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Author's note- Like many comic-deaths Bruce is not really dead here, but he does make it out of the situation due to an unknown factor: his allies, attempted-killer, and he himself didn't know about. He has also not been able to reappear or contact his family, friends, and allies since. So while I'm bringing him back, the characters here are convinced he's gone and they need to learn to go on without him. As for the specifics of this situation I've tried to be vague enough this chapter can work as a follow-up to comic-canon events, but I had in mind my own particular story-canon in my head. I'd love to answer questions in a review if you have any dear readers.

Dick inwardly talked to his heart telling it to tough this walk out. He also told his face and voice not to show what was happening inside. Damion was showing what was happening inside him enough for them both … sorta … maybe. At least, he looked disgusted.

Damion had "reverted" as Aunt Leslie put it. In fact, since Bruce's death, it seemed like Damion had gone through a whirlwind of all his past stages since coming to live with them. Feral rage and wary readiness to attack and kill anyone in reach, and now utter disgust with everyone and everything. He hoped, someday, they'd get Damion close to where he had been before they lost Bruce. In the months before, he'd had mostly calm body-language and unimpressed facial expressions with the occasional dry comment when he thought someone was being stupid or whiny. Even now, Damion didn't drag behind, but marched grimly ahead to the top of the trail.

Dick stopped a few steps behind Damion and sighed. He'd never been as good about holding in his sighs as Bruce, at least when he wasn't faced with a criminal he was putting on a brave face to annoy. Lately, he hadn't been able to muster up that. So he'd taken himself off the non-emergency league roster and asked old friend's to cover for him in Bludhaven.

Tim, Steph, and Cass had already started regular patrols again. They said they needed to keep busy, or at least, Tim and Steph said that. Cass followed them out silently as always. She was probably afraid for them. After all, none of them wanted to lose anyone else. "He" felt better knowing Cass was out there with them.

They hadn't asked Damion for his opinion on the matter. They'd just taken him off the roster themselves. The world or galaxy would have to be ending to bring him in at this point. Someone else would die if he went out to serve justice now. The lack of justice for their father was too close to his heart to expect him to show mercy to anyone else …

The day they realized Bruce was gone, Damion had yelled about how right his grandfather had been, how wrong their father. Only strength, intelligence, and discipline mattered. A little more of all these things might have saved their father. A little less mercy definitely would have. He could have killed his enemy years earlier instead of being killed himself …

Dick sighed again. This time Damion commented. "Why did you bring us up here if you are just going to keep doing that?"

Dick thought a moment about how to answer. Then he shrugged. Best to be honest. "Maybe I came up here to do that 'with' you. Maybe we both need to be up here to … show how we feel ..."

"I feel angry …"

Dick nodded, slowly, tiredly, but he tried to keep his tone somewhat casual. "Okay. I'm okay with that …"

"You aren't … None of you will let me go out as Robin …"

"I'm okay with you being honest … verbally … about how you feel … 'up here' with me."

"Oh? I'm angry about father's death. And I'm angry at you! You'd been with him the longest! He liked you best! If you had pushed him more … maybe … maybe …"

Tears stung Dick's eyes … He let out another sigh before speaking. "Damy …"

"No! No! You all told me it was okay, good even, to be weak sometimes! But now father's dead … and you … we … didn't save him! He couldn't save himself! How is 'that' okay?!"

Dick looked away out over the forest as the sun continued to light the trees. "It's not. It's 'not' okay that Bruce … our father … died … But … he did give us good things … while he lived … like letting us be weak sometimes Damy …"

"But he's not here now!"

"I know …"

"And … and you're trying to be like him … to be like a 'new' father … But you can't be! Because you're my brother NOT my father!"

Dick started and turned a stare on Damion, who felt it and returned it with a red-faced scowl. "WHAT?!"

"You … You just called me your brother …"

Damion's face creased up into disgust. "Of course!"

"After everything?"

"Father said you were his son, that we were brothers! My grandfathers are both dead, my mother is dead, and now even father! All my bloodkin are dead! But … you …"

Damion looked down at the forest now his face going lax and voice quieting to a more neutral level … neither a shout nor a whisper … "You have come back to live in our house … You speak and act in his memory … you try to look after me. You are his son, my brother. Tim, Cassie, and Stephanie continue in their previous roles too, but you are trying to take his ... And it makes me angry, because he 'ought' to be here filling it himself. But you …"

Now, Damion was the one to sigh and he lowered his voice farther still. Between the bird-calls the words were still clear and Dick had long ago learned to read lips for the rest. "He'd want you to fill it in his absence. I cannot deny you were his son and are still my brother ... His spirit would be very angry with me to know I was doing otherwise. Though, I 'want' his spirit to know how angry I still am with him."

"For leaving us …"

"Yes."

"I'm still angry with him about that too."

Damion turned wide eyes upon Dick who continued. "I am. Feelings, well, they aren't always fair. Because … you know he didn't have much of a choice. He … he wanted to protect people. Always did, and there weren't many good options that day ... None of us … had good options that day … He tried … he tried to do the best thing for everyone …"

"It wasn't the best thing for me. Or you either it seems. Or for our whole family!"

"Maybe not. But we all knew, he was also always going to live and die for Gotham … All of us knew we might do that."

Damion sighed and bowed his head. "He said … He said he loved me. He'd sacrifice his life for any of us, including me, but he wouldn't stop his mission or love us above the city or other people. I knew … But I'm still angry with him for actually doing it … for keeping his word."

Dick reached out and laid his hand on Damion's shoulder as tears ran down his younger brother's cheeks. Because that was true for them both. It hurt. He couldn't not show how much his chest hurt now having heard his own feelings from Damion's mouth. Maybe it was okay to show it, though. Maybe Damion needed to see he shared that pain.

Damion sneered and began to turn to pull his shoulder away, but then stopped and slumped instead. His head fell so his chin poked into his young thin chest. So, Dick gripped his shoulder harder and sobbed. Damion did not sob aloud then only silent tears slipped down his face. However, no matter how hard the grip on his shoulder became, he did nothing to remove the hand on it again. Dick let go himself. minutes later Soon after that, they both turned to walk down the trail again together.

What did you think?

God bless

ScribeofHeroes