Chapter Seventeen: A Fallen Knight

Part Four: On My Own?

Chapter Seventeen: A Fallen Knight

The crisp cold wind brushed past Dick's collar and ruffled it slightly. It was very quiet, save for a few birds calling and leaves gently falling in the surrounding area. There was hardly any movement. But Dick knew what was coming. The silence was interrupted by the sound of footsteps in a march, slow and direct. Dick couldn't look up. He could only look down at the ground. But he knew that all the heads were turning either in two directions. One was at the maple colored casket that was slowly making its way down the aisle and the other was at him. But he couldn't move. He couldn't look. Beside him, Alfred stood to his left and Clark to his right. Diana stood next to Clark at the end of the aisle. It was unbearable.

Dick's memory was a blur. He couldn't quite think straight. In some ways, he didn't want to. The past few days had been chaos in his mind. So many people. So many events. So many... His head hurt. The casket's head came to the front and Diana gulped down a reaction. Dick felt Clark put a hand on his left shoulder and give him a tight squeeze of a hug. But Dick was numb and while Clark had meant to be helpful, Dick really couldn't even register anything at the moment. Alfred looked down at him sadly, wishing he could say something. But... What could you say? What could you say to a teenager in this situation... again?

The casket was placed down on the raised table where flowers filled the surrounding area. Clark nodded over to Diana who walked up to the pulpit that had been erected outside for the procession.

"Friends, guests, I want on behalf of the Wayne Family to thank you all for coming today. It's a hard..." She stopped mid-sentence, something caught in her throat, "A hard time for all of us, I'm... I'm sure..."

Dick's mind was elsewhere. He couldn't pay attention to what was happening. He had to make sense of things. Because at the moment, nothing made sense. His mind drifted off to three days ago. To the night of the fire. He didn't remember everything. He had... passed out a couple times, but the others had told him what had happened. Whatever had happened, he was sure of only one thing. The past few days had been the worst days of his life. And somehow, the events were ending. Wrapping up here. But he had never in his life, never... Never, had he ever felt so entirely lost.

-T-

Catwoman kept her head down low. The heat was unbearable and she could feel her suit beginning to stick to her skin even more so then usual. It had been easy to get up to the top. But right now, where she was, it looked like a war zone. She could smell burning flesh and that was the worst part. Bruce had to be up here. There had been no sign of him coming down. Not one. She hoped that the odor of burning flesh was not his. Catwoman gagged at the smoke. She couldn't stay long. She had to find him.

It was then that she heard someone whispering through the crackles of the flames. Something incoherent, but they were talking. That meant they were alive. She quickly made her way over to the sound, but was surprised to find not Bruce, but his ward on the ground barely conscious. Catwoman looked around. There was no sign of Bruce and as much as she sometimes detested this kid, she was by no means just going to leave him here to die.

"Hey, Dick, come on, get up!" She urged as she put her hands to his face and tried to shake him to get him up, but it was then that she realized that the kid was out of it.

Grunting, Catwoman heaved Dick's limp arm over her shoulder. Standing fully upright, she then noticed something. A form, someone under a large pile of rubble that was lit ablaze.

"Bruce..." She whispered, then instincts kicked in and she yelled as she tried to move towards him, "BRUCE! BRU...!"

Catwoman screamed as a large pile of rubble from the ceiling fell in front of her, cutting her off from Bruce. The smell was horrible in here. She looked at Dick her side, then where Bruce would have been, then back at Dick, and where Bruce was again. She couldn't save them both. If she stayed to get Bruce, they could all die. She had to move quickly. Heaving Dick up over her shoulders, Catwoman made her way over to the elevator shaft and kicked open the doors which fell down several flights.

She tied her whip around Dick and herself tightly; she'd need both hands for this. Jumping down, Catwoman went into a free fall. As neared the sides of the shaft, she'd kick away lightly and so on and so forth. The ground came into sight just as Catwoman noticed burning debris falling around her, too. Quickly grabbing onto the elevator's wires, Catwoman felt the jolt and shock that took all of her strength and the heat from the friction that instantly went through to her hands. She kicked off to the side and grabbed a beam, feeling her arms almost being pulled out of their sockets. But they had stopped and Dick was safe. All of this happened within ten seconds. She had to do better than that. She fell the last two flights on her feet and heaved Dick towards the exit.

Meanwhile, in Metropolis, Clark yawned while Lois continued to type on the computer. A smile and bright eyes lit up her face while Clark and Jimmy were about to call it quits and leave for the night. Their eyes yearned to close.

"Ah ha!" Lois yelled, shaking Jimmy and Clark from their slumberous thoughts.

"Ah! Ah! Where's Luthor!? Where?" Jimmy yelled at no one in particular, the bags under his eyes heavy.

"What is it, Lois?" Clark asked.

"I just finished this section of the editorial. Now all I have to do is the editing," She told him happily, "We'll be out of here in no time!"

"No time?" Jimmy exclaimed, "Lois, it takes you more time to edit a paper then to write it!"

"Lois," Clark began to agree with Jimmy, put decided to put it more nicely, "Do you really need Jimmy and I for this?"

"Of course I do," Lois said smartly, "I need Jimmy to place his photos and it is partly your article, too."

Clark rubbed the back of his neck, "Lois, I just helped do the research; you wrote the whole thing."

"But Clark, you were the spelling champ of Smallville High," Lois said, batting her eyes his way.

Jimmy knew that they lost their argument when she did that. Clark was so in love with that woman, he was surprised that Lois didn't realize it. He half wondered how Clark felt about having Superman for competition, but clued into the conversation when Lois added to her response.

"Why don't you and Jimmy turn on the TV? I'm sure ESPN has something on; they always do," she said.

Clark shrugged and took her advice, grabbing a remote and clicking the on button. The news stations were always the first things on the screens in the Daily Planet's offices, but still, nothing could have prepared Clark for what he was about to see.

"...Reports that there are still several people inside including billionaire Bruce Wayne and his ward. Witnesses say that the fire erupted from a loud explosion that shook the area..." A woman with red hair reported.

Clark's eyes went wide as they enlarged the sight of Wayne Tower's top burning. Lois and Jimmy stopped what they were doing to watch as well, shocked at the reports. Clark's hand dropped to it's side, as the reporter continued.

"...The fire has been blazing for nearly fifteen minutes and still the firefighters have not been able to reach the top of tall skyscraper. The most that they have been able to do is go in to rescue the few that may be missing, but there has been little success..."

Clark finally snapped back to reality and backed away from the TV screen, while Lois and Jimmy continued to stare at the screen, hypnotized.

"... Commissioner Gordon has blocked off the area from civilians, but has yet to comment. We'll be back with more information in a moment..."

Lois looked at the ground and thought for a moment... Wayne. Wayne was Clark's... "Clark...?"

She spun around to find the area empty and the doors wide open. Her mouth barely dropped before Clark had ripped off his shirt and flew out of the Daily Planet beyond Metropolis. He was in Gotham in seconds and the burning flames were right in plain sight. Superman's heart sped up as he lowered himself to the ground and towards the firefighters.

"What do I need to know?" He yelled over to them, looking up at the building using X-Ray vision, hoping to find something.

A stunned firefighter approached him and began to explain, "It's highly unstable. If it's not put out right, the whole building could come down. Several floors are smoking now and..."

"Over there!" Someone yelled from the swarm of news reporters.

Superman turned to see a stressed Catwoman dragging someone out. He flew over as she dropped the kid to the ground and began to cough, the smoke still permeating her lungs. As he got close, he recognized Dick's limp form. This wasn't good. Clark felt his chest tighten. If this is what happened to Dick, then what...

He picked Dick up and flew him quickly over to the Commissioner, who he spotted talking to several people at once. "Get him a medic, please."

Gordon looked up at the Man of Steel and nodded replying, "Help them."

Superman nodded and looked over to see Catwoman fleeing as best she could back into the shadows. Before he did anything else, he flew over to her, but she wasn't at all pleased to see him and attempted to hit him. He easily held her wrist.

"Go!" She yelled.

"Where's Wayne?" He asked.

"Top floor, under rubble... Go!" She yelled again, her breathing labored and unnatural.

Superman let go of her and turned to go when he said looked back at her and replied, "Thank you."

She watched him with narrowed eyes as he flew up into the air when another loud blast rocketed the building and more debris fell. Across town, Raven pulled herself up from her pillow and looked at the curtains to the window and then at Starfire.

"That's... that's the second blast... Starfire...?" She looked over at Starfire who was worried herself. At the first blast, she had thought nothing of it. It was Halloween after all. But that... that sounded bad.

"Turn on the TV," Raven told her.

Starfire nodded and grabbed the remote and flipped to a news channel, when she gasped and dropped it to the floor.

"What?" Raven asked, looking at the screen a brow raised, "Isn't that, that buil..."

"Robin!" Starfire yelled.

"What?" Raven questioned again.

"Robin! He is in there! Oh... Raven, Raven, friend Robin is in there!" She screamed.

"What? What do you..."

Starfire grabbed her friend by the shoulders, "He is the ward of Bruce Wayne! He is in there!"

Raven's eyes went wide and she quickly went to get the boys. Phasing through the wall, she found the three boys each on a bed (or in Red X's case, the couch). Astounded that they weren't shaken in the slightest, she walked over and pushed Cyborg off of the bed, making a loud thump and waking the other two in the process.

"Wha! What's goin'..." Cyborg began when he saw Raven standing above him, but she didn't give him the chance to finish.

"Robin's in trouble! Get dressed as civilians, we're going hidden first," Raven told them.

"Why?" Beast Boy asked, confused and suddenly embarrassed because he was only wearing his underwear.

"Because we might not be able to get close enough as superheroes," Raven responded.

"How the heck am I supposed to do..." Red X started.

"I never said you were going!" Raven glared at him and then phased back through the wall and into the girls' room.

The three looked at each other when Cyborg asked, "Does it bother any of you that she can do that whenever she wants?"

The other two nodded and they then set to work. Well, Beast Boy and Cyborg did. Red X wasn't about to pull off his mask for Robin of all people, so he decided to just chill in the room and actually sleep. In Midtown Gotham, nothing was getting any better. Superman quickly scanned the area for signs of life using his X-Ray vision and was able to quickly rescue those that he saw. But what worried him the most was that Bruce hadn't bothered to contact him all. Probably, because he couldn't. And worse yet, the mess above was so bad that he couldn't tell what had been the top floor and what hadn't.

But even as the last signs of life dwindled, Superman wasn't about to stop searching for Bruce. Finally landing in the rubble, he began to blow a thin layer of ice to put out the flames, careful not to make things more fragile than they already were. His cape billowed in the smoke as he walked through, moving rubble where he could. Finally he found a large room that seemed to have fallen through to another. He couldn't make heads of tails of it. Yet somehow, he felt close.

"Bruce!" He called out, "Bruce!"

This was like looking for a needle in a haystack (which he had done before, but it didn't mean that he actually liked doing it). He continued his search. Outside, on the ground below, Dick's eyes flickered open and he felt a breathing mask placed over his mouth and nose.

"He's coming to!" Someone yelled.

The sounds of flames and falling debris were close by. People were yelling, shouting. His head hurt. He attempted to sit up, but was rewarded by a pain in his head and he laid back down on the pavement. What... what going on? Where was he? Where was Bru... Dick's eyes widened and he automatically sat up, despite his migraine. He looked around and saw several people around him, also with breathing masks on.

A nurse looked down at him and said, "No, you need to rest, don't..."

