Disclaimer: No matter how much I squeeze my Spiderman plushie, Peter Parker will never be mine. Just like the Teen Titans.

"Grayson's their leader because he's the best. Powers augment a person, they don't make 'im."

-Deathstroke the Terminator (Slade Wilson), The Judas Contract

Chapter 5: Circus

-R-

As Dick neared the billowing circus tent he stood still for a moment, closing his eyes as memories of his childhood rushed back to him. He could smell the butter of crackling popcorn and hay that the elephants ate. The sounds of the circus mingled with the noisy crowd. Elephants trumpeted in annoyance as the clowns gossiped over a cup of coffee. Children laughing.

He smiled.

This almost felt like home.

He approached the kiosk outside the entrance to the tent and pulled out his wallet. The cashier leaned forward and peered at him through the grimy window.

"Ticket for one, please," Dick said.

"Only one?"

"Yeah."

The cashier shrugged and gave him his ticket. Dick knew that he must look strange to passerby. There were mostly young families here. No one came to the circus by themselves, especially not teenage boys on a Friday afternoon. He took a seat next to a family of four and settled in, unsure of what he was hoping to see or feel.

He clapped enthusiastically as the lights dimmed, which indicated that the show was about to begin. Dick loved everything about the circus: the theatrics, the cheesy one-liners, the pleasant people…

Clowns danced across the ring and blundered through their act, which initiated bouts of laughter from the crowd. Performers performed death-defying acts with cannons and menacing lions. Even though Dick knew the tricks of the trade he let himself relax a little and enjoy the show. As a performer he hardly ever got the chance to watch the show.

Time whizzed by in a multi-colored blur and only slowed down when the lights flashed towards the ceiling. Three people-a man and two women-dressed in brightly-colored spandex stood on top of a high platform. Despite himself, Dick found himself taking a sharp intake of breath as he watched them wave at the cheering crowd.

The trapeze artists.

This was the act he had been dreading and anticipating the most. As his eyes drifted towards the high bars he was relieved to see a safety net. Perhaps after the death of his parents, which was (to his dismay and annoyance) highly publicized, someone finally had cracked down on enforcing the safety net rule. The safety of the artists was much more important than the entertainment of the crowd.

As they flipped and spun in the air the people around him gasped and cheered them on, which warmed his heart more than anything else. Dick wondered vaguely if he could still perform those tricks. He probably could.

Silent tears fell down his face.

He didn't sob or wail openly like he had done as a child. It wouldn't do for Richard Grayson to make himself a public nuisance. As Robin the Boy Wonder he couldn't afford to cry. But Dick didn't come here to torture himself with horrible memories.

The first lesson Bruce taught him was to never forget.

These weren't just tears of sadness and loss, but tears of melancholy and happiness. He had a happy childhood growing up in the circus. They reminded him of the times he lived with his parents and friends. This place reminded him that he wasn't also just Robin but Richard Grayson, a young man who was trained to be an acrobat from birth.

He remembered those agonizing weeks after his parents died; the utter confusion and loneliness of empty nights in Wayne Manor. Alfred had always been there for him while Bruce spent his nights as the Dark Knight, before Dick became Robin.

"Circus brat," Slade's voice snarled, slapping Robin across the face with the back of his hand. "Pay attention, Dick!"

Not here, Dick thought, his hands clenching into fists. Not now.

What was so special about him? Why did Slade target him? Was it to enrage Batman?

Even after Slade's death Robin still pondered over these questions. Those few times he managed to be alone with Slade after the apprenticeship-such as the time he fought him in the underground elevator-only initiated more questions. Even after thinking that particular encounter over after realizing that Terra was working for Slade, Robin still could not puzzle these questions out. There were several extraordinary Metahuman youngsters in Jump City to choose from, but Slade had chosen the only hero without super powers.

Richard Grayson didn't consider himself to be extraordinary.

But once he put that mask over his eyes he ceased to become ordinary. He remembered the public's enthusiastic reaction to Batman's new sidekick, a real "boy wonder" the newspapers called him. People liked him. His flamboyant persona seemed so much friendlier than the dark, brooding bat that haunted Gotham's crime-riddled streets.

A star.

Just like his parents wanted him to be.

He covered his face with a hand in an attempt to control himself as his shoulder shook. People turned in their seats to look at him. Although he tried his best not to make any noise he was sniffling rather loudly.

Was he frightened of Slade? Yes, he was. Only a fool wouldn't be. The man had been a criminal mastermind, a psychopath bent on destruction, and a master of psychology. The nightmares still haunted him. He wondered if Batman felt this way about any of the criminals he fought in Gotham. Unlike the Joker, Slade had been a sophisticated fellow. What infuriated Dick the most was the fact that Slade had used his weakness to entrap him. The days following the blackmail Slade broke down a well-respected young hero's self-confidence, snapping it like a dry twig.

