Batman and Bruce, same man, yet their personalities are miles apart. The White and Dark Knights.
Unfeeling? Hard? Yes, I was hard on the boy. "But why?" you ask, accusing me without hearing my story, my version.
You listening? Good, than hear me out.
When I became The Batman, I saw the horror the world had to offer. It made my heart turn into ice, well Batman's heart anyway; it was needed for the things he had to do.
Than he came along, I saw his parents die, gruesome really, but my attention wasn't on the lifeless bodies, it was on the 8 year old boy, that look, the shock and the grief were familiar to me.
I decided to bring him in, give him the love and care of a father, not to replace his parents, no one could do that, but to care for the boy as my son.
In a few short months he unfroze my heart, gave me someone to look forward to, other than Alfred, when I came back from what the night had in store for me.
Smart kid, he figured it out, figured it all, the grandfather clock, the bat-cave, everything.
Wanted to come with me, to be like me. Robin, he called himself.
Couldn't have been more proud of him till we came back one night and his ribs were bruised, wanted to stop him from being Robin but Alfred advised me otherwise.
If I couldn't 'fire' him than, I'll make him want to quit, I thought. And pushed him forward to do martial arts, disciplines and trainings that anyone other than him would break down and give up.
But he prevailed and did all I asked him to, then, one night, The Joker got hold of him and tortured him, I couldn't stand it anymore, I fired him.
He told me, "You can't, because I quit." He told me he was going to Jump City, I said he could go, never thought he'd actually do it, but he did. I'm proud to say that I funded his team.
Believe me or not, that's my version of the story and Richard John Grayson will and always will be my son.