[27]

                                    

                                          
A heavy silence engulfed the two men sitting face to face in the study of Wayne Manor. Bruce had recounted all that had happened to Tim two years ago and Jason had listened each painful word, jaw clenched tightly and eyes burning up.
                          
Tim had been abducted by the Joker in his very early days of being Robin. And Richard had been right in saying that it was probably the darkest part in their lives after losing Jason because the incident had left all of them shaken up terribly even though they had not yet recovered from the sorrow of Jay's tortuous death.
                          
Bruce had never wanted Tim to become Robin because he feared that he would not be able to protect him, his failure in Jason's death used to glare back at him every second of the day and he never wanted it all to repeat. But Tim had been adamant, stressing that Batman needed a Robin and Gotham needed the crime stopping duo.
                          
After Jason, Bruce had lapsed into a a terrible self loathing state. As Batman he was more reckless, more dangerous and it was something he could not control. The guilt of not being able to rescue his son from the flames and the torture harrowed up his soul even then. It was the time when Gotham had fallen into a chaotic heap because Batman without his Robin was not in the state to keep going with his mission.
                          
Yet he had trudged on but gotten even more frustrated when things took a turn for the worst. At that time Tim had dropped in like a glimmer of hope and Alfred had seen the boy as Bruce's second chance. With Tim and Alfred jointly persuading him, he had finally agreed to let the boy join as Robin. 
                          
He had trained him himself and though it was hard for Tim to adjust at first, the boy had still continued with a fervent passion and as time passed, he had not only become trained enough to be Robin but had also warmed Bruce's heart towards him. Tim was naturally a very lovable child, with his wide star struck eyes, adorable smile and the way he looked up to Bruce like a father figure and mentor all contributed in him getting attached to the boy.
                          
But right when Bruce was beginning to think that things were coming back to normal and maybe he did deserve a second chance, Joker had swooped in again like a terror from hell and snatched little Tim out of his hands. 
                          
And the fear of losing another son, another young soul to his crusade of battling for justice had struck Bruce with a high intensity. He could never forgive himself for risking not one but two lives and both at the hands of the maniacal Joker.
                          
Joker had tortured Tim to near insanity, damaging him mentally in such a drastic manner that Tim was no longer able to remember who he was. And using his fragile state to his own advantage, Joker had controlled him like a broken puppet, tormenting Bruce as well by making his own son, his own partner stand up against him with a bazooka in his trembling hands.
                          
That night was what haunted Bruce's worst nightmares along with the night he had lost Jason and carried his dead body out of that detonated warehouse in Bosnia.
                          
Tim's face painted with clown paint, the grin cut onto his features, the unnerving laughter and tears pouring out of him at the same time was a terrifying sight Bruce could never get rid of from his memory.
                          
But deep beneath those layers of torture and insanity inflicted upon him, Tim was still a warrior, a survivor, a soldier who was trained to fight till the last breath. So when the Joker had ordered Tim to kill Batman and the boy was supposed to follow the order because he no longer remembered anything and Joker had been manipulating him a lot, still he could not press the trigger at Batman.
                          
Some part him had still recognized Bruce and instead of shooting at Batman he had snapped out of Joker's manipulation turning on him and pressing the trigger. Tim had shot Joker but his aim was not perfect due to his trembling fingers so Joker was not hurt fatally. But it had taken all the little remaining strength and will from Tim to fight back against the manipulation and soon as he had pressed the trigger and the bullet pierced through his tormentor, poor Tim had collapsed on the ground, tears pouring down his eyes and he had lapsed into an unresponsive state.