over to the fridge. Normally this action would have been unnoticeable, but the silence made his every move loud catching the attention of the titans even though they did not outwardly express it. As he opened the fridge to grab his food, he froze in place and slowly turned to the team. "Alright," he stated calmly, his voice edged with anger. "Who took my sandwich?"

"I don't know," Raven shrugged uncaringly.

"Dude it's just a sandwich," Beast boy countered, and the team knew it was the wrong thing to say.

He breathed in deeply. "Alright. Who took it?"

"Calm down," Robin glared at him. "Beast boy's right. It's just a stupid sandwich. You can make another one."

"I don't wanna make another one," he glared back. "I want the one I made yesterday. Where is it?" Robin rolled his eyes. Although Cyborg couldn't see it through the mask, he recognized the expression well enough. He began shouting, "Don't you roll your covered eyes at me!"

"Calm down," Robin gritted his teeth together.

"Oh you're telling me to calm down?" Cyborg exclaimed. "You? The guy who nearly killed Jericho? Nearly killed us? You have no right to tell me to calm down!"

Bringing up the apprenticeship was a low blow. Everyone in the room sucked a deep breath, watching Robin anxiously for his response. Instead of shouting back, like they expected, his shoulders deflated and he just looked tired. "You're right. I don't."

He walked out of the room.

He has never told anyone this, but when he was little, he thought he could fly. Every time he performed, he sometimes imagined he was soaring without any help and that he could continue to do so without stopping. Of course, he never tried to actually fly without the trapeze but he could dream.

"Mommy!" he giggled happily. "Mommy!"

Richard Grayson called for his mother ecstatically, waving his arms back and forth and jumping up and down. His parents, noticing the sight of their hyped up toddler, walked towards him. "What is it Dick?" his mother smiled pleasantly at him.

"Check this out!" He smirked and hurled himself backwards towards the ground. Right before he hit the grass, he pushed his hands in front of his head and used the momentum to leap back. A backwards flip. His mother clapped happily and his father shook his head, almost in disappointment.

"Is that all you can do?" he scowled, but Dick understood the true meaning behind the seemingly cruel words. Ever since he started doing cartwheels, he and his father began a "competition" of sorts to see who could do the best moves in the fastest amount of time. "I could do that when I was three."

"Oh yeah?" Dick bounced up. "Do it!"

"Alright." Backing away from his wife, he hurled himself to the ground and did a perfect backflip. "Beat that!"

"Boys," his mother scolded.

Instead of listening to her, Dick instead copied the move but when he landed, he went into another one. His father laughed and repeated the move with one arm. As they continued with their competition, Mary Grayson rolled her eyes and walked away from the scene. "I married a child," she mumbled fondly under her breath.

"How do I tell them I'm sorry?" Robin blurted out to Raven, who was cooking herself something to eat. She tiredly raised an eyebrow at him, and he sighed. "Please Raven? I know you've been avoiding me, but with everything that's happened could you… not? Just for now? I need you."

She pressed her thin lips together and sighed. Honestly, how could she refuse him when he was acting so pathetic? And sweet… shaking her head of those thoughts, she turned to him and asked, "Why are you focusing on that? Terra betrayed us and could attack at any minute. Focus on her."

"I need to fix our team first," Robin countered. "We can't fight when we're like this. We're not even a team when we're like this."

Raven sighed, "Fine. Let me get their side of the story, and I'll report back to you."

He gave her a tiny smile. "You're the best Rae."

"You're the best, Dick," Jack Haly grinned at him, ruffling his dark hair just a bit. Dick had just done another top notch performance on the trapeze, and his parents were out on a date. Since he considered Jack a grandfather, he decided to spend some time with him. In his trailer, Jack continually praised the boy he considered family. "I'll never forget the sight of a Grayson on the trapeze. Say, you want to know why you're act is called 'Flying Graysons'?"

"Why?" Dick asked but he already knew. It was because they could truly fly.

"Because when you're up there, kiddo, people are tricked into thinking you guys can fly," Jack beamed at him. "Sometimes I think it to."

Dick smiled at him, and they redirected their conversation to less serious matters like the elephants and acrobatic moves. As they were laughing and eating some of their takeout food, a knock was heard on the trailer door. Jack blinked in surprise and walked to the door, opening it. "Hello?"

