GSOG chapter 34

"Where would you like me to start?" Haly asks. Dick tries to think, what's the most important thing to know…? Really, there's so much, but… He came here for a reason… There's only one question he's here to ask, but… he can finally get answers and who knows when he'll get such an opportunity again.

"Was the circus really a front to train talons?" Dick asks. Haly lowers his head, resting against the desk.

"Yes." Haly answers. "Ever since Garrison Haly created it. But my family has been part of the Court for a very long time." Dick's brows knit in concern. Wally grips a bit to Dick's shoulders, ready to run should they need to.

"You're one of them…?" Dick asks.

"In a way." Haly answers. "I have never been to one of their proceedings, but I was technically inducted when I turned 16 and my father gave me a mask. He told me the family business. That we are to train each generation of Talons, hone their skills to become effective, efficient killers, the Court would do the rest once they chose their Talon. I asked so many questions, I was so confused. But one thing I was sure on, I would not let another child become a Talon."

"And… the deal? Between Nate and William?" Dick asks.

"That's a longer story… Where to start…." Haly trails off, silent for a moment. Dick steps back, leaning against the wall, crossing his arms. Wally stays beside him, at the ready should they need to leave. "Well… I suppose some backstory is needed. You see, when William was about your age, he was a street performer. He would juggle baseballs. One day, my father watched his little performance, but was pick-pocketed. William threw one of his baseballs and knocked the thief out. Nate was beyond grateful and offered William a job, but instead of juggling baseballs, he'd use knives upon my father's request." Haly pushes off the desk and looks through a tall box, taking out a rolled up paper. He places it on his desk, unrolling it carefully, gesturing for Dick to come over and see it. Dick pushes off the wall and comes over, looking at the boy on the poster. He was juggling knives, the smile on his face, so innocent and unassuming. The poster was obviously in black and white as color pictures didn't exist yet.

"Billy Cobb, the Wonder Knife Thrower." Dick reads.

"He became famous for his knife juggling and throwing abilities, he took to it like a prodigy." Haly explains. "It was this ability that my father saw his potential as a Talon…" Haly rolls it up, placing it back in the box.

"It's hard to remember sometimes that even the evilest of people were once innocent children…" Dick says softly.

"From what my father told me, William was a bubbly, mischievous soul who loved to play. Some described him as forever young." Haly explains.

"What happened…? How did Nate convince William to become a murderer?" Dick asks.

"My father deceived him, manipulated him to become a killer." Haly states. Dick's brows knit, confused. "There was a young lady, Amelia Crowne, she came to a show back in 1920 and caught William's eye during a performance. He courted her, and they fell deeply in love. However, when asking for permission to marry, Burton Crowne, Amelia's father, flat out refused, stating that William was too gray to marry his daughter. Angry and heartbroken, he went to Nate for advice. Nate told him about the Court of Owls, a secret society of Gotham's elite, with Talons to do their bidding, held in high regards. He suggested William joins, becoming a Talon and he'd be able to prove himself to Burton and win Amelia's hand, but Nate knew it wouldn't work."

"So… William… my great grandfather… he's… basically a victim…" Dick explains.

"Yes… But don't let his story cloud you or feel sympathetic. He's a killer…" Haly states. "If he didn't want to kill, he wouldn't. He has the choice." Dick nods, agreeing, though still… What would he have been like if he never became a talon…? "Burton arranged Amelia to marry a distant cousin because she was pregnant, it was to cover up the affair she had with William. William found out and when the baby was born, he took him away, handed him off to my father and said for him to raise the boy, to bring up his lineage and create the next Talon, called the boy the Gray Son of Gotham as a twisted homage to what Burton called him. As far as Nate knew however, William didn't know of the prophecy."

"What exactly is the prophecy?" Dick asks. "I keep hearing of the Gray Son of Gotham prophecy, that he's supposed to be some great Talon."

"The prophecy is as old as the Parliament of Owls, given to them by the Bat God Barbatos himself, as the legend says anyway. The original has been lost to time, but in essence, it goes "Silver child of the gray sprawl, born of the owlet's claw, by the millennia's call, a savior to all."

"Sounds like a poem." Wally comments. "That's how you know it's a prophecy." Dick looks back at Wally with a bemused glare, only causing Wally to smile wider, which makes Dick smile then shake his head.

"What's the Parliament of Owls?" Dick asks.

"They are essentially the mother of the Court." Haly answers. "They were created from descendants of the Tribe of Judas who worshiped the Bat God Barbatos who, as I said, gave them the prophecy. The Court of Owls was created, tasked with fulfilling the prophecies given to them by Barbatos. One mentioned the House of Wayne, which is what sent the Court to Gotham in the first place." Dick's eyes widen in panic.

"What's the prophecy for the House of Wayne?" Dick asks.

"A pup born of the House of Wayne shall be the catalyst to the god's reign." Haly explains.

"Why are all these about little kids? That's so messed up!" Wally shouts. Dick nods a bit.

"I have to agree with Wally, that gives some really disturbing vibes…" Dick says quietly.

"I believe it's due to how innocent, pure, and vulnerable children are, how impressionable they can be, corruptible…" Haly states.

"But… if it's a pup… The Wayne household has never been associated with dogs. Bruce loves dogs, but he's never really owned one. If anything they're… Oh my god…" Dick trails off, looking at Wally. "What's a baby bat called?"

"A pup…" Wally answers him, knowing what he's getting at.

"Bruce is…" Dick trails off. "He's involved in this stupid owl business too…" He clenches his fists. "I won't let them take him from me… I won't lose my family again!" Haly places a hand on Dick's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"Easy, son. Everything will be alright. Bruce is a very strong, capable man." Haly assures. "He won't go down easy."

"No, he won't… But I have to warn him…" Dick says. "But first… I need to know one more thing, it's the reason I came here. What do you know about Charles Lloyd?"

"Charles Lloyd, now that is a name I haven't heard in a while. As you know, your mother stowed away in the storage cart after one of our shows in Europe. She ran away from home after her mother died because her father, by her description, was controlling and demeaning, had a lot of internalized racism toward the Romani who he considered to be savage and repugnant." Haly explains.

"Was my mom's real name Marie Lloyd?" Dick asks.

"Yes, but she called herself Mary, and even took the name Grayson before she even married your father. She simply adored being part of the Flying Graysons, her mother was an acrobat with the Cirque Romanes de Paris." Haly explains. "Out of curiosity, what brought this up?"

"Apparently a Charles Lloyd is looking for his daughter's son, that he knows it's me. Bruce looked into it and found out more about Charles, his wife Eva, their daughter Marie who disappeared." Dick explains. He looks at Wally. "Can I borrow your phone?"

"Yea, sure." Wally takes his phone out and hands it over to him. Dick unlocks it and searches, showing a picture of the family when Marie was young.

"That is definitely Mary." Haly states.

"Everyone else thought so too, how similar she and I look." Dick says. "Except I have my father's eyes and hair, and his love of gingers…" He glances back at Wally who rubs the back of his head. "I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner, but this is Wally West." He steps beside him, taking his other hand. "He's my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend, huh? Well, that's a pleasant surprise. It's a pleasure to meet you, Wally. I trust you'll take good care of my grandson." Jack states.

"Oh, of course, sir!" Wally says, a little nervously. "I-It's nice to meet you too."

"Easy, son, I trust Dick's judgement." Jack says, smiling softly. Dick rests his head on Wally's shoulder, smiling widely, so glad that Haly approves. Not that it would matter if he didn't, but… He turns back to Haly.

"I do have one more question…" Dick mentions.

"What's that?" Haly asks.

"Am I really the one the Prophecy foretold?" Dick asks.

"Yes. I knew the moment you took to the Trapeze. You were a natural, a prodigy, as if you've always been an acrobat." Haly explains. "I suspect they originally had their sights on Johnny, but the night he was going to be taken, they saw you perform. I knew they switched targets because you disappeared that night, I purposely kept an eye on Johnny to keep him safe, I didn't think they'd take you instead and I was terrified you were gone for good. I don't know what happened to you, but Batman found you unconscious in an alleyway and brought you back home. When you woke up, we asked you what happened, but you didn't remember, all we know is that you had nightmares for weeks about owl people." Dick's brows knit, bowing his head toward the floor. "I knew they had taken you, I knew you were their chosen target, and they did whatever ritual to mark you as such."

"Why did… you think Johnny was…" Dick trails off.

"Because about the same age, he too disappeared in a similar manner, but he came back to us after a few days. Same thing also happened to your dad, but strangely not to Rick…" Haly reaches a hand out as Dick's head bows more, shoulders shaking, but retracts his hand. Wally wraps his arms around him from behind, comforting him. "When they died, I knew the Court would come for you that night, I sent you away to keep you safe. When Bruce Wayne took you in, I was so relieved, I knew you'd have a good home, somewhere safe where they couldn't touch you… Dick, I'm so sorry I never told you any of this before. Maybe it would have prepared you for… all of this…"

"It's not your fault… What were you gonna tell a nine-year-old?" Dick asks rhetorically. He lifts his head, looking up at him. "Thank you for looking out for us… All these years."