Dick shook his head and batted her away, slowly climbing to his feet as he looked up. The fire. He had to go back in. Dick began to walk towards the building, the nurse yelling after him. He was finally about to run back in when someone grabbed his arm.

"Oh, no, you're not going back in there," A woman said.

"Let go!" He yelled back, when he realized he was talking to Detective Ellen Yin.

"I'll pin you to the ground if I have to because you're sorely mistaken if you think I'm going to let you go into that death trap," Yin told him, "Besides, the Man of Steel is up there. He'll get Bruce out."

Dick looked up and then at Yin. Then he nodded and followed her back to the medics. Up ahead, he saw several employees, some badly burned who he supposed Clark had saved. Some were in better shape than others. Some without scratches. It was then that he spotted Ms. Kyle, using a breathing mask. Their eyes locked for a moment, but that moment barely lasted as he continued to walk towards the doctors. But he never quite got there when he heard screaming and arguing near the police cars. He stopped and looked directly at Commissioner Gordon and saw him talking quickly with the security woman.

At that moment, he wanted answers. He turned directly towards the Commissioner and walked in the opposite direction that Yin had been leading him. As he walked up, the Commissioner noticed him and stopped talking. The woman looked at him and then looked at the ground too. She then looked up at Gordon and nodded, but Dick didn't even bother watching as she left. Instead, his eyes focused on Gordon, who looked down at him.

"You doing alright kid?" He asked.

Dick couldn't move his head, but heard himself whispering, "He... he shot him..."

Gordon's eyes went wide, "Who?"

"Rav... Ravager..." Dick muttered, looking at the ground.

"Ravager?" Gordon asked, "He shot..."

Dick looked up at the Commissioner and forcefully put out the rest, "Bruce... He shot Bruce... twice."

The Commissioner looked up at the now dwindling inferno and then back down at Dick, "Superman's up there. He'll find him. We can still get him, son."

Dick nodded his head... but slowly. Somehow, he didn't think that was true. But... Superman... If anyone could find him, he could. Up above though, Superman had found nothing so far. Nothing, just rubble among smoldering flames. He blew again and the flames dwindled. He soon saw an area in which rubble filled the area as Catwoman had said. He began to pick up the pieces with ease, calling, ever calling.

"Bruce! Come on, Bruce! Help me out here!" He called.

But suddenly, he heard a loud creak and looked up where the roof above him began to tumble down towards him and he yelled. Dick whirled up from looking at the ground as a loud crunching sound came from above. The crowd gasped and for a moment, everyone held their breath. Dick watched uncertainly. They waited. And waited. And waited. Then in an instant the remaining flames seemed to vanish and something moved at the top of the wreck of the building's top. A figure emerged and the crowd cheered.

But they couldn't see the figure's face or what was in his hand as his red cape whipped his sides.

Superman flew down slowly towards the ground where Sawyer and Yin stood nearby. They were the first to see his face so... stone like. So firm. He walked past them and over towards the Commissioner and Dick, who stood with bated breath. Dick's thoughts went wild. No one was with him. He wasn't carrying anyone. Anyone. Superman put a knee down and had a hard time even looking at him. But he took Dick's hand and placed something in it and then he shook his head. The Bat Insignia. He could feel it. He didn't even have to look.

"I'm sorry. I... I couldn't... I couldn't save him," He whispered.

Gordon looked at him startled and then down at Dick. Superman swallowed hard while Gordon watched Dick's eyes go glassy with memories and unstrung thoughts. They had to get him out of here.

"Sawyer!" He called over, "Take Mr. Grayson to the station. Call Mr. Pennyworth at Wayne Manor to come and pick him up."

"Yes sir!" She said, and took Dick by the arm carefully, and yelled ahead, "Help me get him to my car!"

Several officers made a brigade from all of the newscasters who yelled things at him. He never heard any of them. He only saw Superman nod at him as he got into the car and left. The ride was seamlessly nothing to him. His mind kept going over and over again the details. The gunshots. The sound of the fabric ripping... And Bruce's contorting. He shivered. He didn't realize that the ride was over at all when they got there until the flashes of light bulbs brightened up the inside of the police cruiser. Dick looked out to see flashbulbs going off as well as people shouting at his window. They dispersed as two people came around, one of which was Sawyer.

"Get back, people!" She yelled, as she pulled Dick out of the car and kept him away from the photographer's flashing cameras.

Harvey Bullock yelled, "Don't forget that we have weapons on us!"

"Harv!" She yelled.

"I'm tellin' 'em the truth!" He yelled back as he cleared a path for Dick and her to pass through to the station.

They made their way down the hallways, people following them the whole time, until Sawyer brought Dick into the office room and angrily slammed the door shut.

"Disgusting," She muttered, "Bullock, watch after the kid for me. I need to call Gordon. And I want those reporters out of here!"

Dick didn't hear much. He heard people yelling through the glass trying to get him to look their way or to comment. But Dick couldn't move. It was like he was in a surreal world that didn't exist. Like it was all a bad dream. Right? He didn't know. It didn't stop, though. None of it did. Time kept moving by. Soon, Yin came in and Gordon, too. The scene was a mess, but with Dick here at the station, it had become more of a mad house than Wayne Tower. While in some ways that was beneficial to the medics and firefighters, it was in no way beneficial to Dick's state of mind. Gordon opened the door and looked around only to find Dick sitting on the side by the windows.

Gordon thought back to a scene that had unfolded years earlier. Another young man had sat there. His face dirty. His eyes boring a hole into the ground, haunted, replaying what he had seen over and over again. He had been wrapped up in his father's jacket that was still caked with his father's blood. But this time, the kid who was sitting here now had no jacket. But the scene kept replaying over and over again.

'Why is it that two bullets can do so much damage?' Gordon wondered.

He walked over and knelt down in front of Dick who finally looked up. Gordon had known Dick years before he had gone off to school. In fact, his daughter Barbara had even been his friend when he was just a kid.

"Hey, Dick," He said and Dick bit his lip.

"You all right?" He asked.

Dick didn't say anything. His eyes were dull. Gordon had only seen them like that once before, when he had first met him. When his parents... Gordon put his hand up to his forehead. His parents. The boy's parents were dead. This was the second time he had seen a parent, or a parental figure die. The poor kid. He sighed; how was he supposed to do this? He hoped that Alfred would get here soon. He looked back up at Dick.

"Hey, it's okay. It'll be okay," He repeated and suddenly he realized something.

He realized how much Dick really did look like Bruce. How his eyes were so pained. So lost. Dick looked back at the ground and nodded. He breathed for a couple minutes as Gordon watched him. He looked at his head and brushed his hand against his forehead and felt traces of dried blood on his face. He brought his hand down and looked at the dried blood. His face hardened. Gordon raised a brow. As Dick looked back up at him, he stood up, much to the Commissioner's surprise, with a look of determination.

"Where's Ravager?" He asked.

Gordon looked at Dick startled, "We haven't looked. We've been too busy..."

"Why!" Dick asked, "He killed him!"

Everyone in the office looked at the black haired teenager, who stood still until he said softer, but all the more firmly, "He could kill someone else..."

Gordon sighed, "We have to sort out this mess. Then we'll get right on after him. I'm sure the Batman's already on it."

Dick's eyes widened at that. The Batman... There was no more... How... No... It was completely incomprehensible to think of. Bruce was human. Batman was... human? Really? No, he never seemed to be... But he was. And this all hit him hard, like someone else had been killed, too. No more. He was gone... Suddenly Gordon's phone rang and he answered.

"Hello?" He said, "Barbara, I can't talk right now I'm..."

"What on earth is going on there!? What do they mean that Bruce Wayne is being reported dead!?" An angry voice screamed over the phone.

Dick looked up. Gordon began to talk to his daughter about the case as Dick watched him. He couldn't just sit here. He couldn't. If Batman wasn't going to solve this, that meant his partner would have. Dick had to know everything and to do that, his best chance was to follow Gordon. The flashbulbs quit making shadows for him as he followed Gordon off and further into the office halls.

When Gordon noticed him, he turned in question and Dick answered, "I'm not sitting around, Commissioner. I want to help. However I can."

Gordon sighed and looked around as though searching for a better suggestion. But then again, at least Dick wouldn't be in such a trance. He nodded and Dick nodded back. Outside, the four Titans found the GCPD easily. It wasn't too hard when every news crew seemed to be either here or at Wayne Tower. It must be a busy night for them-the reporters, that is.

They had taken measures to not draw attention to themselves. Cyborg was dressed in what were basically gym clothes and a hologram. Raven and Beast Boy dressed in similar outfits to those of their night at Zenith's, just toned down in extremity. Starfire was perhaps the least put together as she only had on a purple T-shirt, jeans, white shoes and a jacket. Totally normal in all respects save for the fact that they were four teenagers in a bad part of town in the middle of the night. Oh well, so much for not looking out of the ordinary.

After what was the twelfth try making his way through the reporters, Cyborg landed on the ground and yelled, "Why I oughta...!"

"Forget it, we can't get in without doing collateral damage," Raven said.

"But we must get in there, friend Rob... Dick is in there," She insisted.

"What do you want us to do, Star?" Cyborg asked, about ready to call it quits.

Raven looked to her side, where a wall stood unguarded. Walking over, Raven breathed in and moved her hands in a circular motion while her friends watched as she made a portal. Stepping in, Raven disappeared into the building. Once inside, she found herself being shoved to the side by the crowd. Certainly in no mood for being pushed to the ground or having her foot being stepped on, Raven pushed people out of the way and made her way to the center of the crowd.

She kept brushing up against people, finding it hard to even move. All of them, all of their frantic emotions gave her a head ache. Until she brushed up against someone else. Another hand, another type of hand, but the feelings were human all the same. It was like Starfire's emotions, but not... She turned and saw a tall man, about six-four with glasses and black hair, his countenance a mess. He looked down at her and she saw his piercing crystal blue eyes.

She was the first to speak, "Are you..."

Clark looked at her and then noticed her chakra, "Do you know Dick?"

Raven nodded, "Uh, Rachel Roth."

"Clark Kent."

"The reporter?" Raven asked.

"Among other things, come on," Clark told her, "You from around here?"

"Live in Jump, normally," Raven told him.

"Where are the others?" Clark asked, making the connection

"Outside," Raven answered.

Somehow, superheroes seemed to see right through each other – at least in times like these. The two made their way close to the glass doors. Outside, a black car drove up and Alfred stepped out along with another woman, Leslie Thompkins, only to need assistance in getting inside. Starfire recognized him and called out.

"Alfred!" She yelled, "Alfred!"

Alfred looked over and motioned for two of the officers to help the three teenagers follow in as well. They came up to the office when Alfred heard another familiar voice.

"Let me through, I'm practically the boy's uncle, let me through!" Clark barked, Raven following him closely.

"Mr. Kent, it's good to see you," Alfred called.

Clark smiled, but barely and somehow managed to meet up with the rest of the group with Raven right behind him.

"Where is he?" Clark asked.

"We're going in to see him right now," Alfred told him.

"Rave..." Raven hit Beast Boy before he could say anything stupid and he continued, "Rachel, thanks a lot for ditching us!"

"Trying to get in and pull other's in isn't exactly cake, Gar," She told him as they were all hurried into the office.

It was much quieter in the office, but still chaotic. Police officers were running from room to room while they also entered and left as soon as they could get past the reporters. It was a mad house, but they were instantly greeted by Bullock, who ran to Alfred immediately.

He panted out of breath and told him, "Finally, you're here. The kid's not taking it easy at all."

Alfred answered, "Where is he?"

