Disclaimer: Nope. Don't own Teen Titans.

A/N: will be scattered throughout this chapter. LOL, I hope no one reports this since this isn't really a story and more of an extended author's notes.

A breakdown of the hug scene from chapter 31. The original scene as is:

Bruce regretted having Dick come out here. It pained him to see Dick acting so skittish. This wasn't how things were supposed to be. Bruce's hatred for Slade began to intensify. Had the mercenary beaten all of the fight out of him? Dick forced himself to look up at Bruce.

"Bruce…" He sounded so much older. His voice had deepened. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for ever—"

Without waiting for Dick to finish Bruce wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Shut up," Bruce said in a choked voice.

For a few seconds he thought that Dick would reject his hug, but Dick stopped babbling as he hugged back. Once again he was the eight-year-old child, lost in the world when he saw his parents murdered. No words were spoken between them. No words were needed.

Like everything else I write, whether it be college essays or news articles or stories, I don't write in chronological order. What I do is I find a "bright idea" (as my professor says) and I "accumulate data" and commentary around that bright idea. When writing out a scene I think about what the purpose is behind it. How will it propel the story forward regarding character development or the plotline?

So, for this scene, I thought about what emotions were needed. What would they say to each other after everything that's happened? First, I thought about what Bruce would say:

"Shut up."

I wrote the entire hug scene around those two words. Sometimes just one or two words of dialog are needed. So, after I figured out what Bruce would say I needed to figure out what Dick would say before that.

"Bruce…" He sounded so much older. His voice had deepened. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for every—"

"Shut up," Bruce said in a choked voice.

Why have it this way? Context is important. Slade can say "shut up" but when Slade says it, he really wants you to shut up. What I wanted to convey with Bruce's words was that Bruce didn't want to or needed to hear Dick's explanation. I felt that Dick would feel extremely guilty and would try to explain himself to Bruce because he feels as though he failed his mentor. Bruce however, unconditionally loves Dick. Saying "shut up" is just Bruce's way of expressing that.

Thus:

"Bruce…" He sounded so much older. His voice had deepened. (little details always make an imaginary world seem more real) "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for ever—"

Without waiting for Dick to finish Bruce wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Shut up," Bruce said in a choked voice.

Ok, so I think I'm desensitized to violence, so writing chapter 26 didn't make me cry, but stuff like this does. Character relationships are very important.

Even at this point there was still a chance that Dick could turn evil. If I made Bruce say something else, then Dick could have easily gone off and not trust Bruce anymore. But I didn't and had Dick accept the hug.

For a few seconds he thought that Dick would reject his hug, but Dick stopped babbling as he hugged back. Once again he was the eight-year-old child, lost in the world when he saw his parents murdered. No words were spoken between them. No words were needed.

Actions speak louder than words. If I were Dick I wouldn't want to talk right away. I'd just want someone to hug me, to love me unconditionally regardless of what I've been forced to do. Slade would hug his real son, but he wouldn't hug Dick because, in a way, he still thinks of Dick as nothing more than a valuable investment. Bruce did not look to adopt Dick as his ward just to train a sidekick as Slade tried to do. This fatherly hug is something that only Bruce (or Alfred) can give Dick, and after all Dick's been through he needs a hug.

Remember, I don't write in order. This, along with the beatdown chapter, was the crux of the story. It's all about the father-son crap for me. I guess for those people who keep asking me about writing these kinds of fics: think about what you want to convey in a story. Yes, the beatdown scenes were fun to write, but overall there is a father-son theme. That's the angle I was writing with. Stories should carry not only an intriguing plot but also engaging character/emotional arcs.

Next up is a deleted scene that I meant to post earlier: a deleted Jared Holden POV.