The circus was back in town.

After more than a full year, Haly's International Traveling Circus returned to Gotham City. There was controversy about continuing the show at all after the tragic deaths of its acrobats, and there was bad publicity about returning to the city it happened. But in spite of all that they set up shop with their bravest smiles. The show must go on.

Inevitably, Dick Grayson went to see them. Not as a spectator, but as a visitor. He, Bruce, and Alfred all went together in the early afternoon, before the crowds arrived. The people outside knew who they were, so there was absolutely no problem letting them go backstage.

The trio walked into a large tent. Alfred immediately looked uncomfortable. "Oh... It - It's rather..."

"Warm?" Dick asked.

"That too, but I was thinking, uh..." The butler rubbed his nose. "...fragrant."

Dick laughed. "Yeah, it's the animals. You get used to it in no time."

They found an elephant (sort of hard to miss). It was being attended to by a woman, middle-aged but still pretty, with big curly hair.

"Lulu!" Dick called.

She turned around and smiled brightly. "Dicky Bird!"

He ran up and they hugged each other tightly. She was one of the elephant trainers. Her name was Rue, but she insisted people call her Lulu because it sounded more "circus-y."

She pulled back and looked him over. "Oh, I was waiting for you to come around. Lord knows how mad I'd be if you stood me up."

"Where's Zitka?" Dick asked. Zitka was Dick's favorite elephant.

Lulu put her hands on her hips in mock offense. "I'm fine, thanks for asking." She smiled. "She's with Micah in the other tent." Micah was another trainer. Lulu noticed the other two men and raised an eyebrow. "...And who's that handsome devil?"

Bruce stepped forward and offered his hand with a charming smile. "Bruce Wayne."

She stepped aside. "Not you. The mature one." She grinned at Alfred, and in her most seductive voice said, "I just love a man in a bow tie."

Alfred, looking slightly alarmed, put a hand over his tie.

Lulu turned back and accepted Bruce's handshake. "But seriously. Thank you for all you've done for Dick."

"Of course," Bruce said. "After what happened to him, I felt like I needed to help. Never regretted it."

"I've been keeping tabs on you, you know," Lulu said. "I must admit, I was a little worried at first about what Dicky Bird had gotten himself into. But you've changed a lot in the past year, Bruce. The charities. The humanitarian work. Looks like he had a good effect on you too."

Bruce smiled and nodded, putting on a professional expression of modesty. "It's true. Having a child to raise was a pretty solid wake up call that it was time for me to grow up myself."

Dick knew there was more to the story. Before they met, Bruce deliberately created the image of being a hedonistic, irresponsible, rich-boy. He did it so no one would suspect his true interests and other life. For a while Bruce had wanted to start being more useful in his public persona as well, and becoming a father figure was the perfect excuse to make the change.

"Uh, Master Dick-!" Alfred spoke up with some more alarm. Dick had been rubbing his hand on the elephant's trunk, when the elephant wrapped it around the boy's waist.

"Don't worry, Alfred," Dick called back cheerfully. "This is Ion. He's harmless. You should stay away from Sylvie, though. She gets cranky."

Lulu lost her smile and turned towards Dick. "Oh, right, you didn't hear... I'm sorry, Dick. Sylvie passed away."

Dick lost his smile too. "What...? But she was only in her fifties..."

She shrugged sadly. "They don't all make it to their sixties."

Dick digested this slowly. He looked around the tent. Ion was the only elephant there. "What about Bruno?"

"We sold Bruno to a zoo out in Germany," Lulu explained. "Business has been tough this past year. We needed to cut costs."

The circus had changed while Dick was away. They moved on without him. Dick realized it was stupid to have expected any different.

.

"It's great to see you again, Dick," Jack Haly said as he hugged the boy.

They were alone in Haly's office-slash-trailer. Dick pulled away and said, "It's good to see you too." He meant it, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.