"Hello," a businessman answered. Dick stared at him with a small frown. He had black hair slicked back and wore a fancy suit. He had an attractive smile, and he clearly did not come here because he enjoyed Haly's Circus. Even as a young child, Dick could tell that much. Jack frowned at them suspiciously.

"Hello." He answered curtly.

"My name is Tony Zucco," the man responded. "I presume you are Mr. Haly?"

Dick already hated him.

"Yes."

"I would like to offer you some protection," Zucco smiled pleasantly. "You never know what could happen in a circus like this. You have giant animals that could go wild and hurt someone. People are playing with fire and knives. Even your main act doesn't even use safety nets!"

Of course they didn't. The Flying Grayson's didn't need safety nets, and they never would. Dick scowled at the insult and decided he wanted this strange man to leave. "I'm afraid I'll have to reject that," Jack told him. "I know you're type and I know what you're really offering. I run a clean business, Mr. Zucco, and I do not want to get tangled in yours. Have a nice day."

Dick could only see the surprised expression on Tony Zucco's face before Jack shut the door. He frowned. "What do you mean 'you know his type'?" he asked curiously.

Jack smiled. "Don't worry about it Dick. Say, how about we go over some of your English vocabulary? I don't think you'll need these lessons anymore soon. You're getting so good at it that I don't think people will even guess it's your second language!"

He nodded and decided to push the incident to the back of his mind. After that, he resumed his discussion with Jack, and the two began laughing once again. Tony Zucco all but vanished from his mind that night, and sometimes Robin can't help but wonder what would have happened if he told his parents about the man.

Raven approached Beast boy, unsure if this was the right thing to do. He was devastated due to Terra's betrayal, and she didn't want to bring up any unpleasant memories. Still, she knew Robin was right in that they could not defend themselves like this. Terra was most likely their biggest threat yet due to her inside information on them, and they needed to be ready for her. "Beast boy?" she said tentatively.

"Raven." Beast boy grumbled back. He was sitting outside on the rocks in front of the tower, and Raven could sense this spot was important to him. Perhaps it was connected to Terra in some way. The water crashed over the shore, and Raven couldn't help but admire the beauty of it. Maybe she should meditate here.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

He snorted. "Since when are you the emotional go to person?"

That was true. Whenever someone on the team felt troubled, it was usually Robin or Cyborg who comforted them. Even Starfire assisted in dealing with feelings more so than her. "I'm trying something new," she lied. Pausing for a split second, she continued, "You're mad at Robin."

"No."

"Don't lie to me. I can feel your anger."

"Really?" Beast boy raised an eyebrow. "You're feeling our emotions now? You used to just go through Robin's."

That was true. "Beast boy," she scowled at him, sitting down. "You're avoiding the subject."

"And you're avoiding Robin." He stated.

"For entirely different reasons," Raven flinched a bit.

"You love him." Beast boy turned his head back to the sea with nostalgia in them. Suddenly his expression changed to devastation. "And I'm pretty sure he loves you too. He may not have admitted it to anyone, but it's obvious."

Raven blushed. "We're talking about you."

"I'm avoiding everyone," he mumbled. "Not just Robin. Was he terrifying with Jericho? Yes. He was, but he's still my hero. When I was a kid, I wanted to fight alongside Batman and Robin. I read about them all the time in the papers, and I dreamed of becoming best friends with Robin. He was human and a kid, like me, and that gave me hope. Even after everything he's done, I still see him in that light."

"You don't mind he nearly killed someone?" That didn't seem believable.

Beast boy hesitated before confessing, "Terra told me she killed someone. It was an accident, and I nearly yelled at her for it. That's when I thought about you and Robin. You nearly killed Doctor Light when you got angry but Robin stopped you." She flinched when she remembered that. "And Robin nearly killed Jericho but Kid Flash calmed him down. You both had someone that you loved who could bring you back to reality. She had no one."

"You really aren't angry with him," Raven realized.

"I'm angry at Slade," he spat, "and Terra and the world. But not Robin."

"I see."

"Raven?" Beast boy turned to her. "Can you…"

"Yes." She stood up and left him in that spot. He wanted to be alone, and she understood that well enough. Still the new information Beast boy provided with her ran through her mind. It was true that Terra had no one before them. If her guilt lead her to Slade, then it was her love for him that was keeping her there not her desire to kill. Soon enough they would learn which one meant more to Terra: her morals or Slade.

