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Rebirth	By : deadintentions Category: DC Verse Comics > Batman Views: 2060 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Batman series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Rebirth
- 1
I DO NOT claim any of the Detective Comics characters. They fully belong to DC(c). I would, however, like to say a thank you to Bob Kane, the creator of my favorite characters. May your mansion in Heaven be Wayne Manor.

Synopsis: This is an alternate universe story and is in no way strictly to the comic. It will have imperfections, but I do not claim any accuracy to its folds. What is a Super hero was tired of saving the world? How far would he go to escape? To be… normal?

“I can remember it like it was yesterday. Over a year ago, I did something that I never thought I had in me. I’m Dick Grayson, loyal ward and companion to one playboy millionaire Bruce Wayne. My parents passed when I was very young and Mister Wayne took me in as he and I seemed to have a lot in common. But that is neither here nor there.”

“Growing up at Wayne Manor was very different from the life I knew in the circus. I never had any wants and finally had a permanent place to rest my weary head. I even became the sidekick to one of the greatest crime fighters in history; Batman. I became Robin, the Boy Wonder. Our adventures were revered by many and I grew up to be somewhat cocky and snobbish, but my heart was always in the right place. After years of being the sidekick, I wanted to venture out and become my own hero. I moved to Bludhaven and became Nightwing. At the time, my predecessor had been found in one Jason Todd; the Dick Grayson clone as he was sometimes called. Our pasts had much in common and I suppose that was why we resented each other. I resented him because he was my replacement and he resented me because the Bat expected him to be what I was. The rivalry was rather quiet however, but we always knew how the other felt.”

“Even in Bludhaven I was compared to Batman. How could I ever live up to what my hero was? No one but Bruce Wayne could ever truly be the Batman. As much as I ran from that terrible little fact, I always seemed to run face first into it. Batman always received the front page of the important papers in and around Gotham. I was on page C-15 right after the advertisements. Seems only Superman could share the Lime Light with the Dark Knight. And then it struck me… One lonely night as I sat in my apartment and read the paper.”

“I had struggled to be a hero for so long that I had never truly lived. (By this time, Jason was thought to be dead and was replaced by Tim Drake. But after investigation, I did find Jason.) I had been so caught up in being Robin and Nightwing that I had forgotten who Dick Grayson was. I never had a normal childhood and I was losing what little bit of normality I had left. Always playing dress up to save an unappreciative city. Only to be scoffed at and reprimanded for my good deeds. I did what Batman couldn’t. I decided to hang up the costume one last time. But who would take my place? If Nightwing just disappeared, the Bat would come looking for me and I wouldn’t be able to tell him that I had thrown in the towel. He would look at me with those coarse narrow ever judgmental blue eyes and tell me I was a failure. I couldn’t have Bruce telling me that. So, I had a plan.”

“One cold night, I called Jason and planned a meeting atop Wayne Tower. Something about that tower always gave me a feeling of safety. All those years of sharing the edge with the Caped Crusader made it seem as though everything was okay. Maybe as if Bruce would be watching over me like he did when I was little. A warm comforting feeling. Jason agreed with great reluctance in his voice, but he would show. He knew in his soul he couldn’t resist his curiosity. I arrived moments before him and stood, not as Nightwing, but as Dick Grayson upon the building of memories. I hadn’t been feeling very well all day. I had a high fever and my right side was killing me. I assumed it was just over exhilaration or a stitch like I used to get all the time. Maybe it was my nerves as I would be facing the one person whom I hated more than I had hated anyone in a long time. Upon my back was a backpack with the contents of my past in it. This would now be Jason’s burden to carry, not mine.”

“I can still feel the icy drops of Gotham rain on my face and I look up at the sky. It was that Gotham sky, so big and open, that always drew me back here. There was no sky like the one that hung over our… his… great city. A voice behind me caused my attention to sway toward Jason. He was still around my build, but something about that smirk on his lips sent an unease coursing through my blood. As Dick, I was nothing more than a scared, unsure young man. But when I put on the mask, I was a hero and all my insecurities vanished with my alter ego. He approached with caution and I could tell he was very suspicious of what I was thinking. Funny how that I was not the one to fear and yet… It happened none-the-less.”

“By now, I was feeling a tad better as the rain had seemed to bring the fever down. I took the backpack off and threw it at Jason’s feet. My eyes never left him though. He was like my dark side in many ways. My opposite yet just the same. He opened the pack, all the while his eyes were set on me. As if I was going to do something. I still remember the surprise on his face as he pulled out the costume. The black material glistening under the moonlight. The moon was so big that night; it lit both of us up. Two like silhouettes standing where they had stood with their hero on many a night. He asked me what the deal was as he circled me a bit. I explained that I was tired of being in Batman’s shadow and that I was passing the torch to a worthy adversary. He laughed. He laughed whole heartedly and it scared me. The laugh was not that of someone who was happy to be a hero. No, it was much darker than that. As if he was mocking my choice. He slipped the costume on with a little difficulty as the wet rain had made it stick to his tan flesh. What happened the next few moments are to go down in history as my greatest sin and savior.”

“He smirked once in full garb and ran his gloved hand through his stringy hair. He asked me if the real reason I was giving this over to him was because I couldn’t cut it as a hero anymore. If I couldn’t handle the challenge of being alone. That I needed Batman to be a hero and I would always be his sidekick. I felt an anger arise in the very depths of my being and I stepped closer stating that he was the one who would always be nothing more than a sidekick. I see his fist rear back and then the pain. My neck cracked to the force and I will never forget that noise. The taste of metal as my mouth filled with blood. The stars ran through my head like small electrodes. My whole face stung. I returned his action and soon we were in an all out brawl. The warm blood stinging my eyes and reminding me of how sick I was. Then… As we neared the edge of the building…He kicked me in the side. Right where I had been hurting all day. It was so hard that I threw up and he laughed. He laughed at my misfortune. So, I… pushed him…"

"Not that hard, but he must have slipped on the wet roof. I remember the look on his face… It twisted up and his eyes were so wide. I never noticed how bright they were. His arms flapped like a bird who has just hit the window of a store. It all happened in slow motion. I could have caught him. I could have saved him, but something inside told me to let him fall… to let him go in my place. Because Nightwing had to die so Dick Grayson could live. I looked over the side at his twitching body laying on the cold wet concrete at the bottom of Wayne Tower and I felt remorse, but it was over powered by… relief. But what I felt most was my pain. I held my side which now felt as though it was on fire. I could barely walk and eventually passed out on the sidewalk near the hospital. A Good Samaritan found me and took me the rest of the way. I had had appendicitis. My appendix burst on the table next to me. Jason almost killed me. But… I killed him first… Was that what fate had planned? Or did I overstep and escape death? ”

“The next morning, while in the hospital recovering, I read in the newspapers that Nightwing was dead. I ran my finger over the picture of a very saddened Bruce. My heart wanted to tell him I was okay… But my brain saw this as a chance to finally be free. To finally live how I wanted to. To be Dick Grayson permanently. So as to protect Nightwing’s identity, Bruce Wayne requested immediate burial and a closed coffin. Nightwing was to NOT be de-masked under any circumstances. I suppose Bruce thought that if even he didn’t see who was under that mask, he could continue with his life…”

“I recovered and was out by that afternoon. I stood at a safe distance at the funeral. Well, everyone wants to know who will show up at their funeral and I had that chance. Selina, Babs, Tim, Alfred and even a few villains came.. But I couldn’t take my eyes off Bruce. He looked so drained, so... empty. As if his very essence had been taken from his body. His eyes were red from crying and I saw the tears pouring down those flushed cheeks. My heart shattered. How could I have joined his parents? Why did I have to do this to him? Because it was time to live for me. To hang up the Boy Wonder and be a man. I turned my head away and walked slowly back to my cramped apartment in Gotham. Right under the nose of Bruce and our paths may never even cross.”

“I own a comic book shop now in downtown Gotham called “John’s Comics” I thought using my middle name would be the best bet. I sometimes see Bruce walk by the store and I just want to… But instead I set my hand on the glass and hope he feels the warmth of my being. To ease his pain just a little. I was so selfish that night. I have always been selfish. Pushing away my friends and loved ones. Barbara, Jason, Tim, Roy, and even Bruce. Was it worth it you ask? Giving up everything I knew to be free? Throwing away the only people who ever truly cared? My answer… sometimes…”
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Rebirth