A/N: Just about everyone asked for Bruce's POV. Bruce is insanely hard to write. I tried very hard and I hope I got it right. I rewrote this about four times. I hope I didn't go overboard or make him too out of character.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Of all the things I had done, this was the hardest. Training for years with masters, hunting down criminals, fighting off alien invasions, and even trying to stop Joker's insane schemes didn't even compare to this. This. Hunting down my own son.

My breath came out in soft pants as I watched him from a block away. He was running as fast as he could across the rooftops. Robin kept looking over his shoulder. The drug had already begun to take effect. He must be terrified.

Which was the whole point of it. My mouth pressed into a firm line as he stumbled on his next landing. He was favoring his right side. I must have hit him too hard.

No! My mind screamed at me instantly. I hadn't hit him too hard. Right now I wasn't supposed to be gentle. This wasn't a time for cuddling. I had to make sure he could handle this. He had to be able to fight through the worst case scenarios. If he was ever being hunted by a madman he had to know what to do. He had to be able to keep his calm and survive. That was the point of this lesson.

He had to be hurt, he had to be terrified and disoriented, and he had to believe that I wasn't Batman. He had to believe that I truly would hurt him- kill him even. If he didn't the whole exercise would be a waste.

I watched again as he took off. He looked backwards and I saw an expression of fear on his face. He'd already begun to see things that weren't there.

Taking a deep breath I let myself fall back into the role I had to play in this. I wasn't Batman anymore and I certainly wasn't Robin's father.

With a snarl I leapt from my perch and chased after him. Robin saw me a moment later. His asked eyes widened in fear and he shot forward once more. I ran after him. I could have caught him easily. He was limping even as he ran and his grappling hook was being shot sloppily. But that wasn't the plan. I wasn't going to catch him yet. I needed to lure him into the trap.

A trap I felt horrible about, but it needed to be done.

"Robin!" I shouted his name harshly. He didn't hear. Or, if he did, he gave no sign of it. Even from a building away I could see him shaking. The mild fear dug I'd given him should be taking its toll. His body was trembling because of it. His vision and senses would be disoriented and the more fearful he was, the more his mind would play tricks on him. He had to remember the techniques I'd taught him in order to stay ahead of the drug.

Robin darted onto another roof. His body was pulled rigged now as he prepared for more running. Another leap and I was on the same rooftop.

Robin spun around and a barrage of bat-a-rangs flew at me. I pulled my cape up as a shield, deflecting most of them. I only had a brief moment to be proud of his feign before more rounds of weapons were being thrown at me. Gas, smoke bombs, bat-a-rangs, and even explosives. He tried to get in close but he was too weak and instead would dart away. I knew he was trying to plan and trying to get the upper hand.

But, after I could a zip line around his feet and brought him to the ground, it was a different story. Now Robin threw the weapons at me in a desperate attempt. Smoke clouded my vision long enough for him to cut his way out of my trap. His next attempts were still as distressed though. Bat-a-rangs flew at me, followed closely by more explosives.

He wasn't even aiming at me anymore! He was terrified and just wasting weapons, hoping they'd hit.

I growled in annoyance. That wouldn't help him. He had to try.

Robin leapt onto an old chimney. HE was trying to get a moment to think. That was good. But he was too lost in thought. I threw a knife at him and it cut through his shoulder. I winced at Robin's startled look. He gave a cry as his hands flew to the wound.

He was shaking harder now. Any hope of making a plan vanished from his head and he fled again.

I gave him a moment of head start before racing after him. I let my cape billow out as I went. The sight, when he looked back, seemed to have the desired effect. Robin sped up in terror.

His breath was harsh and ragged. He was exhausted and spent. He'd not slept for two nights. I knew that. That's why we were doing this training tonight. He had to have the worst experience possible.

Maybe it was too terrible of an experience though. I stopped as I saw him pull something out of his belt, his communicator. He held the device to his mouth and I froze.

I'd gone too far. He was going to call for help because he truly had forgotten that this was a training exercise. He believed that he really was in danger. I swore at myself for forgetting to block his signal. Of course he'd call for help in a situation like this. I'd drilled it into his head after all. I should have taken the communicator away so he couldn't. That wasn't the point of the exercise.

The Justice League wouldn't understand. I could probably get kicked out because of training like this. They wouldn't understand the reasoning behind it; they couldn't with all their powers and invulnerabilities. They'd call it cruel, unusual, torture… they wouldn't understand.

For a moment I was about to call out to Robin and stop the whole thing. But then Robin put the communicator back into his belt without uttering a word. He'd remembered. He flashed a frightened look behind him, but a knowing one.

I breathed a soft sigh of relief. Robin trusted me entirely, even with something like this.

That only made me feel worse though as I led him into the trap. Even knowing it was me following him, Robin didn't change his efforts. He ran full force. He wasn't thinking enough. It was enough for me to steer him into the trap.

I squeezed my eyes tight as he burst through the window, hating what I knew would happen next.

His scream echoed. It rang through my ears and struck me through the heart. The electric field I'd placed on the window sent its waves through his body.

