A/N: While Dick is attending to his annual trip to the circus, Tim disobeys and follows him, getting into major trouble on two fronts. Without realizing, by revealing that Tim is his biological brother, Dick has placed Tim in grave danger from a source they have dealt with before. Will Dick be the last Flying Grayson, again?

A Circus Boy Returns Home

Part 10: Back into the Fold

This was the second night that Tim had to sleep in his car. The car was still overly warm from the day, but was slowly cooling down. At least it wasn't unbearable. Overnight, it started to rain, and the thunder and lightning was so loud it not only scared Tim, it was scaring the animals as well. It sounded so much louder in the car then it did in the house. The rain pounded the roof, which didn't ease Tim's fears. He imaged all kinds of things, including his car being lifted up in a sudden flash flood, and the water carrying him away. When another crack of thunder hit, Tim sat in his car shivering from that sound. It reminded him of when he was a kid, alone in his parents' house while the housekeeper was away, and a thunderstorm hit Gotham. Tim hid behind a chair that sat in the corner of the living room. He took blankets and pillows and piled them up, shivering in the dark. Not only that, the power had gone out, and the storm seemed to rage on. Eventually the storm passed, and Tim fell asleep nestled in the blankets, like a bird in a nest. The housekeeper found him like that the next day. Tim remembered that she made him an extra special breakfast for "braving the elements," as she put it.

'Please pass,' Tim said to himself. 'Please, please, please.' Tim could not know that this particular storm would be with them for several days, and the circus would have to cancel the rest of their performances. They would have to pack up and move on or lose money. When he finally fell asleep it was from exhaustion. He wasn't even aware when someone came to his car and carried him to a safer place. When he did wake up, it was from the gentle rocking of a moving train, and Dick was actually sitting by his side.

"Dick? Where . . . "

"Easy little brother," Dick said in a gentle voice. "I'm sorry I didn't talk with you. We had to leave the area. There were dangerous storms that moved in. Someone reported there was a tornado. I moved you to the circus train."

"I'm on a train?"

"Of course, I wasn't going to leave you behind."

"I'm sorry for disobeying, but I had to," Tim said. "I couldn't get ahold of you."

"My phone died, and I haven't been able to charge it. Why did you feel you had to disobey me?"

"Something's wrong at home," Tim said. "It's Barbara. She's not herself."

"I don't understand," Dick questioned.

"Haley said her mother has changed. And I saw her eyes turn red, then her eyes went back to normal."

"That doesn't sound like Barbara. Are you sure you saw her eyes turn red?"

"Yes, as I was taking Haley to the car, she sounded totally put out at the fact that she had to take Haley to her father, as if she couldn't be bothered."

"You're right, that doesn't sound like Barbara at all," Dick replied. "She loves her father, and she knows how much he would appreciate seeing Haley."

"She still left, but I'm concerned for Haley," Tim explained further. "She actually sounded afraid."

"Maybe I should have brought her."

"I think Haley will be fine with Commissioner Gordon, after all he's her grandfather and a cop. If something is wrong with Barbara, I think he would notice."

"He might, or whatever has gotten ahold of Barbara, she might fight it off."

"We've got to go back," Tim tried to persuade Dick.

"I can't leave, not right now," Dick said. "It's my month with the circus, and I did promise Pop Haly I'd be here. Me being here helps them to earn enough money to carry the circus over for the season. And people want to see the "Last Flying Grayson."

"But you're not the last," Tim pointed out.

"Yeah, I know," Dick placed a hand on Tim's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"Then there's nothing we can do right now. I guess I better go home once the train stops. Wait, what about my car?"

"Don't worry, your car was loaded onto the train. Look, I'm not going to send you home. To be honest, I'm glad you're here. I should have brought you with me. I'll make it up to you once the train gets to its next destination. We'll have to deal with Barbara, later. She can take care of herself."

"Dick, for a moment, you sounded like something was going on."

"I'm not sure," Dick said. "It's not like the last time I was here. It's just a feeling I have. You should continue to rest."

"I feel fine," Tim started to argue.

"You were running a slight fever earlier. This is the perfect time to get that rest. Once the train stops at our next destination, everyone will be scrambling to get the tents up and prepared for the first performance. We'll be arriving at night, and that's tricky enough to get things up before sunrise."

"Can't I help?"

"Maybe next time little brother," Dick said. "I'm glad you're all right. I hope that storm didn't scare you too much."

"To tell you the truth, I've never been in a storm like that in a car. It was scary. It was raining so hard, I thought the ground was going to flood, and wash the car away."

"You were parked near a small stream. The stream was beginning to rapidly fill. We moved both you and the car just in time. I carried you to the sleeper car."

"What time is it?"

"Not quite one am," Dick said. "We got everything packed in less than four hours. Our train will arrive at our next destination in about six hours, but we won't unload it until after dark. Some of us will be going into town to get lunch and to see if we can't order some supplies that will be delivered tonight."

"I'm really sorry," Tim said.

"Don't be," Dick said. "I should have listened earlier. This is the first time I've had to discipline anyone before. Guess I'm going to have to get used to being guardian and now a Dad."

Tim gave out a big yawn.

"You better get some sleep. I'm going to try to sleep, too. It's going to be a big day tomorrow."

"Don't you mean today?"

"Nope," Dick said. "We're ahead of schedule right now, which means we'll be arriving early at our next stop. It will be a big day because, I'll be introducing you to the rest of the circus family, and not just any introduction. You're my brother, and everyone is going to want to welcome you home."

"Welcome me home?" Tim questioned.

"Yeah," Dick said. "You were born in the circus, and that means you're a circus boy, just like me. And I want everyone to know that the last Flying Grayson is not alone."

Continues with Part 11