"Of course. I love you. All of you." Haly says. Dick wipes a few forming tears away, smiling up at him.

"I love you too." Dick says softly, then looks down for a moment, then back up. "I wish I could stay longer, but I think we should be getting back home."

"Well, my door's always open. Feel free to visit any time. By the way, that's my way of saying you should visit more often." Haly teases. Dick smiles, laughing a little and hugs him. The two teens leave, heading back the way they came, back to Wally's bike.

"So, what'd you think?"

"Haly's nice, though, I'm still a bit concerned." Wally answers. "He broke his arm, right? Where was the cast?" Dick pauses.

"Why didn't I notice…?" Dick mutters, facepalming.

"Let's just get out of here." Wally says. He looks back at the circus tent and then climbs onto the bike, putting the helmet on. Dick puts his own on and climbs on the back, they take off for the Zeta-tube back home. But why would Haly no longer have a cast on, it hasn't been long enough for a bone like that to heal, especially for an old man… He should have gone back to ask…

They make it back to the Cave and immediately report to Batman, telling him everything that was discussed, including the House of Wayne prophecy. Batman documents everything. And finally, Wally mentions the whole cast situation, which is a little more intriguing, especially when paired with the fact he's technically part of the Court due to lineage.

"Maybe whatever it is that makes Talons heal so quickly was given to him also." Wally suggests.

"But if that was the case, he'd have that marble look and golden eyes, but he doesn't." Dick says. "I don't know what's going on, but I know for a fact Haly wouldn't do anything to hurt me. He nearly gave his life to keep me safe from the Court."

"Are you sure he didn't just do that to bring you closer?" Wally asks. "He's one of them, Dick." Dick looks down to the floor, then clenches his fists.

"Just because his ancestors were, doesn't mean he is… If your lineage makes you who you are, then you might as well say I'm a Talon!" Dick argues. "Then Artemis is a psycho assassin, then SB is a crazy evil bald guy! You are not your family and Haly's proven that! Haly…" His voice cracks. "He would never…" Wally places a hand on his shoulder. Dick shrugs it off.

"Babe…" Wally grabs his shoulders and has him turn to face him. "Look at me." Dick lifts his head, his eyes are glistening. "I know you don't want to accept the possibility, but you have to keep it in the back of your mind, to keep yourself safe. You know how dangerous this game is, we can't take any chances." Wally brings his hand up, brushing Dick's bangs out of his eyes. "I just don't want you to be hurt. I… I don't want the Court to get their way. I can't lose you." Dick's eyes snap shut tight, letting the tears slide down his cheeks.

"I don't want it to be true…" Dick states softly. "I can't accept that the man who wouldn't sacrifice his morals for personal safety could be part of the Court…"

"I know… I know that's a hard thing to ask, but it's better to be safe than sorry."

"You… didn't see what I saw that day… When they came… He immediately tried shielding me, he kept fighting back, he kept getting back up and trying to stop them… He could have easily just let it seem like they knocked him out the first time… They knocked out our friends in one hit…"

"Exactly, they knocked down our friends in one hit, how is someone so old and out of shape who isn't even a trained hero able to keep getting back up when a Kryptonian couldn't even get back up until minutes later…?" Wally points out. "Let me ask, could Alfred, someone who is military trained and caretaker of a giant manor and two bullheaded vigilantes, get back up after being thrown across a room with such force that could knock out a Kryptonian?"

"Probably not…" Dick finally admits. "But, even if he can recover inhumanly fast, that doesn't mean he's bad. But… I'll…" He sighs. "I'll try to keep it in mind…"

"That's all I ask…" Wally says. He lowers his hands so they're on Dick's biceps. "I want you to be careful, because losing you… that would break me…" Dick steps forward and hugs him tight. Wally doesn't hesitate to hug him back.

"Me too…" He says. They hold each other for a moment longer before separating. "I just remembered something…" He looks at Batman. "Haly said you once brought me back to the circus when I was little. Do you remember that?" Batman turns his head a bit in thought. "He said I was three years old." His eyes narrow, then grow in size when he remembers.

"Yes, I do remember." Batman says. "I remember hearing that a boy from the circus mysteriously disappeared, no trace, April 1st, 2000."