I entered the building faster than any villain would. As soon as I was in the window frame I pressed a button and the current stopped. Robin lay there for a few seconds before lifting his head to look at my.

I forced my features to twist into an evil sneer. "Robin." I hissed, using a voice that was neither mine nor Batman's. I seized his arms and pulled him to eyelevel with me. He hung limply in my arms. He didn't try fighting at all. I didn't know if this was a tactic of his or if he truly couldn't move.

"Tell me Robin," I said, "Who are you?"

Robin shuddered for a moment before me managed to say, "N-no."

"Tell me!" I roared. I shook him.

"No!" He shouted back. Finally I saw the defiance in him. Despite all his pain he was strong. Pride welled up in my chest, but I quickly shoved it back down.

No caring. No being proud. I was the enemy here.

With a growl I tossed him across the room. I prayed that he would catch himself before he slammed into the brick wall.

He didn't disappoint. He managed to catch himself. His feet hit the wall and he used it to rebound. He landed and only shook slightly on the impact. Good.

His eyes watched me as I strode towards him. No one else would have been able to tell, but I knew that his eyes were darting frantically around the room. He never truly focused on anything. The drug had taken complete control. All he could see now were shadows. All of his senses would be warped.

Suddenly he flew at me. He wasn't strong and the trust was weak. I caught his arm in the punch and yanked it to the side. Again he screamed, but I forced down my feelings and pushed him to the ground. "Who are you?" I demanded.

Robin was shaking furiously. His body was spasming beneath my grasp. His arm tugged madly to escape my hold but the move was only proved to hurt him more."I-I-I'm R-Robin." He managed to stutter out.

"Who are you really?" I demanded in a low growl.

"No." This time the word was not defiant. He sobbed and for a brief moment my heart constricted.

I gave a grunt and threw him to the ground harsher than I had meant to. "Tell me who you are!" I ordered. "Tell me who Batman is. Who Superman is. Who Flash, Kid Flash, Superboy, Wonder Woman- everyone. Tell me!" I roared.

"N-no." He sobbed. The words barely escaped his lips.

I kicked him. I hoped the kick was soft, but he winced anyway. "Do you wish to die?" I demanded.

"No."

"Then tell me your name!"

"N-n-n…" He couldn't even make the word form. Between his sobs and his shaking I feared he wouldn't be able to breathe. A large sob bubbled up in his throat. "N-no." He begged between sobs. "No more. No more."

He was begging me to stop. Not the attacker I was supposed to be, me. He didn't want to go on with the exercise.

As much as I wanted to comply…I couldn't. Not now. He had to be pushed beyond even this.

I hauled him up again and my fingers reached for his mask. It wasn't until I touched the fabric and ripped it off that he even realized. Robin shrieked and twisted helplessly. His blue eyes stared at me in horror before closing tightly. "No!" He shouted.

"Do you have a death wish, Richard Grayson?" I hissed. "Give yourself up and I'll let you live."

"No." His sobs had become hysterical and he was gasping for breath between every word he uttered. "No, no, no."

"No? Then you are no use to me."

He screamed as I dragged him across the room to the last bit. Dick's hands clawed uselessly at mine. He kept begging to stop. I doubted he even realized what he was saying anymore. He probably only half realized what was going on and he'd have no idea what was going to happen.

I closed my eyes briefly at the thought. This was the last thing I wanted to do, but it had to be done.

The thing that scared him most was falling. His parents had fallen to their deaths and that scared him more than anything else in the world. If I truly wanted to make this the worst experience possibly I should hold him over the ledge of the building and let him fall. In his state that would make it the worst possible.

That was what I should do, but I couldn't bring myself to do that to my boy. That would have pushed him well beyond his limits, but I couldn't do that to him.

Instead I went for the next thing: water. Richard was terrified of drowning. For years he hadn't known how to swim. Despite my teachings and the fact that now he was perfectly good in the water, drowning still remained his second biggest fear.

The thought nearly stopped me in my tracks as we approached the bucket of ice cold water. But I couldn't stop.

Hating myself, I thrust his head below the surface. Dick gasped underwater, sucking in the water.

I yanked him back up. He sputtered and sobbed all at once.

"No more. No more. Please, not this." He was begging. "I can't take it. Stop."

Before this would have been ok. He would have been begging his attacker, but he knew now that it was me holding him down. Now it was me he was begging to stop. I didn't know what I should do.

"One last chance." I warned. I almost hoped he took it so that this could be over.

"No more." He pleaded instead. "Oh god, please."

"Will you tell me?" I demanded. I didn't think he truly heard because all he did was keep begging for me to stop. He kept sobbing. By accident I broke character. "One last time."

I trust his head back down under the water. Just before he was under he took a breath. That calmed me slightly. He still had his wits about him. "Try to survive." I ordered.

It was hard to hold on when every instinct of mine was screaming for me to pull him back up. My fingers started cramping from the cold. It would be worse for Dick, much worse. The thought filled my head with dread. He jerked savagely in my arms. He squirmed and shook and sobbed beneath the ice cold water.

