To Conquer Fear

By greenrandomness

Summery: After the execution of Warren's father due to his actions in From Discord, Warren begins to see what he can only assume is his father's ghost. Day after day, he catches glimpses of a very familiar dead man as his own life falls apart.

Author's Note: Hello there, Sky High Fans! It's great to be writing for you again :D. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy this even though it has been a while since the first one. If you haven't read From Discord I do suggest it because it will give you a familiarity with my version of Barron Battle's history along with that of Warren and his mother.

Italics are emphasized words, Warren's exact thoughts, or reading in his head. You should be able to tell which is which.

Disclaimer: I do not own Sky High, any of its characters, nor settings. Although, I do own any plot points you do not recognize as being in the movie.

Prologue – A Letter from a Dead Man

The clock in the living room's loud chime could be heard through his door as it struck twelve p.m. but it didn't elicit a response from Warren. With his mind almost completely blank, he lay on his bed staring at the ceiling in an attempt to forget that it was almost time.

"Warren!" Called a soft feminine voice from outside of his room, "Are you sure you're not coming?"

"Yes." He growled, his voice just loud enough for his mother to hear through the door. He had already refused three times, but she kept asking. He knew she needed the closure, but he already had his. He didn't need to see this.

"Okay…well…I'll be back soon." She continued awkwardly, as if not quite sure what to say. He didn't respond, and, to his relief, he soon heard their apartment door close.

With a sigh, Warren Peace blew a strand of dark hair out of his face. Closing his eyes, he realized that, whether he was there or not, it would be all he could think about. He could try to take his mind of what was happening, but in the end it wouldn't change anything. His father was being executed today, and he wasn't going to be there.

He couldn't have been there even if he wanted to. He couldn't bring himself to go. The man being killed today was not his father. That man, the man he knew, had died a long time ago. Going to the prison today would be like saying his dad was still alive, which he wasn't. No letter of apology would make up for what the man masquerading as his father had done.

The letter

It had been his counterfeit father's last attempt at making up with him. The man had tried to apologize, he had tried to sound like he cared, but Warren could tell he was still the same man who had tried to kill him a year ago. He could see through every single word the man wrote. He could see the deceit and malice that laced the man pretending to be Barron Battle.

Jolting upright Warren pulled the offending piece of paper out of his nightstand drawer. It was a crumpled, single sheet of notebook paper that should have meant so much to him. It should have stirred feeling of family and forgiveness, but all he could muster was resentment. The man who wrote the letter wasn't really his father. Running a hand through his hair, Warren read it in his head for the umpteenth time.

Warren,

Please, don't immediately throw this out; I raised you better than that. Besides, Everyone has always said how alike we are…it may be you writing this letter in the future, and wouldn't you want your son to listen?

Warren grimaced, holding back the half formed rage that the beginning always created. The possibility that he would become his father frightened him more than anything, and the same man rubbing it in his face didn't help. He had sworn to himself that he would never become that man, but there was always the tiniest bit of doubt in the back of his mind. There was always a small part of him urging him to give in and be like the man he once admired. Heaving a heavy, almost defeated sigh, Warren started reading again.

I know you can never forgive me for what I've done to you and your mother. I don't expect you to forget everything I did, but I hope that one day you will be able to move past what I have done and love me for who I am. Ren, I still love you just as I did years ago, what I've done doesn't change that. I had hoped that we could be together again, but seeing as that didn't work out…I hope that one day you will at least be able to think of me fondly.

"Arrogant bastard." He muttered his eyebrows furrowing in frustration. Nearly the entire paragraph was utter bullshit. Of course he would never forgive him, but the idea of loving a man who destroyed his life and the lives of so many other's was insane. Warren would always love the man his father had been. The man who would play Cops and Robbers with him, the man who would sing him to sleep when he had a bad dream, the man who would look under his bed for monsters when he was afraid, the man that hadn't came back one night. He would always love that man, but there was nothing left. Warren knew that his dad had died the same night as Uncle Will. He knew that the only feelings his 'father' possessed now were jealousy, rage, malice, and contempt. He was a mere shell of his former self. There was absolutely nothing good left in Barron Battle, as he had proved the previous year. The man Warren had loved was long gone, the only person he would be thinking fondly of was the man he hadn't seen in seven years. With that thought he once again started reading the words on the page.

On a completely different note, I heard you saved my life that night on the pier, but considering the circumstances…I don't think I owe you one. It's not like it matters now, anyway. In a little over a day I will be dead, just like you've probably wished I was for years.

"You've been dead for years." Warren replied as if he was actually talking to his father. That was why he wasn't going to this man's execution. In his mind his father was long gone. The man dying today was a murderer who he had long since stopped caring about. The man dying today had attacked the Maxville Superhero Headquarters. He had killed over a dozen superheroes and innocent bystanders while he had maimed and injured countless others. The man dying today had kidnapped Will to use against his enemies. He had tried to kill a group of teenagers all because they got in the way. Worst of all, he had used his own son in his quest for vengeance. He wasn't a father anymore. Looking at the paper again, he wondered why he was reading it; he already knew what it said. Without an answer coming to mind, he realized he couldn't help but continue.

I hadn't thought it would come to this, I honestly had never thought I would die like a common criminal, but I hope you will come to see me before I go. I want you to be there when it happens. You are still my kid no matter what I've done. No matter what I did, and no matter what you do, you will always have my blood running through your veins. We are family and that will never change.

Sighing again Warren realized his father was right. No matter what he did they were still related. He could distance himself from Barron Battle all he wanted, but he would always be his son. Genetically, they would always be connected, but if he could help it, he would never end up like his father. He wasn't the same man. He was stronger, smarter, and braver. He was a hero no matter what his father said, or at least that's what Warren hoped. Glancing at the last lines, he was shocked that he had already reached the end. The last time that he had read it, it seemed to take longer.

Speaking of family, you'll find something in this envelope that I'm sure you were expecting. This ring has been passed down for generations and now that I'm 'passing on' myself, I feel it is time for you to have it. Take good care of it, and take care of yourself, Warren.

Love,

Dad

Pulling the envelope out of the still open drawer, he weighed it in his hands. The ring was still inside; he hadn't been able to put it on at first. Putting it on would be accepting that his father was dead, once and for all. It would be accepting the responsibility of his family. It would be accepting that he was his father's son. Pulling the ring out carefully, he looked at his face in the shining red stone, almost entranced. The clock in the living room chiming nearly made him drop the ring as it announced that it was already two o'clock. With a grim smile he slid the ring on, and in that instant he knew his father was truly dead.

TBC

Author's Note: I hope you guys liked it :D Please review even if you didn't. I want to know what you think so click the little button and tell me. If you guys caught any mistakes, grammatical or otherwise, please tell me that too, and if you have any suggestions feel free to voice them. Thank you very much for reading :) and the next chapter should be up in a few days at most.