The little boy sitting next to him gazed up at him with wide, concerned eyes. His family leaned other to look at him. Dick forced himself to smile back weakly, tracks of tears still running down his face. He wiped them away with the back of his hand and turned his attention back to the trapeze artists.

-C-

Cyborg sat at the computer and upgraded new security measures to the Towers' security system. Although his face didn't show it, he was pissed that someone managed to break into the Tower. The last time that had happened was when Terra…

He shook his head. Just like the others, Cyborg tried to repress the memories of her betrayal. It hadn't cut to his emotional core like Beast Boy, though it still hurt. But since Terra was dead, he had to put the past behind him and concentrate on their present problems. One, of course, was the dust. The other was the ever-growing presence of Brother Blood, who was probably still pissed about Cyborg's infiltration of the Academy.

Cyborg glanced at the clock.

"It's almost time for dinner. Star, why don't you get Robin while I go put some burgers on the grill?"

He turned to look at the others. Beast Boy was playing a video game and Raven was sitting on the other end of the couch reading a book. Everyone except him was taking a break from this dust madness. Starfire looked up at the sound of her name. His fingers typed in the last encryption code before switching off the computer.

"Robin has…left the Tower," Starfire replied meekly. "He wishes to be alone."
At this everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her.

"What?" Cyborg asked. "After last night he—why didn't you stop him, Star?"

"I am not sure why," she replied, "but he left wearing…what is the term…normal cloths. Not as the Robin I know."

This caught Cyborg even more off guard. As far as he knew, Robin never left the Tower without wearing the cape and the mask. Even when he had been forced to bloody go to the prom with Kitten, he had worn his uniform underneath the tux.

"What?" Beast Boy asked, his voice cracking. "You saw him in his civilian identity?"

Beast Boy dropped the controller onto the couch and sprang to his feet, not even bothering to hide his excitement. Starfire shied away from them, obviously uncomfortable.

"Yes."

"Did you see his face?"

"I…no. No I did not." Her head drooped sadly. "He almost showed me his face before putting the mask back on."

Even Cyborg found himself spellbound by the tale. Even though he respected Robin as a leader he was innately curious about the man underneath the mask, just like Beast Boy was. How could he not be? Of course Robin would only reveal himself to Starfire…but it seemed as though he couldn't go through with it.

"Well, his communicator's offline," he said, checking his own communicator. "I guess we'll just have to eat without him."

"Uh…" Beast Boy said, pointing towards the TV screen. "Someone is calling us."

Cyborg turned back towards the TV screen. Someone was calling them. All the way from Gotham.

"Something tells me I know who it is," Cyborg said as his fingers flew across the keyboard.

Sure enough, Gotham's legendary Dark Knight appeared on screen. Even through the webcam the man appeared intimidating, even frightening. Cyborg had never seen Batman before. Heard of him, yes, but he figured he wasn't a big enough hero to meet the legend.

"Where's Robin?" Batman asked in a low growl. "I need to talk to him."

"Uh…Robin's not here," Cyborg said. "He left the Tower."

"He le—damn that boy!" Batman muttered.

Hmm. Cyborg could definitely see why Robin always seemed so edgy. But at least Robin tried to have fun sometimes. Batman's perpetual frown betrayed his silent intensity. No wonder Robin never liked to talk about him. He seemed so...grumpy.

"He's been avoiding me all afternoon," Batman growled. "What happened after the power outage?"

Well, now, there was an interesting topic.

-R-

Showtime.

Dick reluctantly left the circus tent amidst the crowd of milling people. His time as Dick Grayson was almost up. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to get rid of the dried tears still encrusted at the corners of his eyes. For once he was grateful that he had a civilian identity that he could slip into when he needed to.

He walked to a nearby gas station, made sure no one was following or watching him, and then went into a bathroom to change. He had considered a phone booth, but they were so outdated that none were around anymore.

Clark would be proud.

This transformation was much smoother since he had an appointment to make, but he paused before placing the mask back on his face. A young man barely old enough to drive looked back at him. His calm blue eyes were puffy and red. He looked like a weak, emotional, teenager. Or someone suffering from drug withdrawals. He put the mask back on his face.

He ran a gloved hand through his neatly-combed hair to mess it up.

Five minutes later...

Robin stood on the rooftop and waited, his black-and-gold cape billowing in the slight wind. There was a possibility that his contact didn't get the message in time or that it was sent to the wrong person. But he was fairly certain that he would show up.

"Well, well, I hear you have a proposal for me, kid."

