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Fathers
"Hi Janice. Is he free?"
"Hello, sweetie. Sorry, your dad's still stuck in that board meeting but I can tell him you're here if you want…big day today." She didn't notice the slight stiffening of his body at her comment.
"Will it be much longer?"
Bruce's secretary just shook her head, "You know how those things are. 'No telling."
"Um yeah, you mind of I wait in his office?"
"Go ahead—can I get you anything? Something to drink, a sandwich?"
"No, thanks I'm good."
He closed the door behind and in the expensive silence went over to sit in Bruce's leather chair, the one which looked out the floor to ceiling windows to oversee the entire city. If things worked out the way Bruce had planned, eventually this would be his office. This would be his desk, his chair, his responsibility. The thousands of people on Wayne Corps payroll would look to him to assure their paychecks would be there every week.
He knew what the employees called him; he heard the comments when he walked through the halls.
The Crown Prince.
The Anointed.
The Heir Apparent.
The Son.
And that made Bruce 'the Father'.
Father.
Son.
His guardian, his mentor.
His second father.
There was a soft knock at the door just before it opened. "Dick, I just heard the news—past due, if you ask me and congratulations, son. 'Just making official what we've all know for years now."
"Thanks." He stood and shook the man's hand. Of course he knew what Lucius was talking about—it had been in the papers, despite the supposed sealing of the documents and naturally Lucius would have been in on it. Bruce had probably just put part of the legal department on the paperwork and signed the dotted line when they were finished. It made sense.
"You must be pretty excited, it's not everyday you gain a new parent and change your name."
"Excuse me?" Change his name? He ran his hand through his hair, the bangs flopping back over his forehead.
"You're legally a Wayne, I saw the adoption papers myself: Richard John Grayson Wayne, that's you." Dick just stared at the man. "Or it will be as soon as everyone signs the papers and the judge makes it official."
It wasn't possible. It wasn't. Bruce had told him, asked him about a legal adoption and Dick had been pleased, flattered and excited, but no one said anything about this. Maybe if he was still ten or something, but now?
"You must have known about that part of it, didn't you? And really, it just makes sense."
Dick managed a professional smile. "Of course."
Lucius glanced at his watch. "Damn, I have a conference call in about two minutes but I'll see you later, all right? And you tell Bruce for me that he should have done this fifteen years ago; 'best thing he ever did."
Dick nodded, his smile fading as Lucius closed the door behind him. And yes, Lucius was right. Bruce should have done this fifteen years ago. Even ten would have been good. Now? Okay, sure, part of him was pleased he mattered enough to be made an official part of Bruce's family, but Christ—too little, too late.
Fifteen years ago it would have told a scared and adrift eight-year-old that he had a family, that he belonged somewhere, to someone. This? This was a legal clarification for the probate courts.
He was twenty-one years old. He'd been born a Grayson. His father was a Grayson. His mother was a Grayson by marriage and he was and would always be one as well. After the murders he'd retained his name—their name. It was who he was. It was part of his identity. Erasing that would erase his parents, his grandparents and the Flying Graysons.
No.
What the hell was Bruce thinking?
The signing was due to take place as soon as Bruce was freed-up from the Board meeting but Dick had to speak to him first—he had to talk to him. This needed to be straightened out.
The intercom on the desk buzzed. "Dick? Bruce said that the meeting is still running late and that the signing has to be pushed back until after lunch. He wants to know if you want to wait or would you rather come back later?"
Crap. "I'll come back, around two or three, okay?"
"Sure, honey, I'll tell him. Do you want anything now? I can have lunch brought in for you."
"Thanks, but I'm going to take a walk while I'm waiting." He clicked the intercom off and walked out, smiling at the secretary as he went by. He waited until he was down on the sidewalk to take out his cell and press number three on the speed dial.
"He may think of me as his son, but I don't think of him as my father. My father was…" He trailed off for a moment, choosing his words carefully, quietly. "I don't mean it like that. I never really thought of anyone being my father." Dick looked at the surprised look on Clark's face. " 'Father' was too formal for him, too imposing. He was just 'Dad'. Bruce is 'Bruce'."
"You know how much you mean to him, Dick. You've always known that." Kal had met him down at the waterfront on a deserted dock. They'd have privacy here.
"Of course I understand it and I know why he delayed the adoption so long, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't see him as my father and I never will. I know I'm his heir, at least until he has kids of his own, but…" He trailed off, searching, again for the right words. "I owe him almost everything and I know that. If he hadn't taken me in, it would have been a crapshoot whether I ended up in juvie or not—it would have been so easy to go that way. I know how many opportunities he's given me that I'd never have had otherwise. I know that. I know he loves me and I love him." He stopped again. "But he's not my father."
Superman nodded. Dick was right. "No, he isn't; He knows that and I think that if you tell him how you feel, he'd understand." He watched the conflict and confusion in Dick's face. "I suppose an argument could be made that while John Grayson is Dick Grayson's father, Batman is Robin's, but I suppose that a debatable point."
