Finals are done and so is this chapter

Chapter Twenty-Four - Humpty Dumpty

He hugged his knees to his chest as he felt the scalding hot water sprayed against his face. He couldn't feel it. He couldn't feel anything. He wasn't sure if he was crying, the water from the shower dripped down his cheeks. He couldn't tell.

He was supposed to cry, right? He'd cried when his mom and dad died. He'd cried when Jason died. He'd even cried when Bonzo, one of the elephants from the Circus died. He didn't think he was crying.

What was wrong with him? He'd finally been broken. Shattered. Too many pieces to put back together.

There was a knock at the bathroom door. Alfred, he didn't want to speak to him. He didn't want to speak to anyone. He just wanted to be alone. "Go away please." His voice was weak and polite and utterly broken.

The door opened anyway, Raven stood there just looking at him with those soft eyes of hers. Dick turned away from her. He didn't want her to see him like this, "Go away please." He practically begged her this time.

She was silent, she slid the glass door open to the shower. His back was turned to her. His horribly scarred back. It's where all the ugliest ones were - shot from behind, stabbed in the back, sliced while he wasn't looking. Raven looked for just a moment before speaking, "No." She answered almost breathlessly.

She pulled her jacket over her head and slipped out of her jeans. She stepped into the shower with him, sliding down and sitting next to him, wrapping her slender arms around his body.

"What're you doing?" He asked, his voice only just above a whisper.

"I love you." she whispered against his wet skin, embracing him tighter.

He was silent for a long moment, the sound the gentle spay of water hitting the top of their heads, "My mom, my dad, my brother, and then my dad again," he chuckled, but she could feel the emptiness in his voice, "I know they say life isn't fair, but God must fucking hate me."

"I love you." she repeated quietly, "I won't leave you."

He finally turned a looked at her, their noses only centimeters apart, "I left you." a small part of him wished to every power imaginable that she hated him. He'd imagined that it'd be easier that way.

"I won't leave you." she repeated quietly, looking into his deep blue, broken eyes.

"I'm sorry." He leaned in and kissed her for only a moment. It had been so long, she'd forgotten. Every inch of her skin seemed to buzz when their lips connected and it all seemed to want for more whenever he pulled away from her. He pressed his forehead against hers, "What time is it?"

"An hour until." she answered as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the feel of his skin against her own.

"I should get ready," he said sighing against her skin. She nodded and rose to leave, he grabbed her wrist gently, "Please don't go."

She nodded. She'd be with him every step of the way.

Dick was seated alone in the church. He was in the very back right corner, as far away from the closed casket as he could possibly get. He didn't look, but he felt someone sit next to him. It wasn't Raven, he would've know, "Seat's taken." His voice was deep dark and hollow.

"I won't be long." He knew the voice, he'd only heard her a few times before she decided to leave Gotham behind but he'd never forget a member of the family. Stephanie Brown gave him a sad smile, "Hey Dick."

Dick nodded, "Hey Steph."

She gently touched his hand, looking over but he didn't look back, "How are you?"

"Bruce is dead." he muttered, it was the first time he'd said it out loud.

"He was like your father," she nodded in a quiet understanding, "Me and him had our disagreements but... You, Babs, Jason... you all were my family." she sighed, "The ole Bat-Family." she smiled.

He jerked his hand away from her, "Leave." he stated in that same dark tone, "Go back to The Bay and don't ever look back." he wasn't asking. He was commanding. He was the Bat now, it was official - he wasn't a replacement anymore, he was their leader. He was the Batman.

Stephanie sighed, touching his shoulder gently, "If you ever need me-"

"I need you to be safe, Steph. That's all." he turned and looked at her with grit and determination on his face.

She nodded, "You're the boss." she rose to her feet and began to walk off, she turned back to look at him one last time, "Be safe."

The people had already begun filing in. This wasn't Bruce Wayne's funeral, it was the Batman's. As he was. Only the ones who knew his true identity would be attending. It was more than he'd expected. Dick wasn't paying any attention, the faces and voices were all a blur to him. His wind wandered, his eyes were trained on the casket but he wasn't seeing - not really.

Clark, Barry, John. All the founders of the Justice League and every other member that knew who he was under the mask. He hadn't payed a lick of attention to a single one of them, not until the Titans showed up. He didn't think they would, not after everything he'd put them through. Vic sat next to him, followed by Kori, Wally, and Gar.

He looked down the row, blinking at them as his mind began to settle back down. He tried to speak but the words just wouldn't came out. Dick felt his throat was closing up on him.

Victor wrapped his arm around him, rubbing his shoulder, "We're not leaving." he stated firmly, "We're here for you."

Kori silently nodded, Wally did the same, Gar nodded slowly as he looked at Dick with a pale expression. He never was good with death, especially funerals. He hated funerals. But Dick was his brother, he'd follow him to the ends of this world and the next. He'd be there every step of the way. All of them would.

