Jason once told Dick that he spent months after he'd come to the manor worrying he'd be dumped back onto the streets at any minute. As a result, he'd kept go-bags hidden around, ready to go at a moment's notice in hopes that he'd have time to grab one before he was sent away. They each had water bottles and food stolen from the kitchen, bandages from the infirmary, a backup set of clothes, a good blanket, a knife, and some cash he'd save whenever Bruce would give him any.

The others had known about them, of course, but hadn't said anything. Jason had only known because Bruce would sneak some extra cash into them and Selina would slip in things that could be useful on the streets that he hadn't considered while Alfred had checked them every so often to refresh the food and make sure he wasn't filling them with junk food.

Once he'd gotten more comfortable, he'd started giving them up. By the time Bruce had disappeared, all the bags Jason had hidden had been unpacked. He never let go of his need to be prepared, though. So in place of the bags, he had four briefcases. Bulletproof, fireproof, blast-proof, and with encrypted locks, they were filled with paperwork for Jason to use in case he ever needed to go on the run. Each had everything necessary for a fake identity, including corresponding bank account information. All were created outside the family's influence just in case the reason he needed to lie low was mind control.

Dick had never seen what was inside the first two, didn't even know where Jason had stashed them, but he knew the third had a file for Casey Jacob Dickinson. Only because the fourth held the file for Casey's half-brother Ryan Emil Dickinson.

The latter is the one Dick took when he snuck into Jason's room and pried up the loose floorboard hidden under the dresser in the closet. It was their special secret, something only they shared. Something Jason had trusted Dick and only Dick with.

"Thanks, Jay," he said, replacing the floorboard. He pushed the dresser back into place then moved to leave, but paused when he spotted the brown jacket hanging by the door.

Dick had gotten it for Jason to match his own red Batkid hoodie. He'd accidentally gotten it in a larger size than Jason usually liked to wear, but that hadn't stopped his brother from wearing it every time the two of them hung out with just each other.

Running his thumb over the red robin patch on the shoulder, Dick stared at the jacket for a moment before pulling it off the hanger.

They wouldn't miss it. No one had been in the room in over a month.

Case in hand and jacket slung over his shoulder, he snuck back to his room. He opened the case and pulled out the file. He slipped the ID and debit card into his wallet before putting the file into the lockbox. He carefully folded the jacket and set it into the case along with the small photo album Selina had helped him put together. It held pictures of everyone in the family, including the photo Tim had given him of himself, his parents, Damian, Jon, Duke, Tim, Steph, Jason, Babs, and Cass from that night.

It was the only picture he had of his parents, thanks to the people who ran Gotham Juvenile Detention losing almost everything he'd taken with him from the circus. He had another copy on his nightstand back at the house he, Damian, and Jon shared - had shared - in Somerset. The family he'd lost side by side with the family he'd gained. It made him sad every time he saw it, but it was still his favorite.

Except now they were both families he'd lost.

At least if Bruce gets his way.

Dick slammed the case closed and stuck it into the duffle bag next to the lockbox. He locked the box then piled in the clothes he'd already gathered. He tossed his wallet into the bag then zipped it up and shoved it back under the bed.

One last thing to do.

He was halfway to the closest cave entrance when he bumped into Bruce and Selina.

"Hey there, songbird," Selina greeted.

"Hey."

"Dinner's almost ready," Bruce said and reached out to ruffle his hair.

Dick stepped away before he could, then walked past them. "Not hungry."

"He heard the news, then?"

"Hm."

"I'll talk to him."

"I will. I'm the one he's mad at."

Dick stomped into the library, ignoring his tail.

"Dick, let's talk."

"I don't want to talk to you."

"I know you're upset, but -"

"Then leave me alone."

"Please just let m-"

"I get it," Dick snapped, spinning to face the man. "You got what you wanted. You didn't want Damian to -" To foster him, to bring him into Bruce's home, to try and make a place for him in the family. He'd heard enough snippets of the arguments Damian and Bruce had had when Bruce came back. He'd always thought Bruce thought Damian was the problem, that he didn't trust Damian with Dick and planned to take Dick in himself. He'd also thought Bruce had finally accepted that Damian was keeping Dick. Had he been wrong on both counts?

Or had Dick's actions ruined everything?

"Why couldn't you just leave us alone?"

"Dick," Bruce sighed. He knelt in front of Dick and set his hand on the boy's shoulder. "I just want what's best for you."

"Anything to get what you want," Dick snorted and pushed the hand off so he could turn away before Bruce could see his tears.

"Dick, wait."

A hand caught his wrist and Dick…

He was losing his family again. Jason was dead. Bruce had taken Robin. Damian was sending him back. His only hope was that the others would fight for him, but would they?

If they didn't, he'd be alone.