He lasted long, much longer than I expected. I was shaking almost as bad as he was now. I could feel the energy fleeting from his body. I felt his movements slow and his attempts become weaker and weaker. I felt his body struggling not to breathe- to not take that breath that his instincts were telling him to. His body was getting feebler and I didn't know when I should pull him up.

Suddenly his body went limp. I almost screamed in fright as I yanked him up quicker than ever.

It was a ruse! Pride and relief swept though me as Dick jerked out of my grasp and stumbled a few feet away. Even with all that he'd been able to keep some sense of mind. He had survived.

It wasn't a complete fake though. He fell to the ground a moment later and was unable to get back up. "No more." He begged through his tears. "No more. Please. Please." He curled into a fetal position, his hands covering his head. "Please. I can't. No more."

"No more." I agreed softly. I placed a hand on his shoulder gently.

He flung it off anyway. "Please, Bruce, no more." He begged.

The use of my name shattered my heart into a million pieces. "There isn't any more. I promise." I murmured gently. I pulled the antidote out and pressed it into his arm. He didn't struggle. The antidote would work fast and I was glad for that.

I rubbed his back, trying to calm him down. "There you are, Dick." I murmured. "IT's all over now. It's ok." I pulled him into my arms. One of my hands moved to stroke his hair.

I drew him closer as he shook. My heart ached. I felt horrible. I had done this to my son. Not Two Face, The Joker, Poison Ivy, or any villain. I had done it to him.

"Shhh…. It's ok now." I promised softly. "You're ok."

This wasn't really true though. He was shaking like an addict and small spasms contorted his body. His body was also harboring bruises and cuts that I had given him. I draped my cape around him and hid him from the world. It also added a small bit of warmth. When he was younger, if he was scared I'd wrap him in the cape. He always said it made him feel safer. I desperately hoped it would add some comfort now, if only a little bit.

Dick's sobs grew for a moment. He clung to my chest now, twisting the bit of fabric he could get his hands on. "It's over." I promised again. "No more."

I kept apologizing. "I'm so sorry, Dickey." I murmured into his hair. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want to, Dickey. I didn't want to hurt you. I'm so sorry. I know it scared you. I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I won't do that to you again."

I don't know how many of these words his mind actually registers. It's a full twenty minutes before he stops shaking. He was still sobbing but he was no longer frightened. "Hush Dickey." I murmured into his hair again. My voice cracked and a sob lumps into my throat.

"I'm sorry." I said again. "I didn't want to, but I needed to. You needed to know how it feels. You needed to know so that you'll be safe."

I felt like if I kept repeating these words he'd understand. That's all I wanted at the moment. I wanted nothing more than for him to tell me that it was ok. That he understood and that I had done the right thing. Without his assurance I don't know. I could have done something awful. He may never trust me again. He may not want me anymore. Not as a partner, maybe not even as a father.

I wouldn't blame him. I had put him through so much over the years and expected him to be ok with it.

It seems forever until Dick stopped sobbing. I kept telling him that everything would be fine. I rocked him like a baby and slowly he relaxed into my embrace.

"Did…did I do ok?" He asked sleepily.

"You did wonderful." I hastened to assure him. He did do well. "You did better than I ever expected, Dickey."

That is true. He did better than I expected. I hadn't expected him to last that long or for him to have that much sense of mind by the end. But there were things he could have done better. I can't bring them up now though. Not when he's hurting like this. That would be the last thing he needed to hear.

He did do wonderful though. Better than anyone else could. Better than even Superman or any of those heroes with powers could have.

Dick smiled up at me and I gave him a returning one. Thank god. For the longest time I'd feared I'd never see his smile again. I was still unsure if he wanted me. But he'd smiled. That was a good sign.

I waited a few more minutes until I was sure he was ok. Then I found his mask and tenderly placed it back over his eyes. "We're going home now." I said gently.

Dick doesn't respond. He is asleep by the time we reach the Batmobile. He doesn't stir the whole trip back to the cave.

When I pulled in, Alfred was waiting. He was beside the medical table and had a whole array of medicines, bandages, and other supplies waiting. There was a deep frown set on his face and more anger in his eyes than I'd seen in ages.

He hadn't liked the idea one bit. He hated the thought and had actually yelled at me numerous times about it. Alfred never raised his voice, but about this he had.

"Master Richard?" He asked immediately.

"He's asleep." I said. I carried the bundle to the table and gently placed him down. I unwrapped him from my cape. In the florescent lights his bruises are even more pronounced.

Alfred's glare rivaled Superman's heat vision. He shoved me aside roughly and began to work. Dick had had worse before, of course, but never before had they been inflicted by me. Every time Alfred treated a wound I winced. I had done that.

Twenty minutes later he had bandaged a total of eight cuts, twelve scrapes, and one gouge. He'd also put ointment on seventeen black and blue spots, and had several tests running to make sure there were no other problems. He'd dried Richard off and changed him into a warm set of pajamas.

Richard hadn't even stirred.

I didn't need Alfred's disapproving, angry, looks to realize that I'd overdone it. I'd pushed him way beyond his limits. It was my fault that this had happened to him. I knew the reasoning behind the exercise. I had repeated it like a mantra all through the exercise and for days before as I'd tried to convