I am not alone.

Dick was sitting in the newly set up stands. Brightly painted balls sat in his hands, of which he was supposed to juggle, but unfortunately all of Seraphina's efforts had thus far failed. He had never been as quick with his hands than he was with his legs, even on the trapeze. It had been that way his entire life- almost a reminder that some things never changed.

"Dick?"

He started, dropping the balls. They bounced down the stands, up and down and up and down, until they rolled to a spot in the middle of the Big Top. It looked a little lonely.

"Oh, Raya," he breathed. "Hey. You scared me."

"I guess I must've."

She took a seat next to him. "Dick... What's been happening with you?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

She snorted. "Oh come on. You've been acting strange ever since we went to Gotham! You've barely been around! Where have you been?"

"Oh, um..."

Dick gulped. Him and Raya had never been officially dating, but it had been an understanding between them, their mutual crush. Well, at least it had been mutual.

So Dick thought saying he had been hanging out with the police commissioner's daughter was maybe a bad idea.

"I... Haven't been anywhere...?"

"Don't!" Her hands curled into fists. "You think I haven't noticed you distancing yourself from me- from all of us? Even your parents! Please, we can help you. Just explain to me what's going on!"

Explain what was going on? How on earth was he supposed to explain what was going on? The whole world felt wrong, and living in a world that felt wrong hurt a lot. In the circus it was at its worst. Every step he took, every sound he made, it felt as if it should not have existed.

The only thing that felt right in this

world was Barbara, and Commissioner Gordon. He couldn't explain that.

I'll find my way back again.

"I'm sorry. I can't tell you," he said half-heartedly.

Raya's eyes flashed dangerously for a second, and then returned back to normal- but maybe just slightly, slightly sadder.

"I apologise for bothering you," she said, voice tense. For what seemed like the thousandth time in the past two weeks, she stormed away.

Dick sighed. He had long stopped feeling guilty for hurting Raya, because it wasn't that he meant to. He just couldn't help it.

Because something was still missing.

Still, though, it would've been nice to be able to talk to her. She wasn't entirely forgotten.

But everyone else is.

"Gather round, everyone!" Mr. Haly's voice echoed through the Big Top. "Tonight is the night! This is our first show in Gotham, so everyone do their best!"

A cheer rose up among the gathering crowd, and Dick couldn't help but smile.

He loved his family.

But, as the lights dimmed and the crowd dispersed, he couldn't help thinking that it was the wrong family to love.

"Dick?"

He turned and grinned. "Hey, Babs."

Her nose crinkled. It was five minutes before the show, and the audience had started pouring in by the dozens. The audience, of course, included Barbara and her father. She shook her head at his costume.

"A leotard? Doesn't it get cold?"

"Hey, it's comfortable," he argued. "It's good for acrobatics."

"Yeah, well, if you're trying to be dorky might as well add a cape."

It was his turn to be disgusted. "Capes are so bad for acrobatics, might as well deliberately trip yourself up."

"Unless you're good enough."

"Which I'm not."

She shrugged, smiling. "We'll see."

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen, please head back to your seats. The show is about to begin."

"See you on the trapeze!" She grinned, waving as she headed to where her father was sitting.

Dick smiled slightly and took his place in the wings of the stage. His mom and dad were both in costume, bright smiles plastered on their face.

"You ready, son?" His dad asked him.

He looked out into the spotlight. "Ready," he said confidently.

The show began as it usually did. The elephants (including Dick's favourite, Elinor) performed tricks to the oohing and aahing of the crowd. Then came a whole host of tightly-packed acts, from the contortionist to the strong man to Seraphina's juggling act. The Daring Twins did an impressive diving show, and Pedro the Dwarf did his classic comedic act.

And then it was their turn.

They walked up to the trapeze, the three of them, The Flying Graysons, but as Dick looked up at the ladder to climb he suddenly felt like throwing up.

Not nerves. It was not nervousness.

It was total, complete fear.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, time for a show-stopper! The amazing Flying Graysons will perform for you today, without any safety net!"

Why did that scare him? They never have a net.

No... I can't do this again. Never again.

"Alright, Dickie, let's do this," his mom whispered encouragingly.

She leaped out first, hands outstretched, meeting the bar. He didn't fear for her then- he knew she couldn't fall until he was there with her.

Wait, fall? Nobody was going to fall. Nobody ever fell.

Then his dad jumped out, complete and utter faith in the flying-through-the-air-with-the-greatest-of-ease, flipping, twirling like ballet in the sky. And Dick's stomach was also dancing.

"Now!" His father cried, and Dick grasped outwards for his hand.

They connected, and now they were all on the trapeze, swinging, hopping from one swing to another. And for a while, Dick did okay.

But he couldn't stop the screaming. It filled his ears and sounded like chaos. It was his voice, he was screaming, screaming for them-

"No! NO!"

And now he was screaming out loud, and his hand slipped.

And he was falling.

Falling...

"No..."

In this vision, he was crying. He was kneeling on the floor, on something sticky and wet. It was blood. He looked up to see where it was coming from.

"Mom? Dad?"

It was them. It was so clear, so vivid. And Dick knew this was what really happened, their faces turned to the sky. The acid. Anthony Zucco.

And a man, walking towards him.

"It's going to be okay," he said. A chill crept up his spine. It was the same man in the other scene. "You're going to be okay."

"Who... who are you?"

"My name is-"

"-baby, my baby, oh!"

Dick woke up.

He was staring at a blank ceiling, undecorated yet immaculately clean. There was a soft feeling, a blanket, covering his body.

And something very tight squeezing his hand.

"Dick? Honey?"

"Ughh..." He felt strange. "Mom?"

"Oh thank goodness," his mother sighed.

He tried to sit up. "What happened?"

"You fell. Oh, you're so lucky you didn't- so lucky-" she dissolved into tears.

Dick flinched as he looked at her. A deep seated memory of her dead face, stronger than any dream, passed in front of his eyes. He felt bike rise up his throat.

"Mom?"

"Yes?"

"I- I want to be alone."

There was a brief flash of hurt, like Raya's. It stabbed him as well. "O-of course. I'll tell your father you're awake- and that girl as well, I suppose."

That girl? "Barbara? Would you um... send her in?"

The confusion on his mothers face was painstakingly evident. She must think Dick chose a random girl over being with her- and it was a little like that, but not entirely.

"Anything... you want, sweetie."

A second later, Barbara crashed through the doors, red hair flying wildly behind her.

"Dick!" She cried as she ran towards him. "Are you okay? What happened?! They said you'd never done that before-"

"Barbara," he interrupted. "I need to talk to you."

"What?" She folded her hands on her lap, a habit that she had kept from the first time they met. Not a few weeks ago.

Much, much longer.

I'm remembering.

"You've been having visions... Haven't you?"

"Visions?" Her eyes widened. "How did you- what did you-"

"I've been having them too."

Her hands clasped and unclasped. "How... I mean, when I saw you, I knew... A few days ago I woke up different. Or, maybe, the world woke up different. And everything was so unfamiliar..."

"Except me."

She hesitated, then nodded. "What does that mean?"

Dick swung his legs over the bed so he was directly facing her. "I think we're in the wrong world, or the wrong timeline. I fell... because I remembered seeing my parents die. I remember it, Barbara. It happened. I know it did."

She bit her lip. "I know... Some nights I wake up and I'm crying. And my dad comes to check on me, but I'm screaming, just screaming one thing over and over again: 'I can't feel my legs. I can't feel my legs.' And I know that I didn't dream it... Somewhere, it was real. But we can't be the only ones, can we?"

"... No. I don't think we're alone." Dick looked into Barbara's face. "I think the Gotham City vigilante is the key to this. We need to meet him, get to talk to him-"

"Stop saying that."

"I know it's a strange plan, Babs, but I believe-"

She waved her hands. "I don't mean it's a bad plan. Just stop saying 'he'."

"...What?"

"Didn't you know?" She raised an eyebrow. "Gotham City's vigilante is a girl."

Not everything is lost.

Hey everyone! I'd like to thank all those that reviewed, especially IncomingAlbatross and AlyssPotter- your reviews are much appreciated! I'd also like to say that if you're thinking the vigilante is a gender-swapped Bruce- it's not. I'd rather not mislead you there. So thanks for reading, and like, follow, or review! Thanks to all those who have already listened to me- you really do keep me going. Bye! (For now...)