(A Few Weeks Later)

Sobs echoed throughout the Mountain, belonging to both adults and children alike. The Team huddled together in the front of the cove, tears streaming down their faces as they stared at the holographic image of their fallen friend. The image of Robin stood tall, arms folded over his chest and a defiant expression worn on his face. Behind the younger heroes stood the League, who simply stared at the figure with matching looks of mourning and exhaustion. The despair over the young bird's death was shared between all generations of heroes, some taking it harder than others. Everyone in the Team was in hysterics, and some of the Leaguers who were closer to Robin were in similar conditions. Superman had his head bowed, Black Canary had her face buried in Green Arrow's shoulder, and Wonder Woman had silent tears falling from her eyes.

Every once in a while, someone would glance at Batman, who stood far away from everyone else. The brooding man kept his eyes on his protege's image, but his brain failed to process the meaning of it. No matter how he looked at it, it was impossible to comprehend that his partner was no longer present. The memories of his quirky ways were still fresh in Batman's mind, and he couldn't bring himself to acknowledge that those days were over. Even being dubbed one of the world's coldest men on Earth didn't shield him from the shock that his ward's untimely demise brought him. Instead of sharing the heroes' depression, all he could feel was numb.

Batgirl appeared at his side. "I know you're taking this harder than the rest of us, Bru- Batman. Do you want to leave?" She asked softly.

Months prior to this, Barbara had started dressing up in her own costume, claiming to be a new vigilante by the name of Batgirl. Batman had originally planned on simply telling her father about her activities, but after some pleading on Dick's part, he decided to train the girl. The Dynamic Duo soon revealed their identities to her, and Bruce told her that the only way she would be allowed to patrol is if she went through the necessary training beforehand. Barbara agreed without much argument, and even said that she knew she was too inexperienced to make much of a difference anyways. After that, Dick and Barbara became closer than ever. The two of them were good friends before, but sharing a common interest such as theirs brought them even closer.

Barbara unfortunately heard about her friend's demise from the news, and Gordon personally told Bruce that she was inconsolable for hours after hearing about it. She of course eventually came to the Manor, and the two of them silently grieved in each other's company. Ever since then, she came over a lot more, to either help Bruce cope or to help herself, he wasn't sure. Either way, her presence calmed him down a lot, and she became one of the few who was welcome in his home.

Barbara also made an appearance at Dick Grayson's funeral, and she even wrote a short speech in his memory. After the casket was lowered into the ground, and everyone else had left, the two bats remained. It was then that Barbara quietly requested that she be invited to the funeral for Robin, and Bruce could not deny her.

When the two arrived at the Mountain, there were several curious glances towards her, but they were far too upset to raise any questions. Batgirl had stayed towards the front with the younger heroes for the most part, and remained there until looking at the holographic image of her fallen friend became too much for her to handle. The question she asked was directed towards him, but he knew that in reality it was her who wanted to leave. He understood her pain, of course he did, but that didn't mean he was going to leave. "We should stay," he said quietly. "He deserves that much."

She nodded, and lowered her head. "I know. It's just... I miss him," she choked out. Batman put a steady hand on her shoulder, nodded in understanding, and returned his gaze to Robin's image.

Superman suddenly cleared his throat. "Robin was one of bravest heroes I have known, and his young age only emphasised his strength. His death will not go unheard: the criminal responsible for his death will be caught and brought to justice."

Wonder Woman nodded. "And the criminals of Earth will share our pain, as we will now push ourselves even harder to prevent such a tragedy from occurring again. Robin will not have died in vain. Our fight against crime will continue, and our fallen comrade shall always be at the back of our minds in this war against evil. Robin will not be forgotten."

As the Amazonian fell silent, another Leaguer spoke up and calmly made their own speech. This continued on until it was the Team's turn to speak for their teammate. Instead of talking about their friend's strengths in the field, they spoke of how he acted outside of costume. They recalled his quirky attitude, his cheery remarks, the endless puns, the butchered words, anything and everything that they could think of. By the time Miss Martian had finished her speech, Barbara was nearly sobbing.