Haly sat on the edge of his desk. "You here by yourself?"

"Bruce and Alfred came with me," Dick replied. "Bruce wandered off somewhere. He didn't want to intrude on all my reunions. And by now Alfred is... probably locked in Lulu's dressing room and trying to escape."

Haly laughed loudly. He looked exactly as Dick remembered him. Larger than life, white hair, but a youthful glow in his eye. He was always like a grandfather to Dick.

"So how have you been lately?" Haly asked.

"Uh..." He considered this. "Homesick," he answered with a grin. "It feels so good to see everything again. It's nothing like living in the city. No comparison at all."

"Are you still practicing acrobatics?"

"Of course! Bruce has a great gymnasium at the manor. It's not an actual trapeze, but it's got flying rings, and steady rings, and uneven bars, and all sorts of stuff. I never stopped training."

Dick didn't mention his nights as Robin, of course. That was best of all. Swinging through the air on his grappling hook. Doing dangerous stunts and risking his life to catch criminals. It was a completely different thing than putting on a show for an audience, and yet those nights were the times Dick felt most like himself again... But then the sun comes up and it's over. Back to school and civilian life.

"Listen," Haly said, uncharacteristicly somber. "I'm sorry you couldn't stay with us. If I could be a full-time parent on top of running the whole circus, I would have done it, but-"

"It's fine," Dick said quickly. "I had Bruce, so it all worked out."

"And... I never said this, but... I'm sorry about your family."

"Don't apologize," he replied very calmly.

"No, I need to say this now," Haly insisted. His expression was more than sad. It was remorseful. "I've been thinking about it ever since that day. Ever since that bas - that bum - Zucco came here. Thinking... maybe I should have just said 'yes'... Maybe if I just paid him, he wou-"

"Don't say that."

"But-"

"No! Just SHUT UP!"

Haly wasn't used to hearing Dick shout like that. Dick wasn't real used to it either.

Dick lowered his head. "If you apologize, then I'll have to think about whether or not to forgive you, and... I don't want to think about that now."

Haly diverted his eyes. Dick kept his head lowered. The two of them just stayed there silently, not looking at each other.

There were several things Dick didn't like about himself... Petty emotions he couldn't control. He knew it wasn't right. But he couldn't stop it.

"I'm sorry," Dick said quietly.

Haly looked at him again. "Doesn't matter anyway. There are no do-overs in life. We both just need to make the best of what it gives us... So how are you making out?"

He thought about it. "I'm... okay," he answered with a little nodding. "I still miss my family, and the way things were, but... I think I'm actually okay."

"Best news I've heard all day," Haly said with a little smile. "You know what the worst thing about living in the circus is? The traveling. I'm glad you don't have to deal with that anymore."

That confused Dick. "I loved the traveling," he protested.

"But you're always leaving someone behind. That's not good for young people. You have lots of friends now, right?"

"Not... really," he admitted a little embarrassedly.

"That's no good. You should take full advantage of living with Mr. Wayne. Get to know the people, instead of just passing through. Make friends your own age."

"And do what with them?" Dick asked.

Haly smiled at him, the way he does when the answer is obvious. "Be happy."

.

Back on the rooftop, twelve-year-old Dick spoke with guilt. "Everyone's always so kind to me. Bruce, Uncle Rick, Haly. But I just keep blowing up at them. And I don't even know why. Why didn't I just forgive Haly? Even if I didn't mean it, why didn't I just say it?"

"Is that why you came looking for me today?" Wally asked. "Because you remembered what Haly said about getting closer to your friends?"

Dick shrugged in a non-commital way. "I guess."

Wally wasn't satisfied with that answer.

.

Author's Notes: (Posted 3/9/2017) Uncle Rick, Haly, and even Zitka have a basis in the canon. Lulu, however, I totally made up. I didn't know the name of a canon circus trainer and I didn't want to bother looking one up. (I've been writing this entire story in a rush.) Please review.