He pointed over to Yin who had taken over helping out with Dick as Gordon had to talk to several other officers and Dick was willing to stay with Yin as she and Bennett had been overseeing the Wayne Industries for the past couple weeks. When Dick finally looked up and saw them, it was clear that he wasn't all right. Starfire gasped and walked over to him and Alfred and Clark were next.

"Friend, what... are you...?" Starfire began.

"I..." Dick started, surprised to see his friends like this, "I'm fine... I'm, I've been with Yin for the past two... hours..."

He seemed to be slipping in and out of his mainstream of thoughts and Alfred answered him saying, "Please, Master Dick sit down. I'm sure there's nothing to..."

Dick shook his head at Alfred and Alfred clenched his jaw. He knew what was going on. He had seen it all too well before. And he still didn't know what to say to help. He didn't even know how he was doing all of this. Perhaps it was because it had already been his role before.

"You sit down and let me help you, Dick," Leslie told him, beginning to reach for her bag in which she kept basic first aid.

"Yeah, dude, come on, sit down, you're a wreck," Cyborg started.

"I don't need to sit down!" Dick yelled.

His friends backed off, but Clark wouldn't, "Dick..."

Dick shook his head, "We've got to find Ravager, Clark. We've got to find him..."

"Dick... You can't. You know what state you're in?" Clark asked.

"I'm fine!" Dick yelled again as he turned away from them all and towards Ellen who looked at him in shock, "I'm... I'm..."

Suddenly all the stress and weight gave way and Dick felt himself losing consciousness for the second time that night. Clark moved forward and caught Dick in his arms. The kid had to go home. And it would be horrible getting home with this mess. There were people everywhere, trying to get a piece of the story. Gordon watched from the roof for a long while, coming up every so often. Around 4:30, he came up one last time to check. He looked up into the sky, where the Bat Signal illuminated the sky, had illuminated the sky for hours. Where was he? Gordon shook his head and walked over to the switch. Probably already on it. Probably. He could only hope.

-T-

"Bruce Wayne was always marked by tragedy. At a young age, his parents, Martha and Thomas Wayne, whose graves you see next to his own, were taken from him. To the public eye, the prying eye of every gossip columnist in Gotham, he was a figure to gawk at and spread untrue rumors about," Diana continued, "But to those who saw the real Bruce Wayne, knew him, we knew that he was above all of that. He was a man dedicated to serving others and providing new sources to help this city. Bruce was a hero. He was a friend and a mentor."

Princess Diana looked out at the crowd and spotted the front row again and finished, "And his life, his life had many joys too. He loved many people. And there were many who loved him... I turn the time over to Mr. Alfred Pennyworth. Thank you."

Diana stepped down and Alfred walked up to the stand now to conclude the ceremony, "Thank you, Princess Diana. On behalf of the Wayne Family, I thank you for your attendance. I wish to say for everyone, that Bruce... That Bruce would only have one thing to say. To keep up the good fight. To remember. And know that he is watching."

Alfred looked over at Dick one more time before concluding, "I know that he loved his family. He was a good man. I ask that you make form a queue to place any flowers and make your way to manor before the sky begins to rain. Thank you."

Dick's row was first. Diana went first, on behalf of the rest. Somehow, she was strong enough to do so. Clark went next and placed another flower. Dick was next. He held a white rose in his hand. He paused and looked at the casket. It was so refined. So elegant. And yet, it held something that now gone made so many people feel so… lost.

He slowly put his flower on the casket and felt the wood touch his fingers. He recoiled as he saw his parents' graves again in his mind. His head hurt. Clark looked back and went back for him. Dick shook his head and continued to walk, but he looked back. He looked back. Once inside the Manor, Dick took off his coat. Slowly, others came in as well. Others in reverent respect. Many he recognized and many that he didn't.

He saw the now six core of Justice League of America members: Wonder Woman, now as Princess Diana; Superman, now as Clark Kent; The Flash II, now as Barry Allen; Martian Manhunter, now as John Jones; Green Lantern, now as Hal Jordan; and Green Arrow, now as Oliver Queen; and Aquaman, now as Arthur Curry. He saw his friends, the Teen Titans. Starfire as Kory Anders, Beast Boy as Gar Logan, Cyborg as Victor Stone, and Raven as Rachel Roth. And there were others as civilians. He saw fellow sidekicks, Speedy, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, and Aqualad. He saw Black Canary , Captain Atom, Adam Strange, Hawkman and Hawkgirl. The Atom, Vixen, Animal Man, Green Lantern John Stewart, Ralph and Sue Dibny, and others... They had all looked up to Bruce. All of them. And still, others without masks were present too.

Barbara Gordon had flown out for the funeral and was standing by Leslie Thompkins. Ellen Yin had made it even though it was a mere day after Ethan's own funeral. Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane were there to support Clark. Iris West was with her husband, Barry. Lucius Fox stood by Alfred for a long while, muttering memories to him. Vicki Vale, an ex-lover of Bruce's was there as well. And still others. The last person Dick saw was Selina Kyle at the grave site, placing the last flower. Maybe... maybe she was hurting too.

There were no press members today. It was private and even then, people hid their faces, no one could make the connection. Many left right after. Some stayed and talked. Some, like Barbara, went up to tell Dick they were sorry. That they'd talk later if he wanted to. By the end of it, a few remained. His friends stayed. The core JLA and their family members stayed. The first to really approach him was Starfire. She and the other Titans had been talk to the currently Fab Four sidekicks, but she sensed that Dick needed someone to talk to.

"Dick?" She asked.

He looked at her and attempted to smile, but failed. His face had a small bandage over his right eyebrow. She knew their were other bandages from that Halloween. And she had seen him beat up before too. But something was different. There was... He was hurting inside as well.

She went up to him closer and put a hand to his cheek, "Robin?"

Dick felt her wrap her arms around him and for a moment, he let her. It felt good. But he couldn't let it last for some reason.

He turned his head and body away from her and replied slowly, "Star... I... I'm sorry. I think I... I think I just need time alone."

Dick walked up the marble staircase as Starfire watched him. Once he was out of sight, Alfred went up to her, "I am sorry, madam. I thank you for trying, though."

"Oh, I am worried for him, Alfred. He has not had the sleep, nor is he letting himself relax," She told him.

Alfred nodded, "Losing someone so important is always traumatic. I believe that this is affecting Master Dick incredibly hard because this is now his second time losing a parent."

"Dick... never called Bruce a parent," Starfire finished, uncertainly.

"Dick would never admit it now, Ms. Anders," Alfred told her, "But I assure you, if you had seen them while Dick was growing up, you would have seen how much Dick looked up to Master Bruce."

She nodded and sighed. She wondered what was running through his mind. But no one could know. No one knew that when Dick had gotten to his room and shut the door, he had walked over to his bed and had knelt by it's side. His arms on the bed as he tried beyond hope to relinquish the anguish he was feeling.

So stupid. How could he have been arguing? Arguing? And how he had utterly refused what Bruce had told him, when after what Ravager had done, it was clear that to him that he did care. Never listening to him. Thinking he knew better. Idiot. So stupid. So stupid... No wonder Bruce was always so angry with him. He could have been better for Bruce. A better sidekick. But he wasn't. He left. He ditched him for two years. And Bruce... Bruce was...

Dick put his head in his arms and covered his face. It was so wrong. He shouldn't have died for him. He shouldn't have died as Bruce Wayne to begin with. He should have been trying to save someone else. Not him. And he should have been the Dark Knight, as he had always wanted to be. Not Wayne. He could take his mentor being gone. Maybe. But not Wayne. Wayne, Bruce, he was... Dick felt himself shudder and try to suppress it all. He pulled his head above to look out at the clouds covering Gotham City.

His astounding city without him.

Without protection.

Dick looked down at his own hands. He had to do something. Like Bruce would have wanted. He couldn't... he couldn't sit and feel sorry for himself. Yeah, that was it. Do something. Do what Bruce would have wanted him to do. Go to the Cave. No one would notice. Dick got onto his shaky feet and slowly made his way towards his door heading the back way to Bruce's office.

Two stories below, some of the guests were slipping into the dining room. Alfred stood by the door as though it was nothing. Finally, Clark came by and Alfred nodded. He gestured over to Fox to eye the door and went in himself. Now only a few remained. He saw Dick's friends talking in hushed tones and Commissioner Gordon enter, probably to pick Barbara up. That was the thing about being a Commissioner. You never go home from work because it just follows you.

Inside the dining hall, Clark looked down at the seats that were taken. Diana, Barry, John, Hal, Arthur and Ollie... Normally, Bruce would have been to his right. Clark sighed and finally sat down at the head of the table.

"I'm assuming that you know why we're all here," Clark said.

"For the Dark Knight's funeral?" Ollie said in sarcastic bitterness.

Diana answered, "We have to sort this all out. So we as a league know where we stand."

"What do you want us to do, Diana?" Barry asked, "We can't really do anything. We're not miracle workers. We can't bring him back to life."

"No one's asking anyone to do that," John said.

"No, we're just putting it upon ourselves as to whether or not we should keep up the Dark Knight's charade," Hal pointed out.

"I never said that," Clark said.

"But that's what you're getting at?" Arthur asked.

"No, I'm not..."

"Well, I don't see how this even applies to us," Barry said, "Isn't that up to Dick?"

"Dick? He's just sixteen!" Arthur exclaimed.

"My sidekick works alone now," Barry said, "And Dick runs an entire team."

"You're not suggesting that he take up the mantle?" Diana asked.

Barry looked at them like he was crazy, "Uh, no. I'm just saying, isn't that all up to him how it's done?"

"Dick can't take up that mantle now; he's too young," John said.

"Why are you so worried about that?" Hal asked.

Ollie answered, "Because the kid's not thinking right; you see him earlier? He's not thinking straight. Keeps staring off into space."

Clark sighed and told them flat out, "He's not going to take up the mantle. Dick might not be thinking right, but he knows that. I think we have other things to worry about that are more important."

"What, like Bruce's financial resources?" Ollie asked.

Diana answered, "Kinda, Ollie, kinda."

"Now wait..." Clark started, but was interrupted.

"What exactly happens now, Alfred, with Bruce's estate and all?" Hal asked.

Alfred sighed, "Well, Wayne Industries is taken over by Mr. Earle at the head and Fox at his second hand until Dick becomes of age. All of Master Bruce's assets will be frozen, save for charity donations and JLA funding; Dick won't be able to touch it till he turns eighteen."

"Alfred..." Clark started, ignoring the previous conversation, "What happens to Dick in all of this?"

Alfred looked surprised at the question, but was about to answer him when he was interrupted again, this time by John, "Do you think he'll continue being Robin?"

"There's no doubt about it in my mind..." Alfred continued.

They kept talking. And talking and talking. No one interrupted them (despite Beast Boy's and Cyborg's severe temptation to do so). They talked on and on about how they were going to function. What was going to happen to Gotham. Who would watch it. The ideas and plans went on and on. It was giving Clark a headache. But away from the meeting, in the far edge of the manor, Dick had reached the old grandfather clock. He had somehow made his way over to it. He was finally beginning to understand what it was about the place that had always seemed so... comfortable for Bruce. He remembered the quiet, cool air. The solitude. It seemed... so welcoming. He turned the clock hands to 10:47 PM and waited.

But nothing changed.

Dick stood back in shock, "No."

He tried again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Dick got frantic, "No... No, no, no, no!"

He banged his fists against the glass framework, "Come on! Come on!"

Dick kept at it. He had to get in there. Why wasn't it opening? Why? He saw the glass begin to crack, but he didn't stop. He screamed in frustration and yelled. He had to get in there. Why wouldn't it open? Did Bruce... Dick shook his head. That couldn't be. Bruce would want him to have access, right? Right? He yelled out again and continued to hit the glass of the old grandfather clock. Back downstairs, Clark's migraine was getting to him. The other members kept coming back to the same topics. The ones Clark was the least concerned about. Another sound though, broke through to his sensitive ears.

Someone... in the south... no, east wing? Around there?

Clark got up and left the room. All of his colleagues looked after him, but only Alfred followed him. He didn't know where Clark was going and he didn't know the reason for his sudden departure. At least, he didn't until they got to Bruce's study, where the door was cracked open and he heard someone crying. He watched as Clark entered the room and saw Dick kneeling on the ground, his hands on the shattered glass door of the old grandfather clock. His knuckles were bleeding and his shoulders were heaved and kept jumping up and down with muffled sounds.

Somehow, Clark managed to speak, "Dick?"

Dick looked up at him, his eyes finally reflecting all the hurt. Clark got down next to him and brought Dick into a tight hug. Dick let go of the glass and sobbed into Clark's shirt, the blue and red slowly manifesting itself through his button down shirt.

"I... I can't... I can't get in..." Dick sobbed.

Clark looked up at Alfred, who went to get a first aid kit, while Dick continued his silent tears. Clark held onto him tightly. He'd never seen Dick in such a state. He was so tired. So out of breath. Ready to collapse. Clark was surprised that he'd made it this far. He'd met him after his emergence as Robin and had never seen him when his parents died. But now he saw it and he let him cry into his chest and let out all of the pain. Because somehow, no matter the situation, Clark could be the leader. He was there to help. And right now, he knew that Dick needed someone, an adult, so that he could just cry.

He thought about all that Dick had to carry. He was the leader of the Titans. Was always trying to live up to high expectations. He had no one. Not a single living family member to turn to. Just friends. And even then, somehow, he saw Dick shutting them out, as he had done with Starfire just an hour or so ago. Alfred came in shortly and helped Dick bandage up his hands. There were still glass chips in his flesh. Clark winced, but then, the question hit him. Why couldn't Dick get in?

"Alfred... Do you know of any security measures that Bruce might have taken if he were to die?" Clark asked.

"I am not aware of any, but it's certainly possible. Master Bruce was not one to trust just anyone," Alfred responded.

"Hm, we'll have to look into it more later," Clark said, as he glanced down at Dick, "Come on, kid. I bet Alfred knows some good pizza we can order."

Dick got up with a nod, but didn't say anything. Pizza, Clark somehow knew, wasn't what Dick wanted right then, but maybe it would get his mind off things. The three of them walked towards the entry hall, where the rest of the League had moved to with the Titans. Dick was about to leave when he saw Commissioner Gordon come up to him with Maggie Sawyer behind him and another woman.

"Mr. Pennyworth?" He asked.

"Yes?" Alfred asked back.

"I, uh, they've put this on me to tell you because I had to pick up my daughter here and I know that this must be bad timing, but..." Gordon started, but at the sight of Dick, he stopped.

"But what?" Clark asked.

Being nearby, Starfire and the others looked up at the sound of Clark's voice. Gordon knew this was not the best timing and he hated that above all else. Worst yet, he didn't even think that this was going to go over well either.

"Mr. Pennyworth, down at the office, well, you know what happens. When a person passes away, their wills are read over and they're property is distributed..."

"I'm well aware of that, Commissioner, and I assure you, it has been taken care of," Alfred replied evenly.

But for Gordon, that wasn't it, "I trust in that Mr. Pennyworth. It's Dick that I'm here to talk about."

"What about him?" Clark asked.

Gordon raised a brow at Clark, unaware of who he was, and continued, "The matter of his custody is what I'm talking about, Mr Pennyworth."

At that, Dick finally looked up and half of those nearby looked over as well as Alfred continued, "Master Dick is to remain in my custody, Commissioner, as I recall."

But Gordon shook his head sympathetically and continued a little less on professionally, "When it comes to matters such as this, the city state looks into them, Alfred. In the matter of Dick's custody, Wayne's will doesn't state that he would be left to you."

"Then who? Me?" Clark spoke up, but seeing the confusion, clarified, "I'm Clark Kent; I was a good friend of Wayne's."

"No, Mr. Kent, I'm afraid not," Gordon told him, "Dick is to go into the care of Mr. Wayne's cousin from his mother's side, who I was relieved to find here."

It was at this point that Dick looked around the Commissioner's side at the woman behind him. She had slightly curly brown hair, that reached a bit farther than her shoulders. Her expression, while thoroughly confused at the moment, held remnants of sadness and traces of tears that had been recently released from her green eyes. She wore a black professional-like outfit in light of the funeral. She could have been Bruce's same age, sure, but... Bruce had a cousin? Since when? Who was she? Why had he never met her before? Dick could see that for her, this was almost as much as a shock as it was for them. He felt like he was speechless. And indeed he was.

"Mr. Pennyworth, Mr. Kent, Dick, I'd like you to meet Bruce's cousin," Gordon said as they all turned to look at the woman behind him, "This is Ms. Adeline Kane."

Chapter Sixteen: All Hallow's Eve

Interlude: October 31st

Chapter Sixteen: All Hallow's Eve

"Evening, Mademoiselle," Alfred said, opening the door for her.

"Evening... um..." Kory started, uncertainly

"Kory, this is Alfred Pennyworth. Alfred, this is Kory Anders," Dick introduced them.

"It is my pleasure," Alfred said and Kory could hear the older man's refined British tone.

As Alfred drove off with the two teens in the back, someone in the hotel called the local paper. This would fit perfectly under the gossip column. "Dick Grayson dates visiting Princess". Turning out to be just like Wayne, probably, but who knew? Didn't care how the papers saw that, but at least the boy looked like his head was still on his shoulders. Wish they could remember what this Kory was the princess of, though...

The drive was slow in the traffic so Dick prodded his mind for topics, but Kory was the first to break the silence, "So... Dick, you have really been..."

"Yeah, kinda," Dick laughed, "Couldn't tell you guys before 'cause of Bruce."

She nodded, "Is, um, is Mr. Wayne... him?"

Dick nodded back with a warm smile, "Well, kind of, guess I can't keep that from you anymore either, can I? But, yeah, he's not my dad, though. When I was about nine or eight I guess, I, well..."

Dick added a laugh into the mix to dull the pain, "I was um, in a circus. Haly's Circus. And my parents and I were, uh, high-wire and trapeze artists. One day, though, my parents were killed by performing by a guy named Anthony Zucco..."

Kory sucked in a breath quietly as Dick continued, "He put acid on their performance wires and they always performed without a net. So they, yeah, they died. But Bruce, he was in the crowd that night and in short, I went to live with him and he taught me how to be Robin."

There was a pause for a moment, in which Dick couldn't make heads or tales of what Kory thought, "Kory?"

"Hm? Oh, I am sorry. I just, I did not expect that, but it does make the sense now," Kory told him, hoping this had not been too painful to bring up.

Then again, Dick didn't seem like in bothered him much. Maybe at one point it really had bothered him. Or maybe he was just putting it all lightly and that way he could ignore any pain that came with it. To think though, it was almost incredible, that their leader had been born out of such a tragedy and still be so positive. And from what she had seen, he was so much so the opposite in tone in comparison to the Batman... Mr. Wayne.

She looked up at him, "Dick, does... Does Mr. Wayne mind that you have, well, told me about him?"

Dick thought for a moment and decided to ignore his actual honest answer, "Don't worry about that. He's doesn't even know about this date; he has some meeting that he has to go to. And besides, he should trust me on things like this."

At least that last part was true. Kory nodded when the car began to pull over and they both looked up. Outside was a elegant restaurant in Midtown Gotham, one that Dick had often heard Bruce talk about: The Constellation. Alfred came around and opened up the limo's door where Dick got out and helped Kory out as well.

Dinner was excellent. Their conversations were lively and yet relaxed. The best thing was that it was private. Dick told her about growing up with Bruce while she would tell him stories about Tamaran. They shared inside jokes and those little embarrassing moments that they hadn't told anyone else about before. They ate casually, catching glances of each other's eyes and then quickly looking away, embarrassed. Dick chose the safe choices, the pastas, while Kory dared to try the oriental originals, such as spark cooked squid and eel, making Dick gape at her as she ate it greedily. And all the while, they would catch glances of the other looking at them with a glint of spark in their eyes and a smile on the corner of their lips. Then the other would blush and they'd continue on with their dinner. Their dessert was their filler, a chocolate-peanut butter cheesecake.

Kory wiped her lips with one of the soft napkins while Dick paid for the dinner and tipped the waiter. Dick looked down at their hands and gently touched her fingers as they went for the door. Feeling his fingers, Kory smiled and finished the action by lacing them together. It had been quiet up till then. He expected to meet Alfred outside, but instead, a throng of flashes met his eyes. Star held onto his arm tightly as people pushed recorders into their faces and blinded them with their cameras, surprising her. The press, great. Just Great! Dick hadn't expected this, but come to think of it, he should have.

"Grayson! Grayson! A photo!"

"Princess! Give us a..."

"Care to comment...!"

"Just one photo!"

"Who is she?!"

"How long have you been dating?!"

Dick looked over and between flashes he saw an alleyway to their right, "Come on."

Using a bit more than what one would call average strength, Dick and Kory forced their way through the crowd and ran for it. Dick held her hand and led her to the alleyway as the crowd of paparazzi attempted to follow them. They turned the corner and he nodded upward. When the camera men and writers got to the alleyway, they found it empty. Some rushed ahead, believing a woman really couldn't be that fast in heels while others left defeated. Above them, Kory hovered in the air, Dick holding onto her. Once the paparazzi were gone, he laughed, to Kory's surprise.

She landed on a nearby roof. Her hair was almost straight now and he was getting out a mask to put on as she asked him, "Dick... does your... connection to Mr. Wayne make you the celebrity?"

Dick looked at her in surprise, "Well, sort of, I guess. Never thought of it that way. But that's the first time they did that. Guess it's 'cause I'm getting older now."

Kory nodded and commented, "He is the Knight and you, the Squire?"

Dick was taken back a bit, but told her, "Yeah, I guess. Hope that's okay with you."

Kory giggled, "I would want a Squire over a Knight any day. The Knights as some would say are 'way too dull'."

Dick smiled and went up to her, "I'm glad, Princess."

Kory smiled, "Shall we continue as Kory and Dick or..."

"Let's show off a little," Dick said, putting on the black mask.

He loosened his shirt and jacket while she waited. Once he was ready, she walked over to him and he put his arm over her shoulder and she her arm under his. Flying up into the air, Robin felt the breeze softly hit his face. For about an hour, he directed her over Gotham, showing her the areas he had called home since he was a kid. As they approached the uptown island of Gotham, Dick noticed a small carnival nearby, no doubt for the Halloween festivities. Funny, it didn't feel like Halloween to him. He directed Starfire to land near a man with some colorful cones. Robin told Starfire to wait and ran over to the man, handed him something and went back to Starfire.

"Why is it that we have landed here?" She asked.

"Just watch Star, you'll like this," Robin told her.

Suddenly, a whirl of sound seemed to shoot out of the air and a loud blast rocketed through the skies, followed by a blast of color. Starfire gasped, "The fireworks of your world!"

"Yeah, thought you'd like 'em," Robin told her.

Starfire looked at him, "Robin, do you want to see them?"

"Huh?"

Starfire held out her hand and Robin finally got what she was asking. He looked at her quizzically, "You're not going to kill me for a horrible date, are you?"

Starfire shook her head. Robin smiled. They both kicked off their shoes and got ready for another flight. Robin took her hand and felt himself being lifted into the air once again that night, straight for the fireworks. The blasts were incredible (and loud), but between them, he could hear the bands playing below. He looked up at Starfire who's eyes were dancing with the lights. She brought him gracefully up to her eye level. Then again, she was always graceful. The rockets fired away, but Starfire kept it so that they were never hit, sometimes dodging at the last moment to give Robin something to laugh at after the narrow miss. For a moment, the rockets had a pause and Starfire looked over to see Robin looking at the ground.

"Robin, what is wrong?" She asked.

"I... I just wish I could be the one flying," He said, smiling off-handily, "I wanted to carry you."

Starfire smiled sweetly at him, "Robin, in more ways than the one, you already have."

Robin looked up at her. Wow. He looked harder. She... She was so beautiful. So lovely. So perfect. So patient. So cute. So loving and considerate and kind and passionate and joyful. He felt his heart racing. It was at this moment that he realized how close they were. Him depending on her for the moment to keep him up in the air. She being steadfast and steady for him. More than anything, he wanted to stay with her. Right now. Forever. Right then, all he could see was her. He held onto her, their hands and arms locked together. Their faces, inches if not centimeters away from the others'. Their eyes never wavered. Were they even breathing? Were they alive? Were they in heaven? He didn't know.

"Starfire?"

"Yes?"

Robin felt his heart aching and Starfire felt her own racing. Somehow, they both knew how the other felt. So right. So wonderful. So out of this world. So... so... was there even a word for it? Starfire looked into his masked eyes. How amazing, dazzling... enchanting... they... were... She felt her heart stop for a moment as everything slowed. Robin inched towards her and she reciprocated the action. She was so angelic and he was so protective. He was so incredible and she was so loyal. They didn't want to let go. This had to be what people sought after in life. This had to... They were so close to feeling the other's lips on their own...

Beep. Beep. Beep.

They pulled apart as Robin blushed and picked his cell phone from his pocket to open it for a text, 'Master Dick, if you could land... Master Bruce...'

Robin looked down to see Alfred and the limo parked below. A loud boom sounded behind them and the last firework erupted. Blushing awkwardly again, Robin nodded towards the ground and they landed and put on their shoes. They were very quiet, but they held one another's hand as they walked toward the car where Robin had told Alfred to meet them. Before walking over, Starfire put her hair in a bun and Robin took off the mask. Alfred smiled as he saw the tired couple walking towards them. He opened the car door and Kory got in, but before Dick could follow, Alfred held Dick back for a moment.

"You're presence is requested by Master Bruce," The butler told him

Dick's eyes shot up, "Huh?"

"Do not ask me why," Alfred told him.

"Well, just... now?" Dick asked.

"I believe so," Alfred answered, "I would not have called you down if I did not believe that he was serious about it."

Dick thought for a moment and sighed, "Well, just drop me off at Wayne Tower. That's where he is, right?"

"Indeed," Alfred answered.

"You'd give Kory a ride back to the hotel, right?"

Alfred answered, "You would think I that wouldn't?"

Dick smiled at the butler and got into the car. As they took off, Dick sat next to Kory and she rested her head on his shoulder. She didn't ask why they had to end it; she was content and happy none the less by just being with him. And despite Dick's sense of foreboding, he still felt a huge amount of joy in his bones.

"Sorry 'bout this, Star," He told her.

"It is quite alright, Robin," She told him.

"Thank you, for tonight," He said.

"I thank you too," She replied.

Wayne Tower came into their presence all too soon. As Dick stepped out, he looked back at Kory one more time. She was so beautiful, inside and out, and all that. Way better looking than any other girl. 'Cause she was his star. His star. Wow. He felt a shiver run down his back.

"Bye, Star," He said in a whisper.

"Farewell, Robin," She answered, her emerald eyes sparkling.

He smiled at her. Carefully, Dick shut the car door and watched as Alfred drove off. Dick felt his heart swell. Wow... So this is what it felt like to be love sick? He'd gladly be that any day. Running up the steps, taking them two at a time, Dick approached the near deserted Wayne Tower. Wow. Just, wow. How cool was that? He'd just gone out on the best date of his life. Wow!

He passed the front entrance with ease. Dick was so wrapped up in his own thoughts, he nearly bumped into a brown haired woman who seemed to be in charge of security and was angrily talking to two men. If it hadn't been for his inside knowledge and frequent visits he would have never made it up to the top floor of the Tower. Dick walked up to the silver, diamond encrusted elevators. The ride went fairly quick, but Dick didn't notice. When the doors opened to the empty waiting area and he stepped out, the biggest, most stupid grin remained on his face right up until he opened the modern stained glass doors to Bruce's office and saw Bruce leaning against the front of his desk, arms crossed and a perturbed look on his face.

That's when the grin left.

Dick felt himself tense up. He looked down at the ground while his posture automatically shifted into a soldier stance and waited for whatever lecture that was coming. Because, of course, there was always a lecture. A senseless lecture. A pointless lecture. A reprimanding lecture. A 'don't get yourself killed' lecture. A 'you messed up' lecture. Which one would it be this time? Which ever one it was, Dick knew he wasn't going to like it. Bruce stood up straight, bringing himself to his full height and making Dick feel all that smaller. He walked to the side of his desk, but neglected any sigh of regret.

"Where were you tonight?"

Dick felt his chest tighten as he answered, "You know where I was."

"Where were you tonight?" Bruce asked again, anger this time lacing his tone.

The man wasn't in the mood, but then again, Dick wasn't either. He was actually suddenly angry, "I was on a date! What? That actually matters to you?"

"I thought I told you to be out on patrol early tonight," Bruce demanded, "It's near twelve and you still haven't even put on a suit."

"Then what's this tux?" Dick spat, smart-mouthing him.

Bruce finally turned to him with a sneer, "Don't play dumb with me, Dick. You know very well what happens in this town on Halloween. Men die on the streets. Woman go missing. Children get kidnapped. Barbara once got kidnapped and she was only one of the lucky ones."

"Then why are you lecturing me and not out there right now yourself?" Dick yelled, snapping his head up at Bruce.

"Watch your tone," Bruce scolded.

Their eyes locked furiously, neither looking anywhere else, as though it was a battle of will power. Dick couldn't believe this guy. Honestly, what had he done? He was a teenager. Most teenagers were partying tonight. He was having an innocent date. Bruce on the other hand, wouldn't take this kind of irritable costly behavior. Not telling him that he wouldn't be out. He would have tried to get out sooner and who knows what could have happened thus far tonight to some unsuspecting civilian. Irresponsible. Irrational. Tonight, people mattered. That didn't give anyone in this room leeway. A date could have been any night but tonight. Dick kept his eyes on Bruce and then he noticed a change in Bruce's look.

Finally, Bruce sighed and walked back around his desk, "Who did you go with?"

"Kory Anders," Dick answered surprised; it was a fair enough question.

"Who?" Bruce asked, unaware of Dick telling him about anyone by name.

"Starfire," Dick clarified.

Bruce's eyes went momentarily wide, then returned to their normal state only more alert and actually, maybe a bit thinner, "Starfire? Your team member?"

"Yes," Dick answered again.

Bruce looked at him in shock, dumbfounded. The man looked off to the side. Dick didn't know where this was going. He watched as Bruce put a hand to his face and his expression scrunched up in thought. Somehow, Dick didn't like this.

And when Bruce finally repeated the name, it was in no way that Dick wanted to hear, "Kory Anders? Kory Anders!?"

Dick stepped back defensively, "What?"

Bruce walked to the front again and threw out his arm in frustration, "Do you... please do not tell me that you did what I think you did..."

Dick opened his mouth, barely able to get the words out thanks to Bruce's reaction, but then a rage from deep inside him erupted and he dared to step forward again, "You mean tell her I was Dick Grayson? The poor kid that Bruce Wayne felt sorry for? Yeah! I told her. Kind of hard to go out on a date with her otherwise, don't you think?"

Bruce's wrath flared, "Oh my..."

But he paused, as though unable to finish his sentence. Dick watched as Bruce looked from side to side as though trying to look at anything but him. The man's expression was now frustrated and he was deep in thought. All this in one night. Bruce didn't want to have to deal with it. But their identities...

He turned towards his desk and brought a hand to his face again, "Dick, what have you done?"

What had he done? No. No way was this... No!

"I've told my best friend who I am! I don't see where that's a problem!" Dick screamed, demanding attention to the fact that he was human; perhaps Bruce didn't like that.

"And in doing so, you realize that you've just compromised half of the Justice League's identities, not to mention, my own?" Bruce asked lividly, "You realize that, Dick!?"

"She's not going to kill anyone!" Dick yelled.

"She's an alien," Bruce pointed out, "She's not from Earth and her galaxy shows little signs of weakness. They've been warring each other for nearly a century. How do you know that she hasn't just been playing you all along?"

Dick looked at Bruce in disbelief, but answered firmly, "Because I know her and I know what it's like to be betrayed and I know she'd never do that!"

"Don't start that, Dick," Bruce said, trying to avoid the subject of Dick's departure when in reality, Dick was referencing Terra's betrayal of the Titans.

"Fine, but how come I'm not allowed to date and have a friend that's an alien when you're friends with Superman, the most powerful alien of them all? Xenophobic about him too, Bruce?" Dick accused.

"Kryptonite is an easy tool to disable him," Bruce answered coldly.

"Mr. Wayne, Ms. Kyle was hoping that you were in and able to attend a party..."

"Not Now!" Bruce yelled and turned off the connection from receptionist at the front entrance.

On the bottom level below, Selina tapped her foot while on the roof, someone found the windows to Bruce's office just like the map had said.

"Nice, Bruce, really. What about Selina, Bruce? Huh? What about the fact that you're dating a wanted thief? What's that about? I think Superhero Alien is a much better taste in women," Dick added sarcastically.

"Do you even..."

There were so many other people at the moment living other lives. Everywhere else, people continued on with their lives. Across town in the boys' room, Cyborg hit Red X over the head with the remote. In Metropolis, Clark filed some final papers, having to work late with Lois and Jimmy that night. Oliver Queen was laughing at the morons whose butts he was kicking while being the Robin Hood of Star City. Commissioner Gordon relaxed in his office, waiting for midnight so that he could leave. Princess Diana sparred with a fellow Amazon for training. Starfire entered her room, love-struck while Raven attempted to sleep with all of the noise coming from the other room. But the fight in Wayne Tower raged and would soon effect everyone.

"No! Do you even know what I've been through! I've paid attention to your stupid rules! I've tried to be cold and heartless! And I don't want to be! I like being able to love someone!"

"And you realize that if it weren't for your team, you could have gotten shot the other day. Your concern for that alien nearly cost you your life."

The figure on the roof got ready: this would be cake.

"Oh, so we're incapable, is that it!?"

"Actually, considering their performance and interference the past couple days, I'd guess that Ethan could still be alive if it weren't for them!"

"Oh, so that's why you're so bitter about Ethan's death to me? It's my fault?! Sorry for my team helping then!"

"They shouldn't be here; they create too many additional factors," Bruce countered.

"Is that what the Clark and Diana do to you Bruce? Create more 'additional factors'?" Dick threw back, his hands clenched tight into fists.

"They're adults and can handle themselves," Bruce told him, "Your team is learning. You're no where near the level of the JLA."