Everyone looked at her uncertainly, and she quickly wiped the tears off her face. It was her turn to speak, she knew, and she held her head high before speaking. "Robin was the greatest ally to a lot of us, and more importantly, he was our greatest friend. In the field he was intelligent and strong- certainly a force to be reckoned with." She looked towards the hologram, sniffling. "And as one of Robin's closest friends outside of costume, I can say that he had one of the strongest wills that I have ever seen. He had suffered through things that would break anyone else, yet he still found a reason to smile. Robin... if he can hear me now, I hope that he knows how much he was appreciated, both with and without the mask."

There was a long moment of silence after these words, and they seemed to trigger more tears from both the Team and the Justice League. After a full minute of sobbing has passed, and everyone seemed to calm down, their expecting eyes were moved from Barbara to the Dark Knight. He didn't say a word thus far, and of course it was expected for him to say something in honor of his protege.

He looked at the hologram again, and felt his throat go dry. How could he possibly find words to say about his partner if he couldn't even find the courage to acknowledge his passing? He continued to stare, and all of a sudden, the image of a smirking acrobat flashed through his mind. He swallowed hard, and finally spoke up, "Robin is the greatest hero on this planet, surpassing several members of the League, including myself. He made it his mission to save everyone from suffering from similar losses that he experienced, and he became a symbol of hope that inspires people across the globe." His normally steady voice became higher as he spoke, and he knew it was only a matter of time before he would burst into tears himself. "He is the greatest hero, partner, and son I will ever know." The use of present tense was not lost on the others, and several pitiful glances were thrown his way. He didn't care, couldn't bring himself to think about anything besides his fallen partner.

It was time.

Batman reached for his cowl and pulled it off with a quick yank, letting it fall to the ground. Next to him, Batgirl did the same, and her cowl joined his in the dirt. Her eyes shone with pained tears, and she seemed even more vulnerable without a mask. The other Leaguers followed suit, removing their masks, capes, weapons, or anything else that separated their hero identities from their civilian ones, fell to the ground with quiet thuds. Young Justice, though unfamiliar with the tradition, quickly mimicked their mentors' actions and removed their hero attire as well. This was their final act of respect, a sign of showing the dead that they not only cared about them as a hero, but as a civilian as well.

Bruce did nothing to hide his bare face, surprisingly. Normally, he would be the only one to not partake in the final act, but made an exception for Robin. No thoughts of anyone using his identity against him crossed his mind. If his protege trusted all of those who were present, then that was good enough for him. Even if someone did reveal his identity, he couldn't bring himself to care. His only concern was Alfred, but the older man could take care of himself if necessary. If Bruce died after being revealed to be Batman, then as long as he would take Joker down with him, he wouldn't even flinch at Death. Someone else in the League would watch over Gotham while he was gone anyways, so would he care?

It wasn't like he was leaving anyone behind anyways. Not anymore.

Denial.

xXx (Three months after death) xXx

"Leave me alone, man! I didn't-" the teen was silenced as Batman shoved him against a brick wall, and he yelped.

"I have evidence that you are employed under the Joker, so talk! Tell me where he is, or I'll break the other one."

"The other wha- AH!" His wrist made a sick crunching noise, and he howled as he thrashed wildly in attempts to escape.

"Talk, now," the vigilante hissed.

"I don't know nothing! S-stop, please..."

He grit his teeth. "Wrong answer." He grabbed the man's other arm to repeat his earlier action, but was stopped short when a batarang sliced through the air and embedded itself into the wall next to them. His heart skipped a beat, and the first thought on his mind that it was Robin. However, logic pushed that thought away. Dick was gone.

And the only other person to have weapons like that was Batgirl. "I think he's telling the truth," the redhead said as she approached from behind.

"We can't know for sure," Batman threw back, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. His grasp on the teen slackened, and the boy fell to the ground with a whimper. "You shouldn't be out here. I told you that you're not allowed on patrol."

She scoffed. "You can't make me sit on the sidelines while you continue breaking the bones of every criminal you see. This isn't healthy."

"Hn." He glared down at the cowering teen and clicked his tongue. "This boy been working with people like the Joker for a year now, smuggling drugs and assisting with murder. He needs to be put behind bars where he belongs."

"Does he need to be in a full body cast too?"

Batman growled. "Go home Batgirl," he said icily, pulling his grappling gun out and aiming it at the rooftop above them. In seconds he was pulled off of the ground and shot into the air, landing on the roof in a crouch. As he straightened, the sound of another grapple gun told him he was being followed. "What did I just say?"

