1. Chapter 1 (1/2)

soaring free

a young justice fanfiction

hi guys! so, "come fly with me" has become one of my most popular stories ever, and it seemed like a lot of people wanted a sequel...

i'm not dreaming, right?

anyway... here it is. unless otherwise noted, this story is from dick's point of view. hope you like it.

you don't have to read cfwm to read this, but i would recommend it, just to get to know the characters' history better.

disclaimer: i do not own young justice.

falling... falling... falling...

i see their bodies...

mom. dad.

uce. jason. tim. barbara...

everyone i know, falling faster and faster until, the last body...

with a gasp, i sit up, feeling the sweat rolling down my spine. i try to shake the fear from my mind and body, forget that last image in the terrifying nightmare. i drag my hands down my face. i force myself to realize that it was just a dream.

a grunt from the warm figure previously curled into my side instantly eases my anxiety. gently, i reach over and pull the small boy into my lap, burying my face in his soft ebony hair.

my son. my absolutely beautiful son.

he stirs slightly from his sleep. his adorably cracking voice whispers through the darkness. "dad?"

the final fears from my dream flee. pressing a kiss to the crown of his head, i say, "it's okay, dami. go back to sleep."

it's a testament to how tired he is, that he falls back asleep without complaint. my little damian.

damian grayson. i adore the way it sounds, the way my son proudly wears my family name.

richard "dick" john grayson and his son, damian. i don't think that the sound of it will ever stop making me smile.

the thought of how close i had come to losing him... my grip around my son tightens inadvertently.

my mind flashes back to the events of the previous months.

"tt. i could've swung down myself, you know."

"i know. you can't fault me for wanting to hold my baby boy, though."

i grin as i remember his disgruntled look. the smile fades as i remember what followed the happy memory.

"stay put. under no circumstances are you to get in the range of fire for that...man."

we had been tracking down a man who was trying to complete some sort of time ray. just as we finally managed to track him, he had completed the gun. i had taken one glance at what the ray could do and knew instantly that there was no possible way that i would allow my son to risk being hit with it.

the fight had actually been going pretty well, for once. i had taunted the criminal enough to make him him frustrated and had gotten close enough for hand-to-hand combat.

"i've seen kids shoot better with red rider bb guns!"

"did a blind cow teach you how to aim?"

i was about to disarm the man when damian poked his head around the corner. time seemed to slow, and fear like i had never known overcame me as the felon pointed his ray at my son and without thinking, i leapt in front of the barrel.

i shudder as i remember the unbearable pain. i had passed out not long after the ray began to take effect, and, next thing i knew, i was in the batcave. of course, being the excellent the father that i am, my first thought was of my son.

"damian! where's damian?"

it took a second for me to realize what was wrong with me. my body was smaller, my voice higher pitched, my muscles weaker. thankfully, my mind was fine. i was just physically thirteen.

the next few months, i was consumed with regaining my physical prowess. i felt the need to get out in the field, but... nightwing is not 13. in order to go out, i needed a different alias...

"it would be more efficient for father to take on the role of robin. his experience and intelligence would prove extremely useful in a case such as this. there really is no reason that he shouldn't be robin."

i had felt an overflow of love at that moment. dami was offering to give up his title, for me.

"

uce, tomorrow night, robin will accompany batman. tonight, however, is reserved for father-son bonding."

i

eath deeply as i remember the glorious feeling of soaring through the air between skyscrapers, of seeing a mother smile as she was reunited with her daughter. there is something that feels inherently good about helping others.

and then the team happened. it was great; to be able to save the world, work with the justice league (without the mountains of paperwork you had to do when you are a full fledged leaguer) and to just hang out... before i knew it, i was acting my physical age, rather than my emotional and chronological one.

and, even worse, i began neglecting my own son.

any remnants of a smile fade away as i remember the day that i came home from the mountain to find damian beating away ruthlessly on a training dummy.

"what's wrong?! what's wrong! you're asking me what's wrong? why don't you just ask your precious team what's wrong, since that's all you seem to care about!"

i shudder as i recall his words.

"i just want to have my dad back. i know i'm not a normal kid. my personality is a bit intense, and i know that you probably get annoyed by me a lot, and i understand that you probably have more fun with other people and that you like to let loose in a way that you can't around me, but-"