When We Never

Chapter Two: Emotions Run High

Terry was barely awake when Robin came racing out of her room and captured her father in a fierce bear hug.

"Daddy! I missed you," Robin pouted. "What are we doing today?"

"I missed you too, Baby Bird," Terry assured her. "As to what we're doing today, I haven't even had coffee yet. Let Daddy wake up, huh?"

"I'm sorry," Robin replied. "How long are you staying this time?"

"Until your mother gets tired of me," Terry answered.

Rachel stumbled into the living room and onto the couch. "Coffee," she demanded.

"And don't try to make me the bad guy here, Terry. You can stay as long as you like."

Robin brought her mother a cup of coffee. She sipped it gratefully. "And anyway, Robin, don't you have a birthday party tonight?"

"That's tonight, Mom. We have all day to do something fun with Daddy."

Terry grinned as he folded himself onto the couch next to Robin. "Glad to know I'm so popular."

"Immensely," Rachel responded dryly.

"Oh, Mom," Robin sighed. "You know I love you too."

"I know sweetheart."

Robin snuggled into her father's arms and turned on the TV. The three sat there, all thinking in the back of their minds, 'What might have been.'

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Terry took Robin to the movies and the zoo. Then they went back home and wheedled Rachel into going to lunch with them and even got her to smile a bit.

Then it was time for Robin to get ready for her friend's sleepover.

"I don't have to go, Daddy," Robin told him. "I can give Rose her present on Monday."

"No, sweetheart. Don't let your old man keep you from your friends. I'm sure Mom and I can manage by ourselves for one night."

"Are you sure, Daddy? We could watch a movie or play a game or something…"

"No, Robin. It's OK. Now go get ready to see your friends."

"Ulterior motives?" Rachel asked, smirking.

Terry gaped at her. "Afraid not," he uttered finally.

Rachel sighed dramatically.

"OK, Mom, I'm ready!" Robin shouted. She emerged from her room with a backpack and a sleeping bag.

"Alright, Terry, I'm going to take her to the party. I'll be back soon."

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When Rachel returned from taking Robin to the party, she found Terry sitting on the couch under an old quilt, staring at the fire he'd built.

"Ter?" she asked quietly.

"Hey Rach," he replied absently.

"What're you thinking about?" Rachel queried, joining him. He spread the quilt over her lap automatically.

"Life," Terry answered, a bitter note to his tone.

"Could 'life' be why you showed up at two a.m.?"

"That has a lot to do with it. I just need some space from Gotham and everything in it for a while. Ten is looking after the city while I'm gone."

"Something wrong with Dana, Terry?"

"We're great," Terry informed her with a sincere smile. "You need to know something, is all."

"Is this really important?"

Terry nodded. Subtly muscled arms wrapped themselves around Rachel, pulling her closer. She didn't object.

"Well…you know how Bruce needed that tissue a few months back?"

"Yeah. Did it go wrong or something?"

"No. But the fact that he and I were exact matches kept eating at me, so I ran a DNA test. I'm his…son."

"Wow," Rachel breathed. "But I thought he didn't meet Mary until you were a teenager."

"He didn't," Terry responded dryly. "CADMUS decided Bruce was getting too old so they decided to do something about it. They found a couple in Gotham with the same psychological profiles as Bruce's parents. Then they found a sample of Bruce's blood and basically altered Warren McGinnis's genetic code. Matt and I are Bruce's sons."

"Whoa," Rachel murmured. "That's very… resourceful of them. What does Bruce think?"

"I'm not sure, When I came back from Waller's, he told me I'm a stubborn piece of work."

"What about Mattie and your mother? How do they feel?"

"I'm not sure I should tell them," Terry replied quietly. "I mean, yeah my mom and dad fought at the end of their marriage, but she still loves him. Sometimes I see her glance at his picture and start crying."

"That's true," Rachel mused. "And Mattie would probably feel betrayed."

"Exactly."

"Terry…why did you tell me first?" Rachel asked gently.

"I needed to know how it makes you feel. What it makes…us."

"Well…technically, it makes you Uncle Terry," Rachel joked. "But I'm not related to Bruce by blood, so it doesn't really change anything."

She disentangled herself from the blanket. "Another walk?" she asked.

Terry wondered how she always knew what he needed.

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They went to the same little park Robin had played at as a child.

"Robin and I used to come here nearly every day. We still go sometimes, just for fun."

"Is that odd?" Terry wanted to know. "She's almost thirteen."

Rachel shrugged. "I still like swings."

Demonstrating her statement, Rachel sat herself on one. Grinning, Terry seized the chains and pulled the swing back. He pushed her for a few minutes and then got on the swing next to hers.

"Alright," Rachel began as they swung together, "Loser pays for dinner, Friday night at the little café near The Daily Planet."

"OK," Terry agreed. "Count of three."

"One," Rachel said, laughing. "Two…"

"THREE!" they shouted together.

They didn't jump far, due to their collision. Rachel jumped to her left while Terry went to his right. They landed on the sand, Rachel on top of him. They groaned simultaneously.

"I'm getting old," Terry moaned.

"No you're not. It means I am too," Rachel replied.

Terry chuckled and shyly slipped an arm around her.

Rachel sat up, shivering slightly. Without a word, Terry draped his jacket over her shoulders.

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"I can't believe they still have this," Rachel gushed, looking down at the quart of ice cream. "We used to buy this fifteen years ago."

Terry grinned. "Double chocolate chip ice cream is a classic," he insisted.

"Remember all those late nights just talking over a bowl on your balcony?"

"Of course," Rachel answered. "You used to put your jacket over my shoulders just like now and we talked about everything from school to music to politics. The one that stands out clearly to me is the time we discussed…well how we got Robin."

"Mmm," Terry agreed. "Let's get back before the ice cream melts."

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Two bowls were stacked neatly on the coffee table, remnants of double chocolate chip ice cream melting slowly. Terry and Rachel were wrapped in the blanket, Rachel's head resting on his shoulder.

"Do you ever regret it?" Terry asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Sleeping with me, I mean."

Rachel gaped at him. "No," she said firmly. "I will never regret anything with you, Terry. What we had was special and rare and beautiful. You were my everything back then. How could I regret that?"

He smiled. "I thought you would say something like that. I don't regret it either."

Terry met her gaze, forging an understanding.

He barely registered Rachel draping her thin frame across his lap and entwiningher fingers in his hair. The taste of her mouth on his was all he could feel, all he knew.

"Terry," she whispered huskily, "I love you."

Before either of them knew anything they were in her bedroom.

The scene in the park was inspired by 13 Going On 30, which I have now seen about 20 times…

Much love!

Veronica Moose, Queen of the Forest