"Probably a heartfelt thank you, for holding you back from making a mistake you would regret," she replied smoothly, and he felt her eyes pierce into his back. "Look Bruce, I'm starting to get worried. We're all getting worried. Everyone in the League and the Team are waiting for you to explode, Da- er, Commissioner Gordon is afraid you're close to crossing the line, Alfred thinks you're in danger of committing suicide." She came closer, resting a hesitant hand on his shoulder. "You need to talk to someone, maybe a professional? Taking out your grief like this isn't going to make you feel better."

"I don't need help, I need to find the Joker," he spat, shrugging her hand off. "And I will hurt anyone who gets in my way." He turned around to give her a steely stare, conveying the message of 'don't try me.'

She took a cautious step back. Instead of looking shocked or frightened, she simply looked disappointed. "I'll stay out of your way Bruce," she said softly. "But just tell me this: what will you do when you find Joker?"

The memory of his son's beaten and lifeless body came to the surface, and his response came immediately, "I'll kill him," he swore in a low tone. "He will go through the pain Robin did."

With that he took off running, planning on continuing his tiring search of the clown's whereabouts. He knew that he didn't have to worry about the juvenile he left behind; Batgirl would take care of him. That gave him more time to visit other known members of Joker's gang, and that would bring him one step closer to ending his life.

Anger.

xXx (Six Months After Death) xXx

"Bruce, no."

"But it's completely possible, is it not? You can bend the fabric of time, which means you can go back to the past and alter events."

Barry Allen sat across from him in a cafe, looking anywhere but at Bruce's face. The speedster had been invited by the billionaire to accompany him to the shop, much to the former's surprise. Apparently, the entire League had been certain that the Bat permanently cut all ties to any of his civilian acquaintances, as he only appeared to interact with anyone with the cowl on. Even 'Brucie,' his playboy alter ego, had stopped going to social events. Bruce just couldn't handle it, knowing that there would of course be certain individuals who would give him condolences for his loss. Just thinking about the boy he had lost was enough to make him feel ill.

"I should have known that's the only reason why you would've call me..." Barry ran a hand over his face. "Look, I get it. Dick meant a lot to you. I understand that, but my answer is still no. Altering the events in a timeline can mess up so many things." He finally met his gaze. "Don't take this the wrong way, but if Dick died, he's meant to stay dead. Using any method to bring him back is just wrong."

Bruce's lips tightened into a fine line. "Dick wasn't meant to die," he argued.

"I know he wasn't. No one should die that young. He was only fourteen..." He shook his head, looking grieved. "But that doesn't mean that we have a right to bring him back. We can't play the role of a god and revive whoever we want when we want. That's not how it works."

"It'll only be Dick, just this one time," Bruce said quietly. "After that, we won't alter the timeline ever again."

"God, having this conversation with Wally was bad enough..." There was a short sigh as Barry stood up, placing a couple of singles on the table. "I can't bring him back Bruce, and neither can you. I know you don't like it, but he's dead, and he's going to stay that way. You'll move on eventually, you'll see." The speedster gave him a weak smile and just about disappeared, a slight breeze being the only thing left behind in his wake.

Bruce stared at the vacant seat in front of him, feeling his stomach drop. If Barry wasn't willing to change the past, then there really wasn't a way to bring his son back. All he wanted to do was see Dick again, even if it was one time. He would do anything to see the boy's smile again, to hear his laugh, to just speak with him...

His shoulders slumped. The anger that used to boil the blood in his veins was almost totally cleared away now that the Joker was back in Arkham. The clown had been laying low in hopes of aggravating Batman enough to kill him, and the vigilante had to admit that it almost worked. If he didn't capture Joker sooner, then his growing darkness would have consumed him. After the madman was caught and thrown behind bars, a lot of the tension in Bruce disappeared, being replaced by depression once again. A part of him had hoped that once he had caught the Joker, he would wake up and find that it was all just a bad dream. His son would be alive and well, and he would have a second chance to protect him. Unfortunately, there was no such thing as second chances when it came to him.

He sighed and gulped down the rest of his coffee. Oh, what he would do to bring his child back...

Bargaining.

xXx (Eight Months After Death) xXx

The feeling that his stomach was always empty, the burning in the back of his eyes that wouldn't go away, those were two of the only things Bruce allowed himself to feel. Everything else became a meaningless blur. The Earth continued to rotate, the sun still gave the world its warmth, and nobody but him had the need to stop their daily activities. Life went on...

But it didn't for Dick.

Bruce stared out the window of the study, just staring. He couldn't bring himself to do much else. His routine consisted of waking up, calling into the office to let them know he wouldn't be there, locking himself in his study for hours at a time, and then going out for patrol. That was the one thing he didn't allow himself to give up on. Dick would have been very disappointed with him if he allowed the scum of the Earth to reign while he was gone. Bruce had keep others safe, that was the only way he could ever make up for what happened to his fallen partner.

"Master Bruce?" Alfred's voice sounded from outside his door. "Will you be eating dinner this evening?"

He didn't answer, choosing to instead stare some more. Scenes played inside of his mind, flashbacks from when Dick was still alive. The time the boy learned how to ride a bike, the leaf piles he used hide in so that he could jump out and scare people, the snowball fights he coerced his guardian into having, their weekly hikes up to the graveyard...

And now he had another grave to visit weekly, and he would be alone while doing so.

A clicking noise on his door alerted him that it was being unlocked, and he barely had time to blink before Alfred marched in. "Master Bruce, this is getting ridiculous! Not eating, not sleeping, making excuses to avoid work, it's not healthy!"

Bruce clenched his jaw. "Leave me alone Alfred."

"I cannot simply stand by and watch you destroy yourself! Your parents would not want-"

"Don't bring them into this!" He snapped. "That's not going to work on me, not this time."

Alfred sighed and looked down. "I understand you are grieving sir, but it would have hurt Master Dick to see you acting like this. He would want you to move on."

Bruce spun around, eyes narrowed in a deadly glare. "Move on? Alfred, how can I just move on and act like he never existed?" He curled his hands into fists. "Dick is-" his voice wavered. "-was, the most important person in my life. I can't just move on."

"I'm not suggesting that you forget about him," Alfred replied softly. "But ignoring your health isn't going to bring him back." He gave him another sad look before turning around. "I'll leave you to your devices for now, but I will intervene should this behavior continue."

Bruce watched as he left, and slowly turned around to go back to staring out the window again. His health didn't matter, not anymore. Nothing mattered, not with Dick being... not there. A dull pain started in his chest, and he lowered his head into his hands. He didn't remember this part of grieving his parents, he completely deleted all memory of it from his mind. It was like he was both completely numb, yet feeling the most excruciating pain. He felt nothing and everything at once.

"I miss you, kiddo," he whispered to the empty room.

Depression.

xXx (A Year After Death) xXx

Patrol was starting to become his favorite time of the day, just because there was no one to give him pitied looks, no one to comment on his declining health, and nobody ever offered him any condolences. The criminals he hunted were far too afraid of him to do something stupid like bring up Robin's death, and there wasn't anyone else he saw during the night who could comment on his loss.

Tonight, he was particularly brutal in the injuries he dished out, and several low class criminals were sent to the hospital in full body casts. Batman needed a way to get rid of his pent up emotions, and taking it out on Gotham scrum worked wonders. Unfortunately, word of his bad mood spread out fairly quickly, and most lawbreakers scrambled back into their homes to wait for the storm to pass. After an hour passed without finding anything more than a litterer, Batman growled and stomped off towards where he parked the Batmobile. Fine, he would just go to neighboring cities and take his anger out there. Either way, there would be criminals put behind bars. Who cared if they weren't exactly in his jurisdiction? Criminals were criminals.

As Crime Alley came into view, Batman allowed himself to think about the date. A year ago on that day was when he lost everything. No one, not even he himself, ever imagined that the loss of his partner would effect him so much. He had dealt with loss before on many occasions, but this one had gotten to him like no other. Dick's death got a response out of him that rivaled the one his parents' deaths received. Some could even say that this new loss hit him harder than theirs. Losing one's parents was the equivalent of losing the entire world, but nothing, nothing, could compare to losing one's child. Bruce's biggest regret was not ever telling Dick how much he meant to him. He died without the knowledge of how much he mattered, and that was worse than his actual death itself.

To die and know that you're loved is one thing, but dying without that knowledge is another.

