There were not enough beds in the orphanage to take in new orphan Richard Grayson. He was sent to Gotham Detention Center, where they kept the troubled boys. This wasn't the place for a boy in his situation. Dick's situation was more delicate than the boy realized.

Dick shared a room with three other boys, all of whom were older than him, none of them were sympathetic to the eight-year-old boy's situation. When Dick closed his eyes he saw his parents falling, he would always wake up crying, he would then try and catching himself by shoving his head under his pillow, but in the end waking up his roommates usually never ended well. Even if they kept quiet during the night the still found a way to make his life a living hell.

Dick couldn't take it anymore, he wasn't sleeping anyway, why did he have to stay here? He knew he would never sleep well until he got justice for his parents. He saw the man who was involved in their deaths; the police were no help. Dick told them everything he knew, and still nothing, if they wouldn't do anything maybe he could. Dick went to the small dresser by his bed and dug around quietly until he found a black hoodie. It was over sized on his small body. He pulled the hood over his head and slowly and quietly crossed the small room to the window. He was on third floor, but here was a drain spout near the window. It would be easy for the acrobat to scale down the building and to the ground. Getting up would be a different story, but he didn't want to worry about that now.

Once the window was open Dick stretched over to the drain pipe. Once he was on it the young acrobat shimmied down and landed easily on the sidewalk below. He didn't know Gotham; he didn't really know any city. Dick didn't even know where to start. Maybe the first thing he needed was a weapon. If Gotham's adults were anything like the boys in detention center with him he would need to defend himself.

Dick had learned how to pickpocket (much to his parent's displeasure) from some of the older children of the Haly's Circus. No one would suspect him, he was small under sized boy who looked lost. Dick walked and observed what was going on. He needed to pick the right person. He shoved his hands in the pocket of the hoodie and started to wander the streets of Gotham.

He walked his his head slightly lowered, but he kept an eye on everyone. Looking for the perfect opportunity; he saw one. There was man in his late twenties, Dick took a chance that this man had something worth stealing. Dick pretended to trip and stumbled into the man, while he did he slipped his hand quickly into the man's jacket, but the street savvy man felt Dick's hand slip into his pocket and quickly grabbed Dick by the wrist with one hand, with the other he drove a pocket knife into Dick's side.

Dick gasped as the man twisted the knife and pulled it back out. The man the shoved the boy back causing him to stumble to the ground. Breathing heavily Dick brought his right hand over to cover his left side, he pulled his hand away, and looked down at his blood covered hand. He didn't know what to.

"Help…" Dick mumbled as he shakily stood up. He started stumbling forward to try and find some to help him. "Please."

No one came to help the young boy and he continued to stumble down the street. He lost the ability to move his body anymore and fell forward into a well dressed man. The man quickly turned around to see what happened, that's when he saw the pale boy bleeding on the sidewalk. Without even caring about his suit he picked the boy up and ran over to the car that waiting for him.

"Master Bruce?" A older man spoke with a British accent.

Bruce go into the car with the boy in his arms without another word. The British man closed the door behind his master, then got into the driver's seat.

"Let's get him to Leslie, Alfred. He's loosing blood quickly."

"Yes sir, Master Bruce. Straight away." He put the car into drive and started to leave. "And do you plan on telling me what is going on?"

"The boy was stabbed." Bruce said flatly while keeping pressure on Dick's injury with one hand and checked his pulse with the other. The boy had a weak pulse, but thankfully he was still alive.

"Clearly. Just keep him alive until we can get him to Leslie." Alfred chided.

It did not take long to arrive at Leslie's clinic. Alfred didn't even have time to stop the car before before Bruce opened the door and got out of the car with boy in his arms. Bruce knew the boy was getting weaker the more blood he lost. Just in the short car ride the boy's heart began to ease and he breathing quickened.

"Leslie!" Bruce called opening the door and rushing the boy into the clinic.

"Bruce!" She said seeing the son of her old friend holding an injured boy in his arms. "Lay him here. What's going on? Who is he?" She asked the questions quickly while getting the supplies she needed to help her new patient.