Dick sneered, "Thanks a lot Bruce. Really, I'm glad that I'm no where near your level of coldness!"

Ravager loaded the gun and hooked up the tanks to his back.

"This argument is over, Dick," Bruce said, about to go around to his desk, when Dick continued.

"No! I'm so sick of you putting me down all the time! I'm sick of you treating me like a little kid! I'm capable of more than just creating those old catchy lines, Bruce! That's why I left! 'Cause I could handle myself and you would never listen to me about that!"

"Handle yourself?" Bruce asked, "How can you say that when you nearly got shot?"

"I'm always nearly getting shot! It's part of the job description; but I don't see how my well being even interests you anyway!" Dick told him.

That got him, "You don't think your well being concerns me?"

There was no one left in the world that he was even remotely concerned with at the moment. Not the JLA. Not the Teen Titans. Not the JSA or the Outsiders. No one. Not a single soul. Just his ward. There was silence, eerily so and Dick sensed that Bruce was about to let it all out on him.

"You think I don't care about you?"

Dick didn't move as he glared at Bruce, who slowly walked towards him from the wooden desk. He couldn't wait to hear this.

"You think I don't care, when every hour before we go out, I am planning the safest possible routes to keep you safe? When I'm training you, being sure that you're ready to go out so that maniacs like Two-Face will never beat you again? When I'd lay down my own life if you would be alive and healthy?"

Dick wouldn't back down. Why? He didn't believe it. Bruce took the easy way, not the safest. He trained him looking for perfection, which he clearly was not. He'd hold his incapability's over his head for the rest of his life and Dick had let him. Ravager smiled.

"You think I don't care about your well being?" Bruce whispered and looked down at Dick.

"No."

"And why would that be?" Bruce asked, leaning in and challenging the statement.

"How about 'you'd take everything I ever had away'?" Dick asked, finding a silent road blocker.

Bruce returned to his natural stance, silent, unreadable.

"See, you don't care and you sure don't act like it," Dick told him.

There wasn't another chance for Bruce to respond when the windows shattered and a man laughed, a blowtorch in one hand and a gun in the other, lighting the sides of the building on fire. A couple bullets were shot. The man's red and brown suit blazed as he laughed from under his mask as the alarm system sounded.

"BRUCE WAYNE! Bwhahaha," The intruder yelled, "Meet your doom!"

At one point in time, Dick might have laughed at the statement. Not today though. Both he and Bruce got into a position in which they could fight back if they had to, only with the palms of their hands up and facing this maniac. They had to keep him calm as they weren't exactly the Dynamic Duo from the front page of paper at the moment. Once at least one of them got their chance to leave, they'd strike.

"Who are you?" Bruce said steadily.

"Who am I? Who am I?" The man asked, indignantly, "Name's 'The Ravager' and trust me, I can cause just as much havoc as my name implies."

He was a talker. He could be talked down... possibly. Just not as Wayne and Grayson, that's all.

"What do you want?" Wayne asked as Dick looked between Bruce and Ravager, tense and ready to do something if needed.

"Simple, I take joy in spilling blood, so what does that mean?" Ravager lied, yet at the same time, it was quite entertaining for him.

Dick eyed Ravager's equipment. A blowtorch. A gun. He had been killing all of those people. This was their guy! And he was just a random killer? Bruce noticed the similarities, too. They couldn't let him get away.

"Ravager, there's no point in killing me," Bruce reasoned.

Ravager laughed, "Of course there is, you realize the bounty that's on your head? I was already in the neighborhood, thought, why not? Now how shall it be?"

Bruce raised a brow, hoping to stall as Ravager continued, "I could burn ya alive or I could shoot ya, strangle ya, beat the livin' daylights out of ya."

"You can't think that I'm going to go along with this," Bruce asked calmly.

Ravager was taken aback by this and then his eyes caught Dick. Walking over, he let the blowtorch fall to the side and grabbed Dick by the shirt, bringing the gun up to the boy's head, "Maybe I'll just blow the kid's brains out instead, then you'd have blood on your hands."

Dick didn't struggle, but he held his breath and tried not to think about the hot barrel that was being pushed against his skull. He hated having to pretend like he couldn't do anything. He held onto Ravager's arm, hoping that the man would let go, but he wouldn't. There wasn't a chance of that. Bruce's startled expression got Ravager's attention.

"Don't you dare harm him," Bruce seethed.

"Oh, why not? What you going to do?" Ravager taunted.

Bruce stood still and tensed.

"I've never killed anyone so young, but I wouldn't mind givin' it a try," Ravager said continuing, looking down at Dick, who had beads of sweat forming on his face. From somewhere, Dick heard liquid move and swish around.

"You don't want him, Ravager. You came here to get me. Not him. Please, let him go," Bruce asked, calmly but tensely all the same.

Ravager chuckled and threw Dick to the ground to the right. Dick quickly got up. Again, if he were younger, he would have snapped something witty at the murderer, but he wasn't ten. He was sixteen. This guy worried him. He tried to fight off the fresh memory of the barrel's feeling. Dick then noticed that the fire's smoke began to drift outside as the fire slowly spread around the edges of the room.

"So, then, tell me, what does the famous Bruce Wayne want his final words to be?" Ravager threw at him.

Bruce held his fists, "You're not going to get away with this, Ravager."

Dick finally added to the conversation trying to keep Ravager talking, "You're a coward with a gun!"

Ravager then turned, actually interested in Dick, "You think a coward could carry a gun, kid?"

He pointed the gun at Dick again between his eyes, but Bruce redirected his attention, "You're forgetting me, Ravager. I'm over here; is your eyesight really that bad?"

Infuriated, he turned to Wayne, and Ravager yelled at the insult, "You know what? When I'm done with you, I'm gonna burn down this Tower and let it look like the end of the world had swallowed it up and spit it back out. This place will be nothing but a pile of rubble with your sad excuse of a corpse at the top of the pile."

Slade watched the scene from a spy camera. The three vigilantes all facing each other. He wasn't pleased so far. His dear half-brother could get so easily distracted. Perhaps the man needed a little reminder of what he was here to do.

"Ravager, you don't have to do this. I could pay you triple the bounty. Just put the gun down and let's talk. I can write you a check right now. I wouldn't even try to trace it. Just leave Dick and I alone," Bruce offered.

They had to get out, now. This was taking way too long. Ravager looked intrigued, but something sounded in his ear. Bruce and Dick watched tensely, not knowing why the man had stopped mid-interest.

"Your brother will get there first, upping you. How humiliating."

Ravager's eyes flared with anger, "No, you know what?"

Bruce and Dick kept their hands up still, not to startle the man who was obviously enraged, but that was the last thing they should have done.

"This is taking way too long!" Ravager announced and pulled his gun out to face Bruce.

If Dick was Superman, he would have seen Ravager pull the trigger. If he was Superman, he would have been able to see through Ravager's mask and the smile plastered onto his face. If he was Superman, he would have seen the two bullets being released in slow-mode thanks to super-speed. If he was Superman, he would have been able to reflect the bullets against his chest in an instant. But Dick was just Dick Grayson. And what he saw was far more... human... and fatal.

BANG! BANG!

And all he saw was Ravager pull the trigger twice. He heard two loud gun shots sound through the air. He saw Bruce attempt to dodge, but Bruce was only human and even a near perfected human body couldn't dodge what the Flash could. He saw the impacts of the bullets hit Bruce in the chest and he heard the sound of fabric tearing as the bullets went out the other way.

Bruce could survive anything. Underneath, he always wore a part of his Batsuit. Especially the chest and that was designed to survive anything. Anything!

Anything but a straight shot.

Like those.

Dick saw Bruce's face contort. Then blood began to seep down onto his suit, one directly by the heart. Dick was frozen in horror. No. This couldn't be happening. He wasn't shot. His eyes and his ears were fooling him. No, this couldn't... Now his eyesight was giving way to the water filling up on the rims of his eyes. He was able to see Bruce fall backwards towards the ground. And as he watched, Dick was able to catch a small glimpse of Bruce's eyes looking directly at him, giving him all the terror, panic, and sorrow he needed.

Bruce's eyes were calm, but strong, ready, telling him to do the same. To take care of them, all of them, himself. Saying everything, in one look, it was a look that both haunted and paralyzed Dick at that moment with fear. Bruce then closed his eyes, seeing Dick had seen him, seen that look. That's all he needed to do. That's all.

No!

The Dark Knight fell to the ground and hit hard... He couldn't... This couldn't be happening. Bruce couldn't... He just... No! NO! Dick shook his head finally and felt the tears beginning to fall without his say so. Then it all came out as the shock left him and instinct boiled through his body.

"NO! BRUCE! BRUCE!" Dick screamed, desperately wanting his yells to do something, anything, anything!

But Bruce didn't move. He was a motionless figure lying on the floor of his office. Too much like six years ago. Too much like the last two. Too much like Mom and Dad. Too much... Dick tried to run, to make his way over to him, to help him, he had to, all the while knowing that he could very well find more blood to stain his helpless hands.

But he found mid yell that someone was still in the room and kept him back, "BRUC..."

"Shut up, kid!" Ravager told him, throwing him across the room and into a pillar.

He hit his head hard, yelped, and fell to the ground, dizzy. Stupid, he should have... Where... As he got to his knees, he looked over at Bruce's form and saw Ravager pouring a tank of liquid that had been in his backpack onto Bruce and the area around him, cutting him off completely. He began to feel the heat from the flames.

Ravager took out the blowtorch and walked over to the broken windows.

Oh no.

Ravager pulled one more trigger.

BOOM!

Dick screamed as the floor rumbled and shook angrily.

On the streets a loud blast rocketed through the sky and people looked up at the center building. The pride and joy of Gotham: Wayne Tower, in smoke and engulfed in a heavy inferno of flames. Dick laid in the smoking room on the ground that threatened him with instability, while whispering...

"Bruce... Bruce..."

It was so hot. Wooden beams began to crackle and fall. He could feel his own blood leaking from cuts in his skin and sweat mingling with it to accommodate him in this heat. He heard something moving debris, someone...

"I.. I'm... sorry..."

Someone saw him, as they moved away from the hottest of the flames.

"Bruce... bruce... please... I... please..."

The flames began to eat the place away. He had been so happy up until that point that night. His wonderful evening, gone, but that was the least of his worries. The charred office he was in no longer resembled its former glory, surely not the place where he and Bruce were arguing mere minutes before. Arguing, stupid... He hated himself for it. One last tear fell as that night, as the Gotham Clock sounded off the end of all Hallow's Eve. Dick's blurred vision picked up a figure, thin, dark purple. He felt their gentle leathered hands on his face, but he couldn't take it anymore. In seconds, Dick succumbed to the pain in his lungs that burned from the smoke and slipped into unconsciousness.

Inside the office, off to the side, a paper burned. A newspaper on what was once a chair, Bruce's chair.

"Dynamic Duo Back!" screamed across its front page.

It didn't last long as the flames slowly, bit by bit, ate it. Ate it all away. Meanwhile, across town, Slade let a rare moment of sick laughter escape him as he smiled at the scene on the news as Wayne Tower's inferno roared.

End Of Part Three

Chapter Fifteen: The Princess and The Squire

Interlude: October 31st

Chapter Fifteen: The Princess and The Squire

Robin came in on his R-Cycle seconds after Batman got out of the Batmobile. He had taken to not riding with the Dark Knight after his team's arrival. Neither spoke to one another or even remotely acknowledged the others' presence. Needless to say, Batman was not happy nor pleased with the Titan's surprise visit. Nor was he pleased with their activities since.