"Pow!" Dick shouted happily, pretending to punch a villain. Today his father told him another story about the famous Batman and how he saved another life last night. Since they were in Gotham, Dick was praying to see Batman once before they left. Like any child, he adored the Justice League and dreamed of fighting with them one day. Which is why he "trained" for it. As he continued kicking the "bad guy", he dashed around the tent. Tonight was their last show for the circus, and his parents were in a meeting with Jack and the rest of the circus.

"Wham!" Dick shouted as he did a flip. Instead of landing perfectly on his feet, he ended up smashing into a collection of props in the corner. "Ow," he grumbled, rubbing his head. That wasn't a good move. Good thing his father didn't see or he would have made fun of him. Just as he was about to stand up, he overheard a familiar voice.

"Quickly," Tony Zucco hissed at what appeared to be his henchmen. Dick froze where he was and attempted to peer from under the props he was under. Since he was so tiny, no one noticed him. Unfortunately he couldn't see what was going on without alerting the men of his presence.

"It's done!" A man whispered.

"Good. Let's go." Tony Zucco stated, and Dick remained where he was until he heard no more noise. Popping out from his hiding place, he instantly dashed to where the men were. He expected to find something but everything appeared normal. Shrugging, he walked out and figured they must not have been able to do anything.

He was wrong.

"Beast boy?" a soft voice broke his train of thought.

The green boy turned, preparing to yell at Raven for coming back, but paused when he realized it was Starfire. His tense posture instantly slumped down, and he sighed. Starfire would most likely give another grand speech about how he needed to talk about his feelings and how things would get better. Instead, she slowly approached him and sat next to him, staring out at the sea. "I loved her too," Starfire whispered, and that was all it took.

Tears slipped through Beast boy's eyes as he leaned against Starfire's shoulder. She wrapped her arms around him and wept with him.

They remained like that for hours even after they ran out of tears to shed.

Dick debated telling Jack or his parents what he saw that day but decided against it. After all, it's not like he managed to do anything bad. Jack might have decided to cancel the show, and it would have ruined their last day in Gotham.

"Are you ready?" his father beamed at him, and Dick nodded excitedly. "Batman might be around, you know. You might meet him tonight!"

"Yeah!" Dick jumped up and down.

"Come on, little robin," his mother chuckled. "Save your energy for the show."

His mother nicknamed him "little robin" due to the fact that he flew like a bird and that his first name began with "R". While he was rarely called Richard, he still appreciated the hint to his full name.

As Jack called out their act, Mary took the hand of her husband on her left and her child on her right. They walked out together as a family and beamed at the audience. They were the final act and labeled as one of the best in the whole circus. Since they never used a net, they added a new element of fear to a seemingly harmless act otherwise.

Dick closed his eyes, imagining himself flying as he let go of the trapeze. Of course, his parents both warned him about opening his eyes in time otherwise he might miss grabbing onto his partner's hands and falling. Memorizing when to open them, he caught his father's arms as they swung around.

The family continued this act before throwing Dick back onto the platform. He waited patiently, knowing he would jump towards his family for the final part of their act. John would be upside down on the trapeze, holding onto Mary. When they came near, Dick would jump and catch his mother's arms. This was their personal favorite in the act as it symbolized how the family soared in the air together.

His mother beamed at him as they came near. Dick prepared himself to jump, adrenaline coursing through his veins. The Gotham crowd was screaming in amazement and shouting praise from the stand. Bending his knees, Dick was about to hurl himself off when his mother gasped. The joy was wiped from her face and replaced with terror. His father's expression change was similar.

He met his mother's eyes as she whispered. "Dick!"

Instead of coming closer and closer, like she was supposed to, she continued falling further and further. Dick gasped, reaching out to grab her or to jump off but it was too late. Everything slowed down as his parents continued falling further and further from him. When their bodies finally hit the ground, Dick could tear his eyes away from the sight. His eyes grew wide as tears fell down his cheeks without him needing to blink.

He couldn't move. He couldn't hear. All he could do was stand there in shock, trembling as he stared at the broken bodies of his parents.

"Mommy?" he whispered brokenly. "Daddy?"

Only the screaming crowd answered him.

