It's alive...IT'S ALIVE!

Hi there. Miss me?

Now, you are probably wondering, WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED? I would be too. You see, I really did mean it when I said I was gonna update but a horrible thing happened. Life. It struck like lightning and swallowed me whole! Before I knew it waaay too much time had passed! Just when I was free from high school and life's drama long enough to start writing again, my awful luck, true to form, reared its ugly head. My computer died. Waaah! *Tears sloshing everywhere*

So my lack of updating this last year has not been on purpose! I have been without a computer. I couldn't write anything and I most definitely couldn't post anything. I felt like a limb had been loped off. T^T

But things have changed! I have a new computer (FINALLY) and...

"Now I'm back, and I will be staying this time!" Virtual cookies to whoever gets this WB animated movie reference. ;D

*Hint* Think evil, animated, psycho singing...It'll come to you... ;D

Seriously though, I AM back in my groove! And since this was the Young Justice Fic that was chosen for me to continue first, you can look forward to many updates in the near future! T-T

On another note...

34 reviews?! WOW! I had no idea that my writing was so enjoyable! Your reviews were so touching; I cannot thank you all enough for your kind words, I can only hope that you aren't disappointed with this new chapter and have not given up on me after this long wait.

Anyway, I want this to be the best it can be so if you see an error, bring it to my attention! I have a VERY hard time seeing my own mistakes for some reason; I think its cause I see what it's supposed to be in my head and that version blends in with the actual story. Xb

SO! Please read on and drop me a line! They inspire me more than words can describe you know! XD

Read on~!

Numbing Agony

A dark cloud had descended over Mt. Justice. It's cold shadow choking out all light and seemingly sucking away all happiness.

The last week had passed in a dull haze; for everyone, denial seemed like the best option. None of them could quite wrap their minds around what had happened. None could grasp the depth of their loss. It wasn't until the funeral that the finality of it all settled upon them.

Inside was much the same; the normally bright and vibrant lights were dimmed, leaving only an unsettling emptiness in their wake.

There was some life in one side of the mountain. The Young Justice team lumbered about, idly working on pointless tasks to keep themselves distracted.

On the other side of the mountain however, all was quiet. For in the farthest corner of the darkest room, was a small child. He was curled into a tight ball; his back pressed up against the wall behind him and his head tucked into his knees. Unruly ebony hair obscured his eyes from view.

Robin hadn't left his room for days.

They had tried everything to get him out of there, but nothing had worked. Even the Justice League's efforts were fruitless.

Every day they brought food to his door, and every day it remained untouched.

His friends all took turns trying to talk to Robin; for no matter how useless it seemed, they refused to give up on him.

Eventually, it got to the point where M'gann could no longer even get near his room. If she got too close, the feelings grief, loss, and utter devastation would overwhelm her. Drowning in emotions that were not her own, she would collapse in tears.

So it fell to Kaldur, Conner, Artemis, and Wally to try to help Robin.

It was currently Kaldur's turn.

And as they all waited, they found themselves slightly hopeful. Maybe this time he would get through to their little brother. Maybe this time Robin would hear them.

But when their team leader returned, they knew without words or their mind link, that he had failed.

A heavy sigh traveled about the room. Megan sadly went back to cooking; her eyes puffy and watering with unshed tears. She wanted so badly to help her friend, but how he was now, she couldn't even be in the same room with him. She had never before felt so helpless.

Artemis swore under her breath before she returned to her book; angrily tearing through the pages with far more force than necessary.

Wally did nothing. He briefly glanced in Aqualad's direction before falling still once more.

Superboy however, shot out of his chair, flinging it back in the process. He made a sort of growling noise before practically running out of the room. M'gann made to follow him but was stopped by a gentle hand.

She looked to its owner and found herself met with deep blue eyes.

"But Kaldur, I-" Before she could get anymore out, she was pulled into a hug. Confused as she was about the gesture, she appreciated it none the less and gratefully returned it.

"Let him go, he needs some time alone. You can't help him right now." He spoke softly.

At those words she found her arms that were wrapped around the Atlantian's torso tighten their grip involuntarily as pain seemed to pound through her entire being.

Without meaning to, the tears that she had been fighting spilled freely down her cheeks and a hand of grief began to choke her.

