Unkind Fate

Robin woke up and held his chest where he got hit as he sat up. He looked around and saw Wally nowhere in sight, Kaldur being hit by some kind of beam, M'gann talking with Billy, and Zatanna holding the helmet of fate.

He stood up, ignoring the pain, and ran over to Zatanna.

"Zee, wait!" he yelled, stopping her from putting the helmet on.

Zatanna looked over and saw him coming. When he finally made it to her, he pushed her arm down a little to make sure she didn't put the helmet on. "Robin, we need him to win this battle."

"Maybe, but whoever puts the helmet on has a chance of never taking it off again." He wasn't with the others when Wally and Kadur put the helmet on, but he heard both of their stories afterwards and he didn't want that to happen to her.

"We have to chance it," she said as she raised it to put it on.

Robin pushed her arm back down. "I know, but you can't do it."

Zatanna looked at him a little confused. "Why not? We need his help."

Robin wasn't quite sure how to answer her. There was no real reason why she couldn't. "Because, I'm more experienced. I'll do it," he said as he took the helmet from her.

He raised it above his head and started to put it on. He was scared, but he knew he had to do it. The last thing he heard before he placed the helmet on his head was Wally and Kaldur shouting "No!" "Don't do it!" but it was to late to turn back now.

He transformed into Dr. Fate and flew off to join the fight. M'gann and Billy watched the whole thing when they saw Robin run over to Zatanna. "Billy, tell Batman," M'gann said when she turned back to him.

"Right," he said the turned away from her a little. "Sha-zam!"

Marvel arrived back in the world of adults and immediately went toward Batman, who was just now breaking free of the vines that held him to the tree and threw an exploding batarang at the tree. "Batman! Batman!" Marvel yelled as he came up to him.

"What is it, Marvel, we don't have time to chat," Batman said glaring at the man.

"Robin's become Dr. Fate!"

Batman's eyes went wide with fear. 'Fate will never let him go.' He looked away from Marvel for a second then looked back up with his usual fighting look - angered. "There's nothing we can do now. Focus on the fight," he said then ran off to continue the fight.

Marvel watched as Batman ran off and threw a few more batarangs then looked down in thought. "I got it," he said then flew up in the air asking for speed and strength then started spinning quickly and dove into the ground.

Back in the world of kids, Robin, AKA Dr. Fate, was fighting with Klarion, shooting beams toward the force shield trying to weaken it while Klarion threw magic balls toward him. Suddenly, Fate disappeared the reappeared just as fast causing Robin to gasp a little.

"Ha, when the worlds split, the helmet split too," Klarion yelled happily. Fate disappeared and reappeared again. "you're not all here, Nabu, and you're losing hold of that poor, soon to be dead boy." He smiled then said softer, "He sacrificed himself for nothing."

"No, Witch Boy, his sacrifice will not be in vane," Fate said the shot another beam at the shield. M'gann threw a few more rocks and Kaldur continued to hit the shield with his water hammers as well.

"No. No, no, no, no, no!" Klarion yelled. He knew he was being defeated and watched as his shield collapsed and he knelt to the ground.

Fate shot a cross-shaped object toward Klarion, trapping him.

"Now Kid!" Kaldur yelled. Wally had run off earlier and was now running as fast as he could toward the gem that was in the center of the circle Klarion had made.

Wally grabbed the stone and tossed it toward Fate. "Doc, catch."

In the world of adults, Marvel finally emerged from the ground right under the gem and grabbed the gem and tossed it to Zatara. "Zatara, catch."

Both Fate and Zatara caught the gem then held it out in front of them and said the magic words that brought the two worlds back together. The four other sorcerers that were working with Klarion fell to the ground.

Klarion just looked at them then looked up at Fate. "Well, they sure don't make evil, immortal sorcerers like they used to. Oh well." Then he snapped his fingers and made the cross disappear. "Fun while it lasted." He then called for his cat, who was still fighting Superboy, and transformed back into the small version of a cat as he ran and jumped into Klarion's arms.

Klarion then opened a round portal and turned to look back at the three League members, the young team members, and Fate. "See ya later armadillos, unless I see you first." Then laughed and jumped in, the portal closing behind him.

Wally ran in front of Fate and yelled up to him, "Aren't you going to go after him?"

"To what end? Klarion is chaos personified. He cannot be contained," Fate replied.

Batman had just finished tying up the four sorcerers that were working with Klarion and looked up at Fate, no his son. His son was in there, trapped. With the way Wally told of his experience with Fate and what he heard from Kaldur after he took off the helmet, he knew that Fate wouldn't let him go easily.

Artemis, who was unconscious after the blast and threw most of the battle, stood with the others holding her ribs. "Did we win?"

"At a cost," Kaldur said sadly.

Zatanna looked up at Fate. "Great Nabu, we have won, please, let Robin go."

"No," was all he said.

Batman's eyes widened sadly when he heard this and took a few steps forward toward Fate.

"Witness the havoc rise in these hours," Fate continued. "The world needs Dr. Fate, and I tire of being placed on a shelf to await use."

"You can't do that!" Artemis yelled.

"He has his own life to live!" Superboy yelled agreeing.

"Kent would never allow you…" Wally started, but was cut off by Fate.

"Kent Nelson did object, strenuously, so I released his spirit to the afterlife. He is gone." Wally's eyes just got wider than they already were.

Batman stepped even closer then stopped right in front of Fate. "Take me instead." Fate just looked at him. "I'm stronger, more capable of withstanding your power."

"That may be true, but if I remove the helmet, how do I know you will do what you say?" Fate asked not trusting him.

"You have my word. I would do anything to save my son." Batman said simply.

Fate flew down to the ground and stood a few inches in front of Batman and took off the helmet. "Batman," Robin said clearly happy to see his mentor and father, but lost his smile when he saw Batman's face.

Batman pushed back his cowl and took off his cape; Robin's eyes went wide with shock and fear and his jaw dropped a little. The young team gasped when they saw this, but remained still and quiet. Batman took the helmet from Robin and handed him the cape and cowl. "I love you son," he said then walked toward Zatara.

"Bruce…" Zatara tried to stop him, but Bruce cut him off before he could.

"Take care of him," he asked. Bruce didn't want to do this anymore than Dick wanted him to, but he knew that if he went back on his word… well, who knows what Fate would do.

"You have my word," Zatara finally said.

Bruce sighed then took one last look at Robin before he raised the helmet and put it on.

"Bruce!" Robin cried taking a few steps toward him, his hand reached out, but there was nothing he could do, the helmet was already on.

Fate walked toward the four sorcerers. "Leave these to the Fate," he said then used his powers to lift them into the air then they disappeared.

Robin watched, along with everyone else, as they disappeared then fell to his knees. "You promised you'd never leave," he said quietly not able to take his eyes off the place where his father disappeared.

Wally, Artemis, Zatanna, and M'gann all came up to him. None of them knew what to do. Robin looked down at the ground, closed his eyes, and kept saying to himself, "You promised, you promised."

Zatara walked up to Robin, knelt down, and lifted Robin's chin up so that the boy was looking straight at him. "There is still hope. He is not dead. There is still a chance that Nabu will let him go."

Robin ripped off his mask and had an angry look on his face. "You don't understand! He promised he would never leave me by choice! HE PROMISED!" Dick was trying to hold back the tears, but he couldn't any longer. Zatanna wrapped him in a hug and Dick buried his face in her shoulder and burst into tears. The others just watched him.

YJYJYJYJYJYJYJ

Wally, Artemis, and Billy were all reunited with their parents or guardians along with all the other kids of the world. Everyone was going to be fine. Wally even got a souvenir out of the whole ordeal, the sippy cup that one of the little boys offered him while they were rounding up kids.

Robin, however, was back at Wayne Manor with Alfred. Alfred was sad to hear that Bruce would no longer be living with them, but vowed that he would raise Dick just like he did Bruce.

"He promised, Alfred. He promised he wouldn't leave. First my parents, now Bruce… It's just not fair," Dick said as he clung to Alfred, crying into the old man's shirt.

"I know, Master Dick. I know," he replied holding the boy tightly, tears escaping his own eyes.

a sequel will be posted if you all so desire