Laugh

Chapter 1

Richard "Dick" Grayson had just turned 10 years old, meaning it had been about a year and a half since he first became Robin. It also meant that it had been almost two whole years since his parents were murdered. He still remembered that night like it had been yesterday, and he regularly still had nightmares about it.

He remembered smiling brightly and laughing with his parents right before the show started. The Haly Circus...It was where he grew up. It was where he made his most precious memories. It was where he first learned to fly.

The Flying Graysons were known internationally for their amazing act. Everywhere the circus went, they were the main attraction. People would often come just to see them. Dick had been the youngest of the trapeze group, which consisted of him, his parents, his aunt and uncle, and his cousin John.

Their prize stunt was a very daring trapeze routine without the aid of a net, and because he was still so young, Dick's parents wouldn't let him participate in that particular act. It was fine with him though, since he got to stand backstage and watch with wide eyes as they performed. Back then, the only thought on his mind was how much he couldn't wait till he was older to do that with them. Dick was trained practically from birth how to do acrobatics so he was already great, but watching the rest of his family up there inspired him to train even harder so he could do all the amazing things that they could someday.

Yeah...Everything was great until Haly's Circus stopped in Gotham.

It was a big night. People from all over the city had lined up in anticipation. It would be one of their most important shows yet, especially since so many wealthy people would be attending. The circus had to do everything they could to impress their audience, so that meant the Flying Graysons would be performing their special act.

That night, right before the show, Dick was headed backstage to join his family, when he overheard Mr. Haly talking to someone. This someone was a pretty big dude and looked like he could be a mob boss or something. He was arguing with Haly, demanding that he paid him some protection money. When Haly refused, the other guy started to walk away. But before he left, Dick heard him say in a low voice, "You'll be sorry you didn't pay up."

Dick would later learn that that man had been Tony Zucco.

The youngest Grayson quickly joined his family backstage after that, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy, though at the time, he hadn't been sure why. He had been debating whether or not to tell them what he had just overheard, but after a minute, he decided against it. It was a big night after all, and his parents, aunt, uncle, and cousin all had to focus solely on the show.

If only Dick had told someone.

Their opening act went fine. It was just a simple acrobatic demonstration to get the crowd riled up before their more daring one. Dick laughed with joy as he flew through the air, grabbing his dad's hands, doing a flip, and then landing back on the platform. Cheers erupted from the stands. Now it was time for the act everyone had been waiting for.

Though he had already seen it a dozen times before, Dick still couldn't help but grin widely as he waved to the rest of his family, wishing them good luck. Little did he know that this performance would be their last.

The act started out okay, but right when the climax of it was approaching, something terrible happened. Something that Dick would never be able to forget. Something that would be burned into his memory for the rest of his life.

The line snapped.

And of course, there was no net.

And so, Richard Grayson, only eight years of age, watch in terror as his aunt and uncle plummeted to their deaths. His cousin followed. Then his parents.

It was terrible. It was grotesque. It was something no one should ever have to witness, let alone someone so young.

Dick could do nothing but watch from above as his family members died, one by one, and all in a matter of seconds.

He couldn't even cry out to them until it was too late.

With wide, horrified, tear-filled eyes, Dick Grayson fell to his knees in utter despair as gasps wrung out from the audience.

His family...His parents...They were gone.

All gone.

---

The now 10 year old Dick suddenly awoke with a jolt, and immediately sat up in bed. He was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. Tears were in his eyes as he gripped his bed sheets so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Another nightmare. Another nightmare of that night, and for some reason, it had been even more vivid than usual.

It was now two days since his 10th birthday, which probably explained the nightmares being even worse than usual. It was his second birthday without his family, and it was affecting him badly. He'd hardly gotten any sleep in the past week, and even during his birthday party, he was a bit down.

Dick was trying to hide it from Bruce the best that he could. If he found out, then he wouldn't let him go out as Robin until he got some adequate sleep again. Bruce couldn't have him screwing up in the field, afterall. But Dick knew that there was no way he could sleep peacefully for a few more days, at least. Being Robin was the only way he could forget about the pain of losing his family though, so there was no way he'd let Bruce cage him in for a few days.

So what did Dick do? He just went right back to sleep, even though he knew it would only be another night of restlessness and heartache.