"He collapsed into me on the street." Bruce explained laying the patient down on a bed.

Dr. Tompkins let out a heavy sighed as she helped the young boy. She was just happy the boy didn't get hurt because of the Bruce's alternate life.

Dr. Tompkins used scissors to cut away the shirt so she got her better access to the stab wound so she could clean it and then stitch it up. The trio of adults were shocked various degrees of bruises on his chest. Was he abused? Was that why he was running?

Leslie got the bleeding to stop on the stab wound to Dick's side. Luckily the knife missed any major organs, but he lost a great deal of blood and because of it Dick was still unconscious and was now running a high fever.

"We need to find out where he belongs, I am sure his parents are missing him." Leslie said straightening out some strands of raven hair on the boy's head before adjusting the cold cloth on his forehead.

"His parents could be why he's running," Bruce said darkly, thinking about the bruising.

"We still need to find out who this poor boy is, Master Bruce." Alfred said said trying to reason with him.

"Something is familiar about him," Leslie said looking down at him. "I've got a friend in the G.C.P.D I am going to contact him and see if he can help us out. Stay here with him I will make a phone call." Leslie got up and left the room.

Bruce looked at the boy. He didn't know why he wanted to help as much as he was. He could have just taken him to Gotham General and left him.

Dick started to moan in pain. He was started to wake up. "Mom...dad..." he started to breath heavily, his heart started to race. "No!" He screamed twisting around in the bed.

"Get Leslie!" Bruce said to Alfred. The butler did as he was told while Bruce put a hand on each of the boy's shoulder's so he could stop him ripping his stitches and tried talking to the struggling child.

"No! No!" The boy cried out. His eyes flew open he looked at Bruce with a pair of sad tear filled blue eyes.

"It will be okay. You're safe here," Bruce said gently taking his hands off Dick's shoulders.

"W-where..am..I?" Dick asked struggling to sit up now that he was free.

"Lay down, you were stabbed it will hurt more if you sit up." Bruce tried to be gentle, but firm.

Leslie and Alfred came rushing into the room. Leslie grabbed her stethoscope and went to the Dick's bed side.

"Hello, good too see you awake," She smiled gently down at the boy. "I'm Doctor Leslie Tompkins, can you tell me your name?" She asked as she started to examine the boy.

"Dick…Grayson…"

"As in The Flying Grayson's?" Bruce asked.

Dick closed his eye and tried to suppress more tears. "Yes," his voice cracked.

Bruce, Alfred, and Leslie all knew the story about what happened to the Grayson's. After all their deaths did occur here in Gotham. Bruce was even planning on seeing the show, but something came up and he missed it. Maybe his path was supposed to cross with this boy.

"Nice to meet you Dick," Leslie smiled. "You are at my clinic, and safe here. These are my friends Alfred and Bruce. They brought you here. We all want to help you, but right now what I want is you to rest. Sleeping with help ease the pain you are in." Leslie took the cloth that was on his head and dipped into the bowl of cold water and replaced it on Dick's forehead. Everything check out with Dick; beside the fever and stab wound.

"It will be okay Dick. It may not seem like it. I promise you it will get better. I know how you feel." Bruce said trying to be gentle with the boy.

"People say that…but they don't know…" Dick said mumbling his words as he tried to fight the sleep that was threatening to take over.

"But I do. When I was several years older than you I watched my parents murdered in front of me. The pain you feel now, will get better."

"Do the nightmares go away?" Dick said softly still fighting the sleep. Dick wanted to know so badly when he would stop seeing his parents fall to their deaths when he closed his eyes.

Bruce rubbed Dick's shoulder. "Get some rest we can talk later okay?"

"I don't want to close my eyes…" Dick pleaded. He was scared, and Bruce could tell he knew the fear that was in Dick's eyes. He knew what it was like to see his parents die in front of him every time he closed his eyes. Now he knew he was meant to help this boy.

"I'll be right here if you when you wake up again, even if it's from a nightmare. I will be here when you wake up." Bruce said reassuring Dick.