-Flashback-

Batman watches in the shadows, waiting, listening. The parents are describing the child who went missing, three years old, wearing a bright blue t-shirt with a Superman symbol on the front, tan cargo shorts, no shoes. Black hair, blue eyes, two and a half feet tall and weighing 20 pounds. He was playing in his room while the troupe was packing up.

They heard a quick scream and then nothing, they found his bedroom window open, he wouldn't have been able to reach the lock on it and it's always locked. Batman leaves his vantage point after the detectives on the investigation take their leave. He sneaks over to the boy's room, taking a look around it, trying to find something maybe the detectives couldn't. There are scratches near the window where the lock releases, with little bits of paint were cut off when it was opened. The train wasn't going anywhere until the boy was found, the owner was fine losing profits if it meant the boy was brought back home, that gave plenty of time to find him, which Batman had every intention of doing.

He searched the surrounding area, the boy had gone missing somewhere between nine and ten, giving them about a thirty minute head start, but no one knows Gotham like Batman, or so he thinks… He follows any lead he can find.

"This seems to have you rather frazzled, sir." Alfred states. "Are you sure you are not investing too much energy into this?"

"I will put all the energy I can muster into finding this boy." Batman tells him. He pulls up an image of the boy, he sends it through facial recognition software that he programmed, hacking cameras and satellite imagery to trail anywhere the boy was spotted through town, was unconscious the entire time, but he's able to see… the figure… looks… like the boy's father… And he's holding the boy like one would carry a sleeping toddler. No one seemed to think it was odd, why would they? It just looked like a dad carrying his little one.

Strangely enough, the man looks younger than John Grayson. Richard Grayson is the eldest of the Grayson family, the third youngest Grayson male was nine and this man was definitely not nine. And the way he walks… it's not like John's stride, he makes much more calculated movements, someone who's used to being agile and quick, someone used to being in the shadows… Just like him… Batman looks at the picture of the little boy he's looking for, the stormy blue eyes shining brightly, his smile wide. Batman smiles a little, then it falls. He looks at the last image caught… He knows where that is. He leaves the Batcave via Batmobile, driving to that end of town which is truly not that far from Wayne Manor.

He climbs out of the car and takes to searching on foot, looking through alleyways and avenues and boulevards. One in particular has a phone booth that's well into disrepair, no one's used it in a long time it seems like. Batman keeps to the shadows. He can make out a small form in the darkness that's barely lit up by a distant streetlight. He approaches with caution, and… finds the little boy, Dick Grayson. He's lying unconscious next to a manhole cover and a pile of garbage. Batman carefully grabs up the small child, looking him over for injuries. Other than his skin being cold, nothing seems wrong with him. No seeable reason why he's unconscious, but he's alive, and he seems to be ok. He's breathing fine, his pulse is steady.

Still, when Batman takes him back to the Batmobile, he grabs a spare blanket from the trunk and wraps the boy up snuggly and places him in the back seat. He drives all the way to Haly's Circus. The sun is starting to rise by the time he makes it there. He takes the little one up in his arms, all snuggled in and cozy in the little pale blue blanket. He can hold the little one with one arm, he's so small and light… There's a slight twitch of his nose.

Batman kind of doesn't want to say goodbye, but there's a family waiting for their little boy, so he steps up to the Grayson's caboose and knocks on the door. There's the noise of feet scrambling and the door opens. John opens the door, his wife Mary is by his side and he instinctively pushes her behind him when he sees Batman, eyes wide. Then he sees the little bundle he holds.

"Is this your son?" Batman asks, turning him so they can see.

"Oh my gosh, Dick!" Mary pushes her way forward and practically snatches the little one out of his arms, holding him tight, crying. "Muro ćhavo! (My baby! ((google translate Romani))" She's gently stroking the back of his head.

"How did you find him? Where did you find him?" John asks.

"He was in an alleyway deep in the city. I used the satellites. There was a man who had him, looked vaguely like you actually, yet that wouldn't have been possible as you were here when the images were taken." Batman explains.

"That doesn't make sense…" John states.

"Many unexplainable things can happen in this city, that's why I'm here." Batman says.

"And who exactly are you?" John asks.

"Batman." He answers. John glances at Mary, but in that brief moment, Batman disappears.

-End flashback-

AN: Sorry this is late, Fanfiction was malfunctioning for me yesterday and even when it stopped, it wasn't letting me create the chapter, but here it is!