"Wha-what c-can I d-do t-then?" She sobbed out pathetically.

Kaldur knew she wasn't just talking about Conner. He smiled understandingly at her. "Right now, all you can do is support them from the sidelines until they are ready to let you comfort them."

M'gann smiled back. She knew he was right. She quickly thanked him before she flew back to the kitchen, vigorously wiping her face as she did so. When she landed, her eyes were bright red and the lump in her throat still hadn't gone away, even so, she resumed her cooking with renewed enthusiasm.

She couldn't help Robin or Conner by moping about. So she promised to herself that she would try her best to stay positive, not only for herself but for the rest of her team.

Noticing the change in attitude, Wally looked up from the discolored spot on the carpet he had been scrutinizing. Even when she was faking it, Megan still seemed to be able to produce an aura of light around her.

A small smile began to pull at his lips. But the moment he remembered his upcoming task, it vanished so fast it might not have ever been there.

He stood up sluggishly. Slowly stretching his long limbs as his muscles cried out from disuse. It was when he shook his head in an attempt to clear it that he felt a pair of eyes burning a hole in the back of his skull.

He turned and was met unsurprisingly with Kaldur. It seemed as though the Atlantian wished to tell him something; his jaw worked back and forth but no words escaped his lips. Finally he just nodded his head and began trekking down the halls to his quarters.

Wally envied him.

The path towards his friend's room seemed more and more daunting each time he walked it. Perhaps it was his dread of what was coming that caused these feelings. It wasn't that he didn't want to try and help his friend; it was that every time he went to that door, his worry doubled.

He was scared for Robin. He didn't know how much longer he could survive without food. And no matter how much or how long he beseeched to that unfeeling door, he never received a response.

He felt tears prick his eyes.

Wally absently scrubbed a weary hand over his face. Feeling more useless than before, he arrived at his destination.

What he saw though made him almost cry out with delight.

There was food missing from the plate. Not much, but it was something. Filled with newfound hope, Wally eagerly got into a comfortable position on the floor before he began to speak.

"Rob? You awake Buddy?"

This was met with silence. Undeterred, he continued on.

"Common. Talk to me. I won't even ask you to leave your nice, dark, room. Although... I did just get some new video games that are to die for~"

Silence again.

"Note to self, find irresistible video games." Wally said under his breath, trying to bring some humor back into the situation as he always did.

He took a moment to gather his thoughts and try to think of something that would get Robin to talk to him.

He could make him mad.

But that wouldn't end well. Besides the speedster wanting to keep all his limbs, this whole thing was to make his friend feel better, not upset and angry!

Next approach.

His expression hardened; a new and unfamiliar serious tone overtook his voice when he spoke again.

"I know your upset, but you can't stay in here forever. Ba-" He hesitated for a moment, not quite knowing how saying this forbidden word would turn out. "Batman...Batman wouldn't want that. He wouldn't want you to stay in here forever and waste away. Think about that."

Deciding to leave it there, Wally stood up slowly. As he trudged back down the corridor, he felt his small spark of hope sizzle out pathetically.

A shuffle outside his door told him someone was there. A light thump told him whoever it was had just sat down.

When the person started to speak, Robin noticed it wasn't whoever had just tried to talk to him a few minutes ago.

It's Wally. The intellectual part of his brain informed him. But, he couldn't find it in him to care. Whatever his friend was saying was lost on Dick, he just wasn't listening.

He was numb.

This entire week he had been flipping back and forth between two states; crying his eyes out and screaming, to silent and dead to the world.

Right now he was the latter.

But either way, the pain haunted his every second. He would sob and yell until he had nothing left in him, he would then curl up into a tight ball, rocking back and forth as wave after wave of agony passed over him.

It was a vicious cycle, and he had made it his own.

3 Days Later

The time for the funeral had come, and it was the largest in all of Gotham history. The streets were packed for miles in every direction. It seemed as though everyone in the entire world was squeezed into those streets; men, women, and children, were packed in like sardines and not caring in the slightest.

They all wanted to say goodbye to Gotham's greatest hero and Dark Knight.

It was in the exact middle of Gotham where Batman was to buried. A monument stood erected there. Carved out of black marble, a large bat symbol towered over them all.