Dick moaned and nodded and he slowly closed his eyes and let himself fall back to sleep. Bruce stayed with Dick, while Alfred went to clean the car and Leslie went to make a phone call to find out where Dick was staying.

Leslie came back into the room Bruce was anxiously looking out the window. Bruce Wayne promised the scared boy that he would be there when he woke up, but Batman could not take a night off, maybe be could slip off for an hour. Alfred and Leslie were here, they could watch him. In the condition Dick was in it wasn't likely he would wake up until morning, he would never know Bruce was gone.

"Bruce?" Leslie called out. "I've contact Gotham General they will be sending an ambulance to pick up Dick and in the morning he will be going back to the detention center if he's stable enough."

"What?" Bruce turned around quickly, "you can't do that! I thought he could stay here."

"Bruce, there is only so much I can do for him here by myself. Beside I need to sleep unlike you. There will be no one to properly watch him here. At the hospital there will always be someone, you can stay there if you want as well."

"Alfred can watch him…I..." Bruce was torn. He wanted to stay with Dick, but he also wanted to get justice for his parents.

"We both know that you cannot stand leaving Gotham with out its protection for even one night. Bruce why does this boy mean so much to you? You don't even know him." Leslie said seeing Bruce's hesitation.

"Because he's like me…" Bruce sadly.

"And what you think you can care for the boy?" Leslie said with the feeling that Bruce was contemplating taking Dick in. "You can't do that to him. You can't give him a chance to have a family knowing it could very easily be taken away from him. Your night life isn't the safest. How many times have I already seen you injured in a bed like this? You can't knowingly bring this boy into that world. It won't be fair."

"I'm not going out for me tonight. I'm going out for Dick." Bruce's voice was firm.

"Bruce, anyone could have stabbed him, he's staying at a detention center, he most likely got into a fight; several by the looks of it."

"Not those people. The person who took his parents away from him. I found the police report statement. It mentioned a man who tried to get money from the circus. Protection money. The circus refused to pay." Bruce looked out the window clenching his fist.

"His parents deaths were not accidents," Leslie gasped.

"No they weren't. I've sent Alfred to get my supplies. I'm going to bring this man to justice. I won't let him suffer the years of pain like me. It was hell knowing my parents killer was still out there. I won't let that happen to Dick. He deserves the closure of knowing the man who killed his parents is brought to justice."

"Bruce, I need you to listen to me." She walked over and put on hand gently on his shoulder. "I know what you went through with your parents deaths, I also know the killer was never found. Right now you are-"

"That's not true!" Bruce said not letting her finish. He knew she was going to say. That by finding the murder of John and Mary Grayson that in some way it would be closure for Bruce too, it was not, Bruce knew that would be no closure for himself. "It's the reason I tried to kill myself when I was a kid. It's the reason I protect this damn city every night. I will not let that happen to him!"

Alfred slipped in through the back door. He heard just enough. Bruce never talked about the attempt on his own life he was a young boy. The subject was dropped before it was even spoken about. Bruce never willing brought up that subject. It was clear to the old butler that he really did want to protect Dick. Even if he didn't not know exactly how he wanted to do it.

Leslie let the conversation end. She knew just as well as Alfred what happened in the dark years of Bruce's youth. She simply placed a hand on Bruce's arm showing that she understood. While she may not agree with they way he was going to handle the situation, she knew it was something she could not stop him from doing.

"Master Bruce," Alfred said showing the duffle bag in his hand. "I will stay here and watch over the boy. You do what you need. Though I will be calling you when he wakes up. I do seem to recall Bruce Wayne made him a promise."

"Thank you Alfred." Bruce took the bag and disappeared into the back.

"You're really going to let him do this?" Leslie said looking at the door Bruce disappeared behind.

"I have found it is best to let him do as he pleases. There is no talking him out of it. Trust me on this I have tried. I gave up years ago."

A/N: What do you think? This was crazy little idea that came into my head one night. How do you think the change of how they meet will effect them?

I have other Robin-centric fics that are Young Justice so feel free to check them out. Each review and favorite/follow is appreciated. Until next chapter!