Raven watched carefully as Cyborg continually updated their system. It was fixed since Terra hacked into it, but he still didn't leave his computer's side. "Cy," she sighed, but he ignored her. "You can't keep doing this."

"I can't keep my team safe you mean?" he countered and continued regardless of her.

"You can't keep shouting at us for stupid things," she retorted, glaring at him. "You think you're the only one upset with what happened? You aren't. Grow up and accept that you're not the only one in pain."

Cyborg froze and glared at her. "Shut up."

"You're taking it out on Robin," she stepped towards him. "He feels guilty about what happened with Jericho, and it doesn't help when you rub his guilt in his face! He's suffered enough already."

"You think I don't know that?!" Cyborg shouted. "I know he's been through a lot and I get that he isn't exactly stable. We've practically known that since we first met him! My problem is we don't know what he's been through. At first, it was an unspoken rule we couldn't talk about Batman! Why? Cause he didn't want to hear it. We knew something was wrong but we didn't know exactly. Then it was the apprentice thing. Now it's this. He's not sharing anything with us and that was fine at first. We just met, and he didn't trust us. Now? Now it's a different story. I'm tired of not being trusted by the guy who's supposed to lead us."

"Well good for you then," Raven spat. "It's good to know that the oldest member of the team will go around pouting and yelling when he's frustrated with something instead of bringing it up with the person he's angry at. How about instead of hiding in the corner and scowling like some sort of attention seeking child, you talk to Robin like an adult?"

"I don't wanna—" Cyborg started but never got to finish. Raven started walking out of the room.

"If you're going to act like a child, I'll treat you like one," she glared before leaving him behind in the main security room. Her hands were trembling and she knew she had to find somewhere to meditate. Everything Cyborg said, while true, was entirely unfair. Raven had secrets that she never told anyone, but no one gave her any trouble over it. Cyborg didn't reveal his true name or how he became part machine, and they didn't give him trouble over it.

It was because he wore a mask. That mask was a constant reminder of how he didn't trust them with anything. Still, just because he wore an actual mask didn't mean the rest of the team didn't wear one. "Idiot," she grumbled, and she had no idea who she was referring to with that: Cyborg, Robin, or herself.

As it turns out, the circus had no legal documents that stated they could take care of him. John and Mary Grayson had no will, so they never firmly stated who could look after Dick. After a giant legal battle, the state eventually won and declared the circus was an unfit environment to raise a child. He had to say goodbye to the only home he knew, and he had to watch as Jack burst into tears when they took him away.

Unfortunately, the orphanages were full. Since Gotham had such a high crime rate, it left many children behind without parents and no one was really looking to adopt. That's why Dick ended up in a juvenile center. Ironically the circus was deemed unstable for Dick but the place the state decided to leave him left bruises on his body and cruel words in his mind. He wasn't sure how long he remained there, but it was long enough to realize he needed to learn how to fight.

Eventually he developed some mediocre skills to fight off some of the bullies but the much bigger kids could easily overpower him. It left him with a bitter taste in his mouth and a body full of pain. Until one day when the most unexpected person arrived to release him from this hell.

Bruce Wayne was widely known, and Dick had heard his parents discussing the billionaire. "Hello Dick," Bruce Wayne smiled kindly at him. "Would you like a home?"

No. He wanted the circus. Before he could say that, the man standing next to him subtly jabbed him in the ribs as to remind him to play his part as the perfect little boy. "Yes." He dryly stated. Bruce nodded and held his hand out, but Dick refused to take it. He knew what he was: a charity project. The big rich man could brag about how he took in the poor little circus boy who lost his parents. The press would eat it up and praise him like never before.

Dick refused to be a project of the media and ignored Bruce Wayne even as they drove to his mansion together. "Would you like me to call you Rich? Dick? Richard? Rick?" Bruce asked trying to make simple conversation.

"Dick." He mumbled softly, and Bruce "hmmed" in response. When he allowed Dick to go inside the mansion, he smiled kindly at him.

"Welcome to your new home," Bruce smiled, and Dick glared at him.

This would never be his home.

Alice: I tried to make this one part, but it ended up being too many words.

Emily: It has a limit of how much I can put in one document, so I had to split this into two parts.

Alice: Like I warned earlier, this wasn't going to be anything like the episode.

Emily: Instead it's going to reveal Robin's entire backstory.

Alice: Thanks for reading!

Emily: Tell me what you thought!