And Robin was getting the brunt of all it.

The glares. The grunts. The sneers. And somehow Batman knew how to make all of that seem like it wasn't childish. It was so not fair and at this time of day, Robin had no intention of dealing with it. Changing quickly, the first thing on his mind was to go straight to his room. But to his surprise, Batman actually spoke to him. Shocker!

"Robin," He singled out of the otherwise empty audience.

"What?" Dick asked, not at all trying to sound noncompliant.

"What are you doing tomorrow night?" Batman asked.

Dick raised a brow, "Um, don't know. A little work I guess and mostly just patrol. Why?"

"I'll be at a late meeting. If you could go out early, you could cover the area till I get out," Batman told him.

"Why bother?" Dick asked.

"Have you forgotten what day that is?"

Dick thought for a moment and then it hit him, but Batman continued not giving him the chance, "Halloween. A perfect night for theatricality in the minds of the insane. Correct me if I'm wrong."

The sarcasm in his voice was rich and Dick hated it, "Fine, I get it. I'll go out as soon as I can tomorrow."

Without another word, Dick walked up the long staircase. They really needed a elevator. When he could remember how many more steps there were by the way the groves cut into the cave, then he knew that he had climbed these steps one too many times. He had stayed out all night and was ready for a good sleep.

Coming up, he was met by the black and orange decorations for Halloween that Alfred had put up. He forced a smile. There wasn't really a reason for having Halloween decorations up. No one but he and Bruce would see them. Not even children in the neighborhood came trick or treating. Wayne Manor on Halloween could look like one of those Victorian haunted houses with all of Alfred's work. And Dick had noticed that for some reason, the bats liked to fly around outside more on All Hallow's Eve. He shrugged and continued towards the main hall.

Dick walked up the elegant staircase, his hands brushing the cold pearly marble banister. Would anyone believe that the stairs themselves where actually all one piece? Probably not. They had to be cut out of a mountain and shipped half way across the country. He sighed, letting himself remember what it felt like to have enough energy to climb up the stairs and slide down the banister. He wished he was ten again. Being ten was so easy. It was all relatively much more simple back than. And Bruce didn't hate his guts back then, either. Then again come to think of it that wouldn't be much as he pretty much was sick of being around Bruce anyway, what with his attitudes towards him and his team.

There was no way around it. The man saw the Titans as amateurs that weren't getting any better. Dick shut his eyes as he remembered Batman coming back from the scene of Ehtan's murder. None of them had talked; they had all sensed that they shouldn't as a solemn mood had enveloped them. When Batman had come back, he had spoken quickly to a police officer nearby to have them deliver a message to Gordon, and had managed to demand a proper introduction out of his sense of courtesy and nothing else.

While Robin had breathed a sigh of relief when Batman had at least heard of Beast Boy from the Doom Patrol, Cyborg, Raven, and Starfire were another story. Cyborg got off relatively easy compared to the girls. No bad ties, but no outstanding good ones either, outside of Star Labs. For Raven, the daughter of an inter-dimensional demon that had attempted to take over the world, probably the only reason why she had gotten any respect at all was because she had stopped her father's attack on the world. Starfire, though... To Robin, the mystery as to why Batman hardly even acknowledged her was beyond his comprehension.

Probably wasn't for any good reason, though.

Now in his room, Dick blearily got under his covers and kicked off his shoes. Why did it have to be so early in the morning? That just makes it difficult. The light from the curtains. The bright colors in his room. Now he understood why Bruce had darker colors in his room. But despite all of this, his eyes were almost entirely relaxed when he succumbed to sleep, sweet sleep. He was getting used to doing this. If he slept all day, so what?

It felt so good. So lulling. Like he was being flown away from his bed on something, something much softer than a magic carpet and a lot more comfortable. But what was there to dream about? Going home? Home. Even as he glimpsed Jump City before him, his first thought was of Gotham. But no one even wanted him there. And sadly, Jump at this point seemed like a resort to run away from because of Bruce, though it had never been originally. It killed him.

Somehow, the two cities sat next to each other, separated by a mountain range before him. He had to make a choice. He had to... The ground beneath him crumbled and he fell. Dick landed on cold, icy-hard ground. There were no more dreams. It was cold and he shivered. Something landed on his head, like water. But when he looked up, he didn't see any cool refreshing water. Instead, something red landed on his cheek. He felt it with his hand and swallowed hard as the iron smelling substance gleamed like the liquid in his own veins. He got up but a rumble stopped him. As it continued to rain blood from black skies, the sound of something, thundering through the canyon, had grown into a roar.

A red sloshing river aimed straight for him and Robin felt it hit him as though he had hit his chest directly into a pool of water. The difference? Now he was tumbling around and getting hit against rocky walls as he tried desperately to reach for air. But he couldn't and as he opened his masked eyes, he saw larger objects tumbling with him. They seemed metallic, round, precisely shaped ellipses. Silvery, with an engraved 'S' on each side of them.

Then he lost sight of them and his head reached air. He heard the sound of something draining the blood from the river. He suddenly landed on a grate as the blood flowed past him, over him, and onward. He choked and sputtered, the blood soaking his clothes and chilling him as it ran down his sides, scaring him half to death. It surprised him that he was still alive.

Then a clap. And another clap. And another. And another.

"Well done, Robin, well done," said the almost bemused, sly, voice.

Robin gasped and choked as he looked up to see the masked man standing over him, whose voice was far too familiar for comfort. Not him! Robin looked down at the floor. Anything, not him, please, please, just not...

"Come now, look me in the eye, Robin," Slade said picking him up by his blood soaked tunic.

"This isn't your blood, is it Robin?" Slade asked and Robin felt himself squirm. Stop! Leave! He had to get away, had to... "No, you have no wounds."

Robin felt himself hold his breath in fear of what Slade would next say, "We can change that though, can't we?"

The words chilled the blood running down his skin. Robin shook his head frantically, but it didn't stop the sting of Slade's fist against his jaw sending him flying across the floor. His heart beat rapidly in his chest, fighting against hope that in some way, he could run, get away from the monster. But man, that nightmare, it hurt. His vision finally focused again from the shock. He gasped as he looked up at his opponent, his enemy, his nightmare.

"You shouldn't have left me, Apprentice," Slade said, coming closer, his fist raised, ready for another blow.

But Dick didn't feel it as he gasped and woke up, finding himself still in his bed, safe. The only noticeable difference was that he could still feel the cold sweat that had engulfed him and he was still trembling from the nightmare. His breath was stunted as he breathed hard and quick. Getting up, he headed straight for the shower. Had to calm his nerves. Had to.

The hot water ran letting steam fill the room. He hated these nightmares. Hated them. But at least they didn't come as often as they used to. Slade hadn't been heard of since his disappearance after the defeat of Trigon and Robin had no reason to think that he'd be back. Besides, perhaps once you see the city you set out to destroy, well, destroyed, it loses the appeal. And the nightmares had left. So considering that Slade hadn't even remotely been or tampered with Jump City, that was a good thing.

The nightmares used to be miserable. It scared him what his mind could come up with sometimes. And to think, he had been dreaming about the probes. He shuddered. That apprenticeship was the most miserable time of his life. And no, he hadn't told Alfred, or Bruce about it. He wasn't about to do something that stupid. Not that Bruce would care. If he did, Bruce would probably scold him for being so weak, so incapable, which he wasn't. He wasn't.

But still, knowing that Slade had been a threat had caused Robin at one point to go paranoid. Slade wasn't a threat anymore. The man had moved on. If he hadn't, he would have struck by now, Robin was sure of it. As much as Slade enjoyed the shadows, he still would have had his own goals and they would have been presented by now. At least now he could enjoy himself more and he could be confident that his team could hold up against the worst of the worst. Dick rubbed a towel over his wet hair, and with his pants on and his shirt over his shoulder, he stepped out of the bathroom, finally noticing it was near sunset. He was turning into a night owl again. He shrugged and was about to throw on his shirt when his communicator rang.

Picking it up, Dick saw it was Starfire on the other line and his heart skipped a beat. He ran to get his mask on and opened the communicator, "Hey!"

"Greetings, friend Robin, you slept at the ease?" She asked, happily.

Robin laughed at her cute diction and answered, "More or less, you?"

"Oh, I slept well too... We attempted to call you earlier but you did not respond," She mentioned with an implied question.

"Um, yeah, sorry 'bout that. I sort of sleep during the day now. Happens when I work here and am relieved from school," Robin explained, "But yeah, um, how is the hotel?"

A loud crashing sound of something breaking was heard in the background and Starfire tensed, "Um, it is going as you would say, as well as it could."

Robin felt a wave of guilt, "Yeah, I would have brought you guys here, but well, I don't think Batman is exactly prone to letting me invite guests over at the moment... And Alfred would murder me for the mess that Cyborg and Beast Boy would make."

Starfire smiled (though she was still confused at who Alfred was) and replied, "I suppose, but Robin, why do you not believe that the Batman would not want guests?"

Robin sighed, "Just trust me, Star. He's not exactly the most social person and I don't even think he... particularly... even wants me here at the moment."

At her surprised look, Robin added, "He's stressed, that's all."

He didn't exactly want to tell her about that. No need to worry her. Definitely no need to do that. Starfire nodded in understanding, though she sensed his reluctance.

"It was really, really amazing, last night: your knowledge of Gotham," She told him, changing the subject to a lighter one.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, well, that's what happens when you grow up someplace. You know it by heart I guess," Robin told her.

Starfire nodded, "Yes, Tamaran is the same for me. And for a first time in Gotham, it was very much so a fun one."

Robin laughed and Starfire did the same, but soon silence followed between the two. Robin looked down at his feet. Now what? He hated these awkward silences; it always felt so unbearably long to handle, to take. Starfire was the one to break it.

"Robin?"

"Yeah, Star?"

"Does, does your mentor, does the Batman not like the 'teams'?" She asked.

Well that was a surprise question. At first. When he thought about it, he realized why she had asked it. Batman had neither been friendly nor accommodating to any of his teammates the night before as the Titans had patrolled the city with the Dynamic Duo. It had nearly been a disaster, but then again, when no one talks, no disasters can begin. He and Batman hadn't said more than ten words to each other. But he could still tell that Bruce wasn't at all happy with the team up and was glad when the teams dispersed.

"Um, not, no, it's not that. I mean, he's part of the Justice League and all, you know, but he, he just doesn't like all the, uh, variables it creates for him. He likes it simple, you know?" Robin tried.

He hoped that helped and thankfully Starfire seemed to drop the subject after that. Then he saw her eyes looking off behind him and he turned to see nothing but his bedroom. Confused he raised a brow and she replied.

"Um, you are in your room?" She asked.

"Yeah, why?" He replied.

"It is, the grandeur," She told him.

"Oh, yeah, Batman and I, we, we kind of... yeah," He answered, blushing slightly.

Identities. Secret identities. None of the Titans knew he was Dick Grayson, but he knew who they were. Starfire had always been so patient with him. She never asked, never prodded. She respected him and was content with what he told her. Maybe he should tell her. Why not? She'd never given him a reason not to trust her and he... He should. She was special to him. While evidently, if he told her, the rest of the Titans would discover who he was, but that still didn't seem like a big deal either. It was time he was honest with her. He might not be a knight in shining armor. He might be just the lowly squire in this comparison to a fantasy, but, somehow, he didn't think she'd care. He... An idea hit him and somehow, it came with confidence.

Robin questioned, "Um, Starfire?"