Robin turned and saw Red X sitting nonchalantly on top of a wooden box. The memories of their last encounter—which had only been a couple weeks ago—were still fresh on his mind. He didn't know quite what to think of Red X. Although wily enough to steal the suit from right under Robin's nose X was just plain selfish, not psychotic. From the inside of his utility belt Robin pulled the belt from Red X's costume. He saw the villain stir in impatience, as though he was contemplating just taking the belt away by force.

"I'll give this back to you in exchange for information."

"What kind of information?"

Hmp. Robin wondered if this was a bad decision. X wasn't exactly a saint, but he was the only villain he could half-way trust.

And he doubted even that.

"What do you know about Slade?"

"Slade?" X sounded surprised. "Isn't he dead?"

Robin pursed his lips in annoyance.

"Yeah, but he's open again for investigation. First of all, what do you think of him? What did other villains in the Jump underground think of him?"

X studied him for a moment, as though considering whether it would be worth it to talk.

"Aside from dead, he was the biggest villain around Jump in his heyday. Even before I stole this fantastic suit of yours, I've heard things about him. He caused the Justice League a lot trouble in Gotham and Metropolis before coming here, supposedly on a contract."

"A contract?"

"We didn't mess with Slade because he was a mercenary. That man has killed people. Now me, I'm just a thief looking out for numero uno."

Red X turned his head towards the belt in Robin's hand. Almost at once Robin backed away, putting the belt behind his back. So, Slade had killed people. That didn't surprised Robin in the slightest. Red X's shoulders slouched as he snorted.

"Come on, kid, what else do you want?"

"Someone's attacking the Titans," Robin said. "You helped me save them once. If you cared at all—"

"Even the cutie?"

The comment caught him off guard. At first he was confused, but then he remembered how X had flirted with Star. A faint blush colored his pale cheeks.

"Her name is Starfire," Robin growled. "And if my theory is correct, then yes she is."

For once X stayed silent as he considered Robin. For the hundredth time he wished that he knew who was under the mask. It annoyed more than irritated him that he couldn't figure out how X stole his suit. The villain stood up and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What else do you want to know?"

Robin breathed again. "What about the HIVE Academy?"

"Aside from crashing the Sadie Hawkins dance, I don't care what those idiots think. The graduates think they can all become bigshot villains like Brother Blood and—"

"I'm not asking for your opinion about the HIVE," Robin growled. "Cut the crap, X. What do you know?"

"Why do you need to know?" X asked suddenly. "Slade's dead. Why does it matter now?"

Robin hesitated, his eyes narrowing behind his mask. As far as he knew, very few people outside of the Titans knew about his brief…employment…as Slade's apprentice. Slade wasn't one to gossip about such things over coffee with other villains, but Robin was sure that the rumor would have spread anyway. But he didn't want to be blunt with X.

"I have my reasons."

He would ask X later if there were rumors about him as Slade's apprentice.

"When will I get that back?" Red X asked, pointing towards the belt.

"When you've picked up something helpful."

"Well, that's vague." Red X took a step closer. "What's going on with the Titans, kid?"

Robin stood his ground. Even if Red X was willing to help them there would be no telling what X would do with the information. Red X could turn on him tomorrow and sell information to the highest bidder, or spread nasty rumors to the HIVE Academy that the Titans were breaking down from the inside out.

"Ask about dust."

There. That was as close to the truth as he could get.

"I'm also looking for someone," Robin said. "If you can find him I'll throw in some Xynothium along with the belt."

Red X's head perked up in interest. "Who?"

"His name is Wintergreen. Think you can handle it?"

"Easy as pie."

Robin watched Red X leap across the rooftops. Would Robin ever bring this man to justice? Perhaps. In a way, Red X sort of reminded him of Catwoman. The only difference was that Robin wouldn't get...personally involved...with the criminal. As soon as he turned on his communicator he saw that Cyborg was calling him.

"What's up?" Robin asked.

"What's up?" Cyborg exclaimed. "You better get your butt back here! Batman's chewing us out a—"

He switched off his communicator. So, it seemed as though Bruce got tired of waiting for him to call back. Now that the Titans were awaiting his return, he supposed that he better go back to the Tower.

A/N: I'm finding all of these nice quotes to use! I used my Barnes and Nobles gift card and bought some comic books. So happy!

I found this chapter to be a little challenging to write, especially the circus part. So...much...ANGST! I love it. This was also written to solve a problem I found within the series: how Red X got his belt back. Also, is it just me or did you guys also wonder what went on between Slade and Robin in the elevator fight in "Titan Rising"? Seriously, I bet there was an entire conversation that we never got to hear.

I promise that the plot will pick up soon. But really, all of this retrospecting does have a point for future events later in the story.

Reviews appreciated.