Author's Notes: Well, we are at a year now. I purposely didn't make this month anything special; to me the training (even though the story is) isn't about time passage, but about growth. Time has no meaning in this world; all that matters is the training and reaching the peak of it.

That being said…

Sorry for the delay. Crazy-time at school this past week (and this week won't be much better), but thank you to everyone who has stuck around. Hope you continue to do so for another 11 posts. :-)

……….

A New Routine

September:

Tim felt his body swing around the bar as his momentum grew. When it reached its peak, Tim released the bar and completed a quick flip landing solidly on his feet. He smiled to himself and walked off the mat.

"You need to take more risks," Bruce said from the sidelines. He'd watched Tim execute his bar routine with relative ease. The teenager, though not as naturally inclined as Dick, had a strong sense of balance and didn't necessarily mind taking on new maneuvers that could end painfully. However, Tim also had the mindset to only work with what he had been told to do. Bruce gave him a routine and Tim followed it to the T. The older man remembered giving Dick the same routine and how the young boy worked on the bars for an additional fifteen minutes pulling out all the stops.

It wasn't that Bruce wanted another Robin who took unnecessary risks... after Jason that was the last thing he needed. But he also needed someone who wasn't confined to do what was safe.

Tim walked over to Bruce. "Risks?"

"Yes," Bruce moved over to the beam that sat in the middle of the gym area. "You have to be able to try new things while working within the confines of a safe arena. When outside you have to know what you are capable of beforehand. Now," Bruce jumped onto the beam and began a slow routine. "Do it again and find your own style."

Tim shook his head with frustration. Half the time Bruce wanted him to follow his orders without question and other times, he changed and allowed Tim freedom. The teenager wondered if he would ever be able to know exactly what his mentor wanted. Figuring he wouldn't, Tim jumped onto the bottom bar and began the routine.

Flowing through the moves, Tim began to think of changes he could make. Throwing in an extra flip or twist here and there, the teenager began to feel his body relax and he found that he could do more than he thought. Tim released and, instead of the single flip, flipped and twisted only to re-grab the bar and keep his swing. He smiled and prepared himself for the dismount.

Gaining speed, he released and attempted a double flip with a twist. However, he misjudged the amount of speed needed and found himself landing hard on his hands and knees on the mat. Tim felt his wrist collapse under his weight and instantly knew he'd sprained it.

Cursing, he sat back on his butt looking at his wrist as it swelled slightly.

"Now you know what you cannot do," Bruce offered a hand to the teenager.

Tim followed his mentor to get his wrist taped while shaking his head. He could think of many other ways to figure out what he couldn't do that didn't end up with something sprained. But still…

He now knew some more things he could try when he was better.

………