I know this is a short chapter, and I apologize for that. :{ But I put a lot of thought into it and didn't want to ruin it by adding more that just didn't work.

(Nightwing POV)

The day had been going by rather slowly, which considering what it consisted of shouldn't be too surprising. Scan after search, the results were always the same. Which is to say there were none. Bruce had gone to sleep hours ago, which wasn't easy to convince him to do so, but somehow I had managed to do it. I continued with another scan of the nearby area, but my concentration was interrupted when I heard tapping noises from my right. Tim was down here with me, so, thinking nothing of it, I kept my focus on the task in front of me. That is until I heard it again, only louder this time. Finally turning my attention in that direction, I was slightly confused to see that he was not where I thought he was, in fact he didn't appear to be down there at all. Slowly I began to make my way over to where he once was. "Tim? Are you there?" I called out, but got no answer.

As I reached the location of the tapping I could have sworn I felt a brush of wind against my back. I quickly turned on my heels, only to be faced with nothing. Deciding it must me all in my head, my messed up head, I made my way back to the computer. After a few minutes the tapping started up again, only this time from my left. "Tim, that's enough." At that it stopped. But then it started again, from the same location. At this point I was starting to get annoyed. Turning my head in the direction of the noise, I again saw nothing. I must still be a bit out of it, that was the only rational reasoning behind it. And again the tapping was to my right, but it never ceased from the left. And there was that gust of wind again. I tuned around for the second time trying to see what it was, and how I wish I hadn't.

I was greeted by blood, so much blood. I couldn't feel anything, I felt numb, like I wasn't even really there. This couldn't be real. I fell to my knees and felt the warm substance soak into my pants. "Beautiful, isn't it?" That was Bruce's voice. Looking up I saw him standing on the other side of the crimson lake.

"Wh-what did you do?" I stuttered out, looking down at the ground.

"Didn't I tell you? You will always be my little birdie. There simply are no others. Not anymore anyway." His voice broke off into the most maniacal laughter. I couldn't breathe, It felt like I forgot how. I closed my eyes tightly, trying to fight back the stinging sensation overcoming them.

"Dick, you ok?" My eyes shot open and I looked upwards at the familiar voice. It was Tim. I looked back down. No blood, No Bruce anywhere around. I looked back at Tim. I could feel warm streaks slowly travel down my face.

"Y-yeah, fine." I said, not even too sure of my self. Getting back up to my feet, I wiped the back of my hand across my eyes, hoping he didn't notice the tears of grief, and relief. "I'm just a little more out of it than I thought."

"If you say so." I could tell he wasn't buying it. Hell, I wasn't even buying it. I couldn't tell him something about myself when I didn't even know the answer. My thoughts were interrupted by a bright flashing light and a blaring alarm. The scanner had picked something up finally.

"Tim, go get Bruce. We've got something finally."

(Robin POV)

Everything I just saw was immediately forgotten as tried to get to Bruce as fast as I could. This was the first lead we got on the Joker, and I wasn't about to let it slip away. I reached for the doorknob to his room when it suddenly flew open, and the man himself strode out right past me. "Well, beat me to it." I mumbled under my breath, though I'm sure he still heard it. I quickly caught up to him and followed him back into the cave.

"What did you find?"

Dick stepped back away from the screens to allow Bruce to see the screens. "Break-in. It's not a major one, but it's definitely him."

"Tim, get ready, we're headed out."

"Hey, don't forget about me." Even I didn't think it was a good idea for him to go, not after he nearly broke down in front of me. As if he knew what I was thinking he gave me a sideways glare, almost daring me to say anything.

"If you feel like you're well enough, then I can't stop you." We all know he could if he really wanted to. "We are leaving in five minutes, so you two hurry up.

/

With this sort of emergency, we were all suited up well before the five minutes we were given and had already left by then for the designated area. At the speed we were going, it didn't take long for us to arrive. As soon as we stopped, the other two at already gotten out and were running towards the commotion. I didn't take long for me to catch up to them, in fact I almost ran into them. Why did they stop? I went up next to them and followed there gaze. I froze immediately, and switched my eyes to Dick's face, and back to what was in front of me.

It was a pet shop. And there were robins...nailed to the side of the building, but the most disturbing part was the way in which they were organized. I was distinctly in the shape of the Nightwing symbol. "What does this mean?" I asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

I looked to Bruce who had his eyes on my older brother as well. The same horrified and confused look as I felt I had.

Richard took a cautious step forward, never taking his eyes off the birds. He finally spoke, but it was so quiet and shaken I could barely believed it belonged to him. "I'm-I-I'm his-his little birdie."