"Yes, Robin?" She asked.

He felt his hand get sweaty. Great, he had just showered too, "Do you... do you want a real tour of Gotham?"

"Huh?" She was caught off guard by the question, but... did he? "You would give us a tour?"

"Well, I, um, I meant, do you want a tour?" Robin emphasized and bit his lip.

"Like a date?" Starfire asked and she felt her own heart flutter momentarily. Was he? Was he asking her...

"Yeah, do you want to, go on a date with me?" He asked.

"I..."

"The real me?" He asked, interrupting her, "Without the mask?"

Starfire's eyes widened and she looked around the dismantled empty hotel room (the others had all gone down to breakfast), almost guarding the question from anyone else and answered enthusiastically, "I... Yes, I would like that. I would like that very much, Robin."

Robin beamed, "Great, I'll, I'll pick you up at your hotel. Eight sound good? Tomorrow?"

"I, yes, it, that is good with me," Starfire replied, feeling herself begin to fly involuntarily.

"Great, great, do you, I don't know, I could treat you to a five star for dinner," Robin told her.

"That sounds, that sounds oh so glorious, Robin. I, I thank you," She replied, blushing.

"Alright, well, okay. I guess I'll see you later, kay?" He asked.

"Yes, of course. I shall you the soon then, Robin," She answered.

"Okay then, well, I'll see ya," He told her.

"I shall see you," She answered back.

The connection disabled. Seconds later Raven entered the room in her gothic clothing, looking very disgruntled at what had probably become of breakfast. But as soon as Raven walked into the room, she caught sight of Starfire's glowing eyes and the inescapable feeling of joy that the empath could sense in her.

"What..." She started hesitantly, but never finished as she found herself in one of Starfire's signature bone-crushing hugs and being lifted into the air.

"I have a date with friend Robin!" Starfire exclaimed, "You must help me prepare!"

Raven looked up at her in shock, but that did nothing to dull the pain in her back. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of the city, Robin did a back-flip onto his bed.

"Yes!" He yelled.

Finally! Something good was going to happen! He was going on a date with the girl of his dreams. Maybe this would turn out to be a good Halloween for once. But while he took off the mask and continued to smile while he threw his shirt on, someone watched him.

How deluded that sense of joy was.

Slade chuckled. What a perfect night to finish this, come to think of it. So theatrical, to kill the demon lurking in the shadows of Gotham on the last night of the chilly month of October. This city was wearing off on him. Everything was going according to plan. The Dynamic Duo could be considered clueless at this point, but then again, Slade would never leave anything up to assumptions like that. Still, with everything that was going on, it was a pretty safe bet. If Dick looking like he could go out skipping at this point wasn't reason enough to assume such a thing, well, he didn't know what was.

And the Joker had played his role. He had promised the Clown Prince of Crime his role in the game and he had gotten it, along with state of the art robots designed to his ludicrous and insane tastes. Not that it mattered, but still, that was too close. Joker had come too close to shooting the Boy Wonder, something he would have to rectify later.

At the moment, with Joker in Arkham once again, it was not a problem that needed an instant solution. Meanwhile, he could care less about Two-Face's displeasure; the hypocritical mental case would just have to deal with these restrictions till November came. After that, he had no interest in the former Gotham D.A. Ultimately though the important thing about Joker's theatrics was that nothing had happened and he didn't expect to be able to get rid of Ethan so easily. In that regard, Joker had sped things up. Wouldn't Luthor be happy?

Then again, who cared about that maniac business man, anyway?

And sooner or later, his... employee would log on. Slade smiled at the thought. When it had come down to it, he needed someone smart, but fairly stupid. Someone who could take complicated orders without question. Strength over brawn. Insane, but focused. He knew of only one and it embarrassed him to actually be related to them. The line on his computer screen crackled to life. Shame, that name could mean a lot more if someone else was using it. Ravager couldn't see him, but he could see Ravager's smug face on the screen. The moron.

"Wade Defarge," Slade said, "You're ready for the information?"

"No problem, s'longs the pay's good. And you say this will hurt Deathstroke?" He asked, greedily.

Yes, Wade didn't know that he was being hired out by his brother, that's how much of an idiot he was, "I'm sure. Deathstroke's been hired by Luthor to take out your target. You need to take him out first."

"No need to worry about that. Much better than that worthless..."

"Mr. Defarge, please, this isn't the time for small talk," Slade told him, "I'm sending the location of where to pick up your map of Wayne Tower, instructions, and equipment. Don't lose it. Do exactly what you were ordered to do, not a half way job."

Ravager laughed, "Don't worry, it's as good as done."

"I'm sure," Slade told him and just as quickly the line was disconnected.

He had to let out a low laugh. 'Even after all these years, Wade.' Well, there was no time to reminisce. Not like he even wanted to, anyway. He sat back in his chair. Everything was in place. Everything. He looked back at his hidden camera. It had taken him ages to perfect the microscopic spy camera and ages more to be able to get it up to speed and capable of getting past Wayne's security witfhout being noticed. His eye followed the face of the young teen. His eyes were marked with happiness.

"Enjoy yourself while you may, Dick," Slade said, "It won't last long."

-T-

Starfire pushed the green dangling diamond earrings through her ears. She remembered being so nervous when she got them pierced with Raven, but that had been nothing compared to the butterfly feelings in her gut right now. She smoothed her purple silk dress and propped up her large curls, just to make sure they stayed, despite the can of hairspray. Raven looked over at her passively, her hood down and her eyes turned downward.

Being Starfire's friend was sometimes hard for her. She was not one to express herself as Starfire did, making their conversations somewhat awkward and abrupt for them both. Still though, she felt some... gratitude towards Starfire, for that emotion that she could never feel, she thought. That was probably why they didn't hate each other. Starfire told her what it was like, to feel (as Raven saw it) and Raven was content with listening and being able to feel empathically what Starfire felt.

"Don't be nervous," Raven told her, plainly.

"Oh, but Raven, he, he is going to tell me who he is. And this is our, it is my first date!" Starfire explained and Raven nodded.

"About time too," Raven told her, "That boy is so slow sometimes."

"Hm?" Starfire asked.

"I'm an empath Starfire; I feel every one's emotions," Raven said, getting out the gloves that Starfire had packed in her suitcase, "It's amazing that you two haven't gone out on a date already in the first place."

"You really believe so, friend Raven?" Starfire inquired as she took the gloves.

Raven looked at her as though that was the dumbest question in the world, "Would you like me to lie to you?"

Starfire laughed, "I suppose not. Thank you. Thank you for helping me prepare, and for being such a good friend."

Raven pulled up her hood, "You're welcome."

"Raven?"

"Yes?" Raven turned her shadowed face to see Starfire smiling.

Starfire looked down at her silver heels, "I hope that, I hope that you feel as happy as I do."

Raven let out a dry laugh, "Thanks, Star, but don't get your hopes up. Besides, I can feel how happy you are right now."

"Well, I am glad then," Starfire told her.

Raven shrugged, "It's a perk of being an empath... Hey, so when's..."

"RAEE!!!"

"---VEN!" Two yells came from the other room, following some rampaging ruckus.

Bursting through the door between the rooms, the two Titan boys barged right in and were about to receive Raven's wrath for invading the girls' room when she saw who was with them.

"No..." She said shaking her head in disbelief and annoyance.

Starfire gasped, "Red X?"

"Hi!" Red X said, waving and indicated Cyborg holding onto his cape, "Can you tell them to put me down now?"

"What is it that you are doing here?" Starfire asked.

"This creep stowed away in our luggage!" Cyborg exclaimed, almost sounding indignant about it.

"How did he fit and survive in your suitcase?" Raven asked, half angry, half bewildered.

"Well, I got out when you guys made pit stops and I was able to fit in their gaming bag, which was good because the next biggest bag was Beast Boy's and I don't think he did his laundry before..."

"Raven, I thought you told him to stay put!" Beast Boy accused.

"I told Red X that he was to stay at the Tower," She said, forcefully.

"Hey, I don't have to listen to you. And besides, no one knows me in Gotham. I could almost pass for a Titan here, not that I'd want to," Red X countered and then he caught sight of Starfire in her formal dress, "And man, if I get to dance with you in that, I'd say that it was all worth..."

The phone rang and startled them all. Starfire flew over, thankfully for Red X, who would have been the victim of her impulse to incinerate him, and answered the phone, "Hello?"

"Yes, Ms. Anders?" A patron asked, using Starfire's code name that she was using while staying at the hotel. They had all taken up these names so that could keep a low profile in order to not draw the attention of an attacker's eye.

"Yes, this is I," She answered.

"I believe there's a young gentleman waiting in the entrance hall for you. He said he was looking for a young lady with red hair and 'golden' skin. Is this you and shall I inform him that you will be down soon?"

Starfire gasped and replied back promptly, "Yes, yes, tell him I shall be down the stairs immediately."

"I shall," the patron responded.

With that, the patron hung up and Starfire squealed, "I must be off, friends."

"You're not going to help us with this dude?" Beast Boy asked.

"No, I must go, you shall be able to handle him. Farewell friends! I shall be back late," Starfire exclaimed, before rushing out the door and into a maid, who handed her a newspaper and continued on.

She looked at the front page in which a man stood with the mayor, and a teenage boy by his side with jet black hair. The caption read "Bruce Wayne and ward, Dick Grayson, meet with Mayor about Project Firewall."

She shrugged and put the paper by the door. She had to get downstairs where Robin must be waiting. And in fact he was. Dick paced back and forth, rubbing his hand against his neck and checking his cologne. He hoped it wasn't too much. He remembered everything up until that point. He remembered getting ready and having Alfred run through half the house trying to find his good jacket. Poor Alfred, he had never seemed so rushed. Bruce hadn't noticed. He had just walked out the door on the way to his meeting. Shame he had to work on Halloween, but then again, Dick's concern for Bruce's meeting was about as much as Bruce's concern for his night out with Starfire. He hadn't even told Bruce about it. He really hadn't thought to and Bruce hadn't thought to ask.

Dick looked around. He knew people were looking at him. He wasn't totally unrecognizable in Gotham. And why not? The fact that he happened to be a multi-millionaire's ward wouldn't add to that at all, oh no. He pulled at his collar while others watched him. From a hidden camera, Slade watched as he sat back in his chair in his office and flexed his fingers. Just a little while longer. Another watcher though, felt excited with anticipation, and as anxious as Dick did. Starfire felt her heart beat in her chest and hoped that the coconut-cherry spice perfume wasn't too much. She stepped down the steps towards a teenager with gel-slicked, jet-black hair.

Hearing someone coming down, the teen spun around and Starfire caught sight of the Boy Wonder's eyes for the very first time. Blue. Clear. Brilliant blue. They sparkled as a large grin came to his face and she suddenly recognized him. Starfire made her way down the steps slowly as they faced each other.

"Hi," He said.

"Hi," She answered.

"Um, Star, I... I don't know what to call you other than, well..." Robin whispered.

Starfire smiled, "My formal name is Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, but, here, I have decided to go by 'Kory Anders'."

"Kory," Dick said, the name felt so right for her too, "Um, well, Kory, my real name is Dick, Dick Grayson."

Starfire beamed, never looking anywhere but his eyes, his wonderful eyes, "Dick... It is, it is glorious to meet you."

It felt good to use his real name for the first time.

Dick smiled, "Well, shall we?"

He held out his arm for her and she took it with a smile. They made their way out of the hotel and into the limo where Alfred was waiting with a warm smile. Starfire looked at Dick who returned her smile. This was going to be the best night of her life.