Dick shook his head, "I don't deserve any of you." he quietly muttered.

Victor grimaced, "You don't deserve any of this," he stated grimly, "We're your family, Dick. We ain't goin' nowhere."

Dick leaned into the cloth of the half-man's black tuxedo. He needed them. He'd tried so hard for so long to push them all away, he tried to convince himself that it would be easier. But Dick Grayson was not his father, he was not Bruce Wayne. He couldn't do this alone.

"Where's Raven?" he asked quietly.

"She'll be here soon." Victor cooed quietly, "She said she needed to check on something." He told a half-lie. Dick had more on his mind than anyone should have to bear. Worrying about that kid could be the straw that broke the camel's back.

Little did Cyborg know - it was long since broken.

The thunder cracked on the outside of the walls. Raven had always noticed that it seemed to rain at every funeral she'd ever been to. She'd often wondered if it was something Divine or maybe just the Universe's sense of irony. Hell, maybe it was just a coincidence.

"There you are." she announced as she turned the corner to see Damian watching the rain droplets hit against the stained glass.

He looked over to her, a dark look on his face. Not anger, not even sadness, just a darkness in his expression. He was definitely the son of the Bat. She walked up to him, he looked her up and down before he turned back - looking out in the window, deep in thought. He didn't seem to say much. He hadn't spoken a word since the three of them had come across Bruce's body.

"I think the funerals about to start." she offered to which he replied with a deafening silence. She frowned, crouching down to his level, "They're going to speak about him." she began, "Tell some stories, maybe." she cocked her head to the side a bit, trying to catch his eyes with her own, "I know you're curious."

He looked back at her, his eyes were hardened and cold. He showed no emotion at all, "You're a Titan?"

She nodded, smiling a bit that she got a response.

"And a demon." he added.

Her smile left her as she nodded again, "So are you, from what I've heard."

He shook his head, "Not literally, of course." he sighed, "I'm not some weak little kid, Roth." Raven internally wondered how he'd known her civilian name, they'd hadn't spoken but two or three times. He continued, "I've killed more men in twelve years than you could imagine."

Raven nodded, rising to her feet, "You don't want to be coddled." she knew the act. Dark and mysterious - just like his father, just like his brother. She didn't buy it, he was still a kid.

Damian nodded silently.

"Then you won't be." she stated simply, "But he was still your father. You need to be there." she instructed.

He looked up at her, considering her for a moment, before giving a curt nod.

Raven hid a grin as the boy followed her lead, holding her hand tightly.

Victor moved over as Raven and Damian sat next to Dick. He noticed the boy and his mind swirled with thought once more, but Raven brought him out of it almost as quickly as he'd went in when she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Where have you been?" Dick questioned quietly in his monotone voice.

"Looking for a Damain." She answered.

'How is he?' He questioned to where only she could hear.

'He's a tough kid.' There was a quiet pause in their internal conversation. She felt his mind, she felt the pain he was dealing with. His face was completely stone cold, just looking straight for.

'Don't' his cold internal voice stopped her from looking any further, 'Don't look for something you don't want to see'

'You can't scare me away, Dick.'

'Maybe I should.'

'You can't.'

There was a deafening silence that hung in the air between them. It went on and on, seemingly forever. He gently wrapped an arm around her. He didn't say anything but she could feel his emotions. They told her more than mere words could.

Dick felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned back to see Clark looking down at him with a sad look in his eyes, "You ready?" the kryptonian questioned.

Dick glanced around the room he didn't see him anywhere. He looked up at Clark, "Where's Alfred?" he asked, his voice was barely above a whisper.

Clark grimaced, "Out back."

Dick frowned and rose out of his seat. Raven looked up with concern in her eyes. Dick smiled, but she could feel the overwhelming sadness that radiated from him. He bent down and kissed her forehead, "Stay with him please."

She nodded and watched as he left the room with a sad determination on his face.

"What are you doing?" Dick's gruff voice demanded.

Alfred looked over at Dick, looking up from the half dug hole. Dick could see the redness on his cheeks and the dried tears. Alfred dug the shoved into the ground once more, "Digging."

"The funeral is about to start." He stated, Alfred said nothing. Dick moved a step closer, "I can't do this without you... I can't,"

"And I thought I couldn't bury another Wayne... not my boy - yet here I am." Alfred never looked back, never stopped digging.

Dick jumped down into the hole with the elder man, grabbing the handle of the shovel - stopping his progress. Dick and Alfred looked at each other, sadness in both of their eyes.

"Please..." Alfred's voice was so much weaker than just before, "Don't ever put on that suit. Never again."

Dick looked at the man that raised him with a sad look in his eyes. He just pulled him into a tight hug as they both began to weep. Dick never responded. He couldn't. He couldn't break Alfred's heart once again.

Dick couldn't stop being Batman. It was his destiny. His mission. His new life.