AN: Short chapter alert. You know how it is, the first ones are always the shortest. Yes, you read correctly, I'm making yet another multi chapter story, because I obviously don't have too many already. Nah...

Anyways, enjoy!

xXx

A part of Robin was aware of the sick snapping and crunching noises that filled the air, the metallic stench of his own blood, and the blurry image of the pale man in purple that stood before him. He knew that the clown was hurting him, destroying him even, but he couldn't focus on that. His thoughts were only filled with the apologies that he would have to make once he arrived to save him, because he was going to show up soon, and he was going to be so very angry with him for going after the enemy on his own. He should have known better, Batman would tell him.

He didn't care about the lecture he was sure to get once he was healed. All he wanted was for all of the pain to end, for him to finally be away from that laughing maniac. It wouldn't be too long now, he knew. Batman would save him any second now, and they could go home...

A sudden jab at his ribcage made him gasp out loud. Joker heard this, and grinned vigorously. "Woah now, hang on. That looked like it hurt a lot more. So, let's clear this up: what hurts more? A," he slammed the crowbar into his battered body, making him jerk back. "Or B?" He repeated the same action, but aimed it at his collarbone.

Robin had been going through the same kind of torture for hours now, and it was starting to look like it wasn't ever going to end. His body hurt so much that it took every ounce of his willpower not to scream, to not give in to the agony. He was strong, he wouldn't give up. All he had to do was hold on until Batman came for him.

"Tsk tsk, zoning out? Where are your manners?!" Joker knelt down and got in his face. "I'll have to teach you a thing or two. When I'm done with you, you'll make your old man so proud!"

"Screw... You..." He said with a gasp, giving him the strongest glare he could manage.

There was a raised brow. "Ohh, you are one tough cookie. Still have some fight in you, hm? Let me fix that for you."

The next few minutes were a blur of broken bones and bruises, and Robin slipped in and out of unconsciousness several times. "Batman..." he coughed, and blood flew out of his mouth, which was a sign that he was bleeding internally. That wasn't a good thing, but it wasn't anything that Dr. Leslie couldn't fix. God, she was going to give Bruce such a hard time for letting him get mixed up with the Joker. Her glare was sometimes even scarier than the Batman's.

Joker tapped his cheek with his crowbar. "I wouldn't put all of my hopes on him if I were you. By the time he gets here, you and I will be long gone."

Gone? Robin frowned and did a few quick calculations in his head. If Joker moved him, then it would take his mentor at least another day to find him, depending on where he was being held. "Where are we going?" He asked, voice cracking.

"You'll see soon." There was another wicked grin that sent shivers down his spine. He didn't like that look at all. "In the mean time, let's continue our little bonding session, shall we?" He slammed his crowbar into Robin's abdomen with enough force to make him cry out. "Ah, and here I was thinking I wasn't ever going to hear your lovely singing voice..." He burst into a crescendo of laughter as he lifted his bar again, and Robin screamed as it made impact again. He couldn't take it anymore, he just wanted to go home!

'Batman, where are you?' He thought to himself as another shriek flew past his lips. 'Please come here soon...'

He could imagine it perfectly. Batman would break down the door and march inside, cape fluttering behind him as he took in the Joker, and his battered partner. The lenses of his cowl would narrow dangerously, and a snarl would rip through his throat as he shot forward and pulled the Joker away from his protege.

But where could he be? He should have been there by now. Did he... Did he forget about him? A cough shook his entire frame, and he felt dread sink in. He had already lost so much blood...

'Bruce...'

"Okay kiddo, I gotta go. But it's been fun, right? Well, maybe a smidge more fun for me than you. I'm just guessing, since you're being awful quiet."

Robin couldn't answer, couldn't even move if he wanted to. Joker was leaving him? Didn't he say that they were going somewhere? New hope blossomed in his chest. Maybe he caught word that Batman was on his way, and decided to retreat before he showed up. It would only slow the clown down if he had to carry Robin with him, so he decided to ditch him altogether. It made sense.

Joker didn't seem bothered by his lack of response. "Anyway, be a good boy. Finish your homework and be in bed by 9. And, hey..." There was a pause. "Please tell the big man I said, 'hello.'" He then left with another bout of laughter, door slamming shut behind him.

Robin slowly sucked in a deep breath. He wasn't going to stand in there and wallow in self pity until Batman showed up, that was for sure. He slowly rolled onto his side, ignoring the way his muscles screamed in protest. Okay, he could do this. Biting his lip, he pulled his bound hands under his feet and then moved them up so that they were then in front of him. Sure, he could move with his wrists cuffed behind his back, but this would make escaping so much easier.

He twisted his body until he was on all fours, and then pushed himself up to his feet. His legs shook uncontrollably, but he ignored them, eyeing the door across the room with determination. He attempted to take a step forward, but the entire process was full of excruciating pain that he collapsed the moment his foot hit the ground. Okay, so he would have to suck up his pride and crawl to the door. Well, he would do whatever it took to get out of there.

Back on his hands and knees, Robin dragged himself towards the door. Once he got there, he stretched his arm up to grab the handle, but it wouldn't budge. It seemed to have been locked from the outside, but Joker confiscated all of his tools hours ago, which meant that there was no possibility of picking the lock. There had to have been another way out. A window, maybe? He would have to take a break before attempting anything else. There was no way in hell that he was going to be able to climb up to a windowsill in his current state. With a disgruntled sigh, Robin sat on the floor, back pressed against the door. Just a few minutes, and he would escape...

Beep.

Blue eyes flew open. No, that couldn't be... He frantically searched for the source of the noise, and then saw it. Across the room was a small wooden table with explosives stacked on top of it. The timer told him that he only had twenty seconds left before the bombs would detonate.

Robin stared at the timer for five seconds before his brain was able to process what was happening. No. It didn't even cross his mind that he could die there! He was so focused on how much trouble he was going to be in that he didn't even think of what would happen if Batman didn't save him.

Ten seconds.

Bruce... Bruce was going to be too late. Wherever he was, he didn't have enough time to save him. Even if he was just a few feet away, Robin was a goner. He was practically dead already.

Five seconds.

He closed his eyes. All he could do was wait, now. His heart was beating loudly in his chest as the fear of what was to come settled in. He was actually going to die. Oh God, he was going to die...

3...

His friends would cry. Bruce would probably cry too. Hell, even Alfred would cry! He didn't even get to say goodbye to any of them. Maybe that's what hurt he hated most of all. He couldn't even say goodbye to anyone.

Because he was by himself... completely alone.

2...

There was a humming noise in the distance, and his eyes snapped open.

1...

Was that... Was that the Batmob-

0.

xXx

The Batmobile slammed to a halt, and Batman jumped out of it without much thought. The moment his feet hit the ground he was sprinting towards the house that held his adoptive son. Please, please let him be okay. If he had anything more than a couple of bruises, the Joker would have hell to p-

BOOM.

Fire and debris shot out in all directions, and he was forced to shield his face with his cape. The force of the blast made him stagger backwards, and he was sure that he would have to tend to some minor burns later, but that wasn't what he was worried about.

The building that Robin was in just exploded.

His blood went cold, and he shot through the destruction without a second thought. His thoughts were stuck on repeat, 'He could have survived, he could have survived, he could have survived...' was the only thing that kept him going, the anchor that kept him from breaking down right then and there. He had to find Robin, had to get him to safety, had to take care of his injuries. They would talk about punishments later, but right now, his well-being was far more important. 'Just be alive chum, please...'

The color yellow caught his eye, and he was met with the broken sight of a raven haired boy laying on the ground a few feet away. Batman stopped in his tracks, eyes widening in horror as he was forced to face the facts. "Dick... No..." He whispered, before stumbling over to his fallen form. The boy's uniform was stained red in several places, and half of his mask was completely ripped off. Batman's hands shook as he knelt down and scooped him up in his arms, and his eyes burned as Dick's body hung limp in his grasp. "No..." he repeated, clutching him close to his chest. "No..."

He was too late. The most precious thing in the world was taken from him, because he was so very late.

"Dickie... I'm so, so sorry..."

xXx

AN: Well, what do you think? Was it good? Bad? Soul crushing? All of the above? Please let me know through a review if you can spare the time!

And like I said in the summary, this will only have a couple of references to "Under the Red Hood." If you were looking for a complete reenactment of the movie with Dick as the main character, you are not at the right place. Sorry!