Again.

And it would be his fault this time.

But it would also be because…

Dick spun around and hit Bruce right in the jaw.

Then he ran.

Tim and Jason had both long outgrown the small vent hidden above a tall bookshelf in the far corner of the library and Dick had never needed to use it, but it still swung easily on the hinges the second Batkid had installed after discovering the hidden nook.

He climbed through and let the vent swing silently shut behind him. He crawled down the shaft until he reached a similar vent. He dropped down into a thin, dusty hallway. Down the hall, around a corner, then down another hall was a small door halfway up the wall. A makeshift ladder led up to it and a hidden lever opened it, revealing Bruce's study.

Dick dropped out of the hidden passage, letting the door swing shut behind him to meld unnoticeably with the rest of the wall. He twisted the hands of the grandfather clock on the opposite wall and disappeared down into the cave, heading for the vehicle bay.


Dick left while the others were all patrolling and Alfred was taking a break. He used a bike that he'd removed the tracker from and kept all his devices off. He went to a hotel in the Bowery that he knew was shady enough to look the other way when a fourteen-year-old rented a room on his own, but not shady enough to take advantage of it.

He gave it a week, then two, before sneaking onto a roof in Coventry on a night he knew Oracle wouldn't be working. He turned on the comm he'd brought and listened in. For the most part, everything was just the usual reporting in. However, things changed just before one.

"I'm moving in. Going dark," Batman said.

"Got it, B-man," Batgirl chirped. After a moment, in a more somber voice, she said, "So…"

Black Bat groaned and Orphan said, "No."

"You don't even know what I was going to ask!"

"We haven't heard anything, and we're not getting involved," Black Bat said shortly.

"Not our place," Orphan agreed.

"I know that! I was just wondering if Flamebird's changed his mind," Batgirl huffed.

"It's for the best," Orphan said after a moment.

"I get that," Batgirl sighed. "I'm just going to miss the kid. I already miss him, and I know Oracle and Pup do too."

"We all feel that way, but… I feel bad that he's losing Robin, but he needs to get away from all this. After everything that's happened… Flamebird's right," Black Bat said softly.

"Robin will be better off there, no matter how much we miss him," Orphan insisted.

"Yeah, yeah. Have you guys gotten any leads on where he could -"

Dick didn't hear the rest of Batgirl's question as he yanked out the comm and smashed it on the ground.

He'd thought… He'd hoped…

But they agreed with Bruce. They agreed with sending him away. They weren't going to talk Damian around.

Dick pressed his face into his knees and screamed.

He couldn't stay in Gotham. The Bats would eventually find him, and now he knew that'd be a one-way ticket back to juvie.

He left the hotel in the morning.


Robin had been hesitant to stay with the others. There was no way the Bats hadn't noticed his involvement in the invasion that had brought their team together. It was better for him to move on as soon as possible

He really hadn't wanted to, though.

They had been an amazing team and had quickly become friends. He also knew they would understand his past if he told them since Wonder Girl was an outcast among most Amazons as a result of her Brazilian heritage, Impulse was dealing with the fact her father was currently lost in the Speed Force, Virus was still trying to reconnect with his people now that he's free from the Mawlix, and Nightstar had run away from home to get away from her absentee mother's shadow.

That was the only reason he stayed as long as he had while they began to put together their base using the remains of Virus's ship.

He was working up to telling the team he had to leave when he stumbled upon Impulse and Wonder Girl talking in the common area.

"It's a shame, really," Impulse sighed, clutching a magazine.

"Boohoo," Wonder Girl snorted, not looking up from her book.

"I'm serious."

"He's one boy, and not even a worthwhile one from what I've seen."

"Speedy said White Arrow and Silver Canary have met him, though, and he's super sweet." The speedster shoved the magazine towards her face. "Plus, just look at him!"

Wonder Girl shoved it away, rolling her eyes.

"What's going on?" Robin asked hesitantly.

"Impulse is crying because some famous pretty boy is going away to boarding school."

The speedster shot her a look then turned sad eyes on Robin. "It's Richard Grayson!"

Ice shot down Robin's spine. "What?"

"Yeah, the Waynes are shipping him off to some school overseas," she said, waving the magazine towards him and he took it. "The family wouldn't say where since they wanted…"

Robin fell back on his training to keep his face blank and his hands steady as he scanned through the article.

They knew where he was, and they were covering it up. They had come up with a grand lie about him going to school in England to explain his absence.

They weren't coming for him.

"Poor guy," he said, closing the magazine and handing it back.

"See, Robin gets it!" he heard Impulse say as he turned and left.


Small Easter Eggs: The briefcase from Teen Titans episode "Revved Up" and Dick punching Bruce from The New Batman Adventures episode "Old Wounds".