As though held back by an invisible line, the people stood close to the burial site, but none went any farther.

Standing like sentinels, all of the Young Justice team and most of the Justice League guarded their friend's final resting place. Everyone was present except for six.

When the time came, an ocean of heads turned.

A bright light shined and six heroes appeared in the middle of the square. Upon their backs, was a sleek black casket.

Loud clicks and bright lights erupted from the crowd as countless cameras went off.

They were ignored.

Martian Man Hunter, Superman, Zatara, Aquaman, Green Arrow, and Flash slowly marched towards the grave.

When they finally reached it, they hesitated; all six men reluctant to let their friend go.

After gently placing the casket in its stone grave, they rejoined the others as everyone began to pay their respects to Batman.

The grave was not deep, the coffin could still be seen over its containment. But it remained closed. They did not have an open casket funeral for a very good reason.

There wasn't a body in there.

Shortly after they had returned from that fateful mission, they woefully recounted that the robot they defeated, self-destructed. Blinded by their grief, they had been taken completely by surprise. They had only just been able to get out when the entire building and surrounding area was destroyed.

There had been nothing left but rubble.

Not wanting anyone to get any ideas with this information, they kept it secret. Only the Young Justice team and the Justice League knew the truth.

After a moment of silence, Superman stepped up and addressed all the people who had come. He began to talk about Batman's heroism. Describing to all those who were there what a great and selfless man he was.

And at some other time, Robin really would have appreciated the words. But at the moment, he was just focusing on staying upright. His eyes had never left the casket; now they stared fixed upon its shiny surface, his legs suddenly feeling weak.

Everything in him rebelled against the unfairness of it all. The cruel hand he had been dealt. It took all he had to not just fall to his knees and cry. But he couldn't do that. Not here. He had to be strong. He couldn't have the people of Gotham thinking their last remaining hero was weak.

So he couldn't think about how alone he now was, or how this is not the first time someone he cares about was murdered...

Before he could stop it, an image flashed across his eyes. He saw three coffins before him, and he knew who they belonged to.

He inhaled sharply in shock.

This did not go unnoticed. Especially by Wally who had been watching his every move like a hawk.

...

When Black Canary had told Robin about the funeral, they had all thought it was a lost cause. So they were speechless when he emerged not five minutes later.

He had looked awful. Even beneath his sunglasses, you could see the almost black shadows under his eyes. It was obvious he hadn't been sleeping. He was unsteady on his feet and his hair and clothes were unkempt.

In a voice scratchy from underuse, he had asked quietly when the funeral was. Resisting the strong urge to hug the life out of the boy, Dinah calmly told him that it was later that day.

Without another word, he retreated back into his room. Thinking the battle had been lost, they had returned to the living area of the mountain.

It was when they were just about to leave that the sound of quickly approaching footsteps made them freeze.

"Robin." They all said collectively in surprise.

Anyone who didn't know him would think that he looked perfectly fine; but they knew better. His hair may be clean and his uniform may be wrinkle free, but he wasn't smiling.

Almost for as long as any of them had known him, he had always had a smile on his face. The only time he didn't was when he was angry or frustrated. But even that would be better than this.

His face was emotionless. His mouth was set into a cold, thin line.

It was a mask and they knew it.

They didn't need to see his eyes to know that he was barely holding himself together.

Since then, Wally had observed his every reaction, trying to read what was going on behind Robin's black cowl.

Although his subtle turn to his friend seemed innocent enough to the crowd, it caught almost all the superheroes' present attention.

"Rob?" He breathed into the smaller boy's ear.

But he was deaf to it all. Everything seemed to be getting farther and farther away; all the gentle voices whispering to him were garbled and muted. His breath came to him in rapid gasps and he was over come by crippling dizziness. He was on the verge of hyperventilating when two firm grips fell upon both of his shoulders.

On his left was Superboy and on his right, Kid Flash. Their touch became the only thing that grounded him, the only thing that kept him from spiraling into the depths of despair. He almost didn't notice when a smaller more delicate hand came to rest hesitantly upon his back.

As soon as her green fingers brushed across him, liquid fire burned through M'gann and licked at her senses. She clenched her teeth together hard to avoid crying out. Regardless of the pain, her hand did not move; the agony pulsing through her being only serving to solidify her resolve.

She would not budge, not when her only little brother needed her.

Not a second had passed before someone appeared beside her. The Martian didn't need to look to know it was Artemis. The Archer's own hand grasped hers and squeezed it slightly. Megan let a small smile of appreciation cross her lips.

Finally, Kaldur came up in front, his much larger frame hiding Robin almost completely from view. He had taken this action after noticing some reporters eying the smaller hero like hyenas lusting after a piece of meat.

The Atlantian simultaneously shielded him from their gaze while also trying to support his obviously distraught teammate.

Under their touch, Robin's breathing started to slow down. After a while, it evened out completely.

But rather than feeling relief over this development, they only felt sadness. Even though Robin was no longer on the verge of having a total mental and emotional breakdown, he was now in a state that could only be described as comatose.

Although he was still standing and retained his façade of calm, inside he wasn't really there. It had all been too much for him to bear. Unable to process the reality of his worst nightmare, Robin's mind had just shut down.

The rest of the day passed by in a slow blur afterwards.

The bright blue of the sky countered drastically with the dark atmosphere throughout the city as Batman's grave was closed for the first and final time.

The teens didn't stay long after that. Giving a quick nod to their mentors indicating their plan, they shepherded the catatonic Robin away just as the first people began trekking towards Batman's monument. The Young Justice team encircled Robin as they walked, all standing as a wall between him and the world.

Only a second later, they came to an abrupt stop. Knowing they were upon the designated exit location, M'gann sent a telepathic message to the Watch Tower.

As blue light started to surround them, Artemis glanced over her shoulder. The last thing she saw before she was sucked away into a sea of ethereal light, was the first person to reach Batman's grave.

He was an older man. His black hair almost completely overrun by white and his face creased with years of worry. A pang of recognition shot through her as he delicately placed a single red rose upon the black marble.

He was the Police Commissioner of Gotham.

Once they had been brought up to the Watch Tower, they had wasted no time in getting back to Mt. Justice. They had hoped that maybe bringing Robin "Home" would help.

But they were proven wrong the moment the stepped out of the Zeta tubes and into the cave. Robin had raised his bowed head, taken note of where they were, and quietly excused himself. He had only taken a few steps into the hallway before his careful control crumbled.

As he leaned on the corridor's wall for support with his left hand, Robin's right clamped down over his mouth in an attempt to stifle his cries.

His team just watched on in silence. For as much as they wanted to chase after him, they knew it would do no good. They knew that only one thing could help their little brother now, and it wasn't something they could provide...

They couldn't bring Batman back.

WOW! I rewrote this so many times! I just couldn't get the feel of it right so it ended up becoming very difficult to perfect... And it turned out much longer than I intended...

OH WELL! XD

It was just so hard to capture and accurately describe how poor Rob is feeling! I am trying my best to do these characters justice, so please, if you think I should have done something differently, DO NOT HESITATE to let me know!

Also, for the record, no, Kaldur does NOT have a thing for M'gann. Kaldur is just the team leader and he really cares about his friends. So he hugged her for two reasons:

One: She needed it.

Two: He had just come from trying to talk to Robin. He had, in his mind, "failed" him. So when he saw that M'gann was feeling the same way, he was able to sympathize with her and comfort her.

So, yeah. I didn't want anyone to misunderstand why he did what he did. :)

On another note; Gordon got a cameo! Yeah, I really like his character. He at times seems to be the only one in all of Gotham who always believes in Batman. So I thought it was appropriate that he be the first one to say goodbye. T0T

*Sniffles loudly*

ANYWAY! Back to more important matters. I am currently debating on whether Roy should be in this or not. If you want to see him, let me know! If enough people request Green Arrow's wayward protégé, I just might put him in here! ;)

One last thing... If you thought this fic was drama filled before now, when you read the next chapter you're gonna fall out of your seat.

Are you ready for a spoiler?

...

*Drum Roll*

Next time on Broken Fate...

ROBIN'S PAST IS REVIELED! *gasp*

The team is about to find out that Robin didn't just loose a mentor...

He lost his father.

...

I hope to see you all next chapter. :)

-Automail-gHost