The Batmobile finally caught his eye and he stopped in his tracks. He blinked once, and the image didn't disappear, like he expected to. He blinked a second time, and then squinted at the scene before him. "Unbelievable," he breathed. A small, raven haired boy knelt on the ground next to the car, three tires surrounding him as he worked to remove the final one. The moment he caught sight of Batman, the tool fell out of his hand and clattered onto the ground. Batman barely noticed, he was more aware of the striking similarities between the kid and the one he lost. Black hair, mischievous eyes, a knack of getting into trouble...

No, he wasn't thinking something like that, he scolded himself. He couldn't have been thinking about something like that. That would just be wrong.

"Uhm..." the child scrambled backwards. "Please don't hurt me," he said, holding his hands up. "I didn't mean anything by it, honest." His eyes were wide with pure innocence, something that made Batman even more interested. "I just needed the money... Please..."

That did it. That was what made his walls come crashing down. This boy was not a common thief, he wasn't even a bad person. Just from what he heard so far, Batman could deduce that he only attempted to steal to fend for himself. While that was usually something that he frowned at, the fact was that this boy was a child. No child should have to do such things to take care of himself. "Where are your parents?" He demanded, trying to make his voice sound kinder.

The boy looked down. "I don't have any. I had a mom, but she died."

Batman stared at him long and hard. The boy was smart if he could get past the Batmobile's defense systems, he had no family, and judging by his appearance, he was strong for his age and size. If the child stayed in that environment, he would either die or become a dangerous criminal. But under the proper tutelage, the boy could become a respectable hero. All Batman had to do was... No. He couldn't do that, it would be wrong and would totally insult Dick's memory. But then again, Dick always wanted everyone to be happy, and would want his mentor to move on and find a way to enjoy the rest of his life. If taking in a child who needed guidance was what he needed, then he couldn't see Dick being upset by it.

He wasn't even replacing him. No one could ever take his place, after all.

He made his decision. "You're going to help me put these back on, and then you're getting in the car."

The boy gulped. "Okay. Does this mean you're taking me to jail?" He sounded fearful, and the youth in his voice only gave him more points in his favour.

"Not exactly." He rumbled. "You need a home, something of which I can provide."

The boy's eyes widened. "You mean, you- You'll let me... live with you?"

"If you want."

"Yes!" He cried out, and jumped up in the air. Seconds later, his face turned red with embarrassment. "Sorry. It's just... I'm a really big fan, and I always wanted to meet you, and I can't believe that you would even offer-" he stopped all of a sudden. "Er, my name's Jason." He gave him a hopeful look.

"I'll properly introduce myself later." His eyes narrowed in warning. "And you'll have to keep my identity a secret of course."

"I know!" Jason said, grinning at him. "I'll keep your secret with me even to the grave, I promise. God, I can't believe I'm actually going to have a house, and it'll be your house too. This is so cool!"

The grave comment made Batman stiffen, but he didn't address it. "Keep your voice down," he said instead, and knelt down to start putting the tires on. "And come help me."

"Right. Sorry." He blushed again, but his smile never wavered. "This is just so exciting."

Batman felt the corner of his mouth rise from Jason's giddiness, but forced himself to keep a straight face. Already he was starting to become attached to the kid, which would be a problem if his history death continued. Damn, this was one hell of an impulsive decision...

But if this one was anything like his decision to take in Dick, he didn't think that he would regret it.

Acceptance.

xXx

AN: Denial: Usually filled with shock, numbness, and a feeling that life has become meaningless.

Anger: Those who are mourning will feel angry about the situation, and will lash out at anyone and everyone, including friends. This usually happens because the earlier shock has worn off, and it's difficult to cope with the loss. The despair is hidden under a layer of frustration and anger.

Bargaining: Wishing that we are only experiencing a nightmare that we'll soon wake from, making deals with a higher power to bring someone back, and thinking of what could have been done to prevent a tragedy are all part of bargaining.

Depression: Feeling as though nothing matters in life anymore, and nothing will ever get better. It's withdrawing from life, isolating ourselves from the rest of society, and feeling as though we're alone in our despair. (If anyone ever feels depressed, please message me.)

Acceptance: While we can never truly stop grieving our loved ones, we eventually learn to live with it. Instead of denying any feelings, we embrace them and find ways to help with the pain. We accept what has happened, and we move on.