"Without my real father, my parents giving me the background and the groundwork, Robin wouldn't have been possible."
"That's true, but it's also true that Bruce was and is, in every way, your father—your parental figure since you lost your own parents."
Dick shook his head. "He did the best he could, but he was my mentor, my tutor, my coach and—if you want to look at it this way, my employer. I never—never—thought of him as my father and I can't call him 'Dad'. Never. He isn't and I don't want him to be."
Kal shifted his weight and sat on the harbor wall. "But you agreed to the adoption. Do you want to call it off?"
"When he brought it up a couple of months ago he just said it would make the legalities easier for me to inherit, something he's much more concerned about than I am. He put it in legal, practical terms and didn't say anything about the whole father/son thing and he certainly never said anything about my changing my name. I tried to tell him that I don't care about his money and I don't want to run Wayne Enterprises, but he's insistent I'm the only logical choice and his will can always be changed later if we have to." Dick was pacing, upset but trying to stay calm.
"Is the problem that you don't want to disrespect your real parents or are you uncomfortable with being officially part of Bruce's family?" Kal paused a moment. "Or do you dislike the idea of having to run a major corporation? You know that there are good people you could bring in to help you."
"I don't want be a businessman, I've hardly kept that a secret. And as for the money; it's just there and I can find good things to do with it. The problem is Bruce assuming that this will somehow make me a 'Wayne'."
"And by extension, you'll no longer be a Grayson. John Grayson gave you life and nothing can change that. Bruce made you Robin. Is there any reason why you can't acknowledge both? Jor-El was my father but Jonathan Kent had more to do with making me the person I am. I can accept both."
"I don't know." Dick looked out at the freighters in the river.
"You need to talk to Bruce, tell him what you've told me. You also need to figure out why you're just bringing all this up now."
"I guess I never really believed that we'd get this far; I didn't want to hurt his feelings; he's so into the idea and you know how he gets."
"Talk to him, Dick." Kal stood up, preparing to leave. "I think you'll find he's able to be reasonable." Kal put his hand on Dick's shoulder. "Usually." There was a small smile on his face as he left.
Dick was back in Wayne Corp by two-thirty. The Board meeting was over and Bruce was waiting in his office along with the head of Legal.
"Good, you're back. So, shall we finalize this?" Bruce handed Dick a pen, a very expensive pen, and indicated the papers spread out on his desk with small 'sign here' tabs marking the spaces.
Dick took a breath, partially stalling and partially trying to figure out how to say what he wanted. "Can I speak to you? In private." Not quite startled, Bruce nodded as the lawyer silently left the room.
"I think that we need to get clear with each other on a couple of things about this."
"Are you saying you don't want to go through with the adoption?"
"No, I'm not, it's just that I want to make sure that we're both on the same page."
"About…?"
"For starters, I want to keep my own name; Grayson. I don't want to drop it."
"What else?"
Dick hesitated, he didn't want to hurt Bruce, but this had to be said. "I understand the legalities, but I want to make it clear that you're not my father. Adoptive, sure, but my father is John Grayson."
Bruce nodded; this was never an issue as far as he was concerned. "I never thought you'd call me 'dad'. We worked out our relationship years ago; you know that. I told you last week, this is more a formality than anything, it's to simplify the legalities."
"Yeah?" Dick visibly relaxed. "You're okay with this?"
Bruce gave a half smile and nodded. "Of course. We both know who you are, just as we both know what our relationship is, as well as what it isn't." Dick looked relieved at that. "So, shall we bring the suit back in?" Surprised at how easily this had gone, Dick nodded; this would be all right.
It was done in less than ten minutes. The papers were signed, they'd be filed that afternoon and Richard John Grayson officially changed to Grayson-Wayne, a name he never used other than on legal documents. They celebrated with dinner at a favorite understated restaurant.
Later that night, close to one in the morning, Bruce was sitting in his study. Alfred found him as he was checking the Manor for the night, locking the doors and setting the security codes. The only light came from the fireplace.
"Is anything amiss, sir? Might I get you anything?" He knew full well what happened at the signing; he was, as ever, being tactful.
A pause. "No, thank you."
With nothing else forthcoming, the old man set about to finish the evening's lockdown.
"Is Master Richard up in his old room?"
"No, he went back t Bludhaven after dinner."
Alfred kept his thoughts to himself, knowing the Master was disappointed, likely hoping the two of them would spend some time together, forging a new, closer bond of some sort. "No feelings of rejection or lack of gratitude about his decision regarding your being his father—or rather your not being his father, sir?"
"No, he's right. I'm not his father, not really. I'm just been more of a caretaker. John Grayson is his father."
Alfred was unconvinced but let it pass unremarked.
Then a comment said almost to himself, "If I ever do have a son, I can't being prouder than I am of Dick."
"He is exceptional, yes."
"I don't know how much it's possible to steer a child as they grow. To some degree, of course, but only to some degree. He's grown as well as he could; he's everything I hoped he'd be." Bruce seemed to be watching memories in the flames. "I think the Grayson's and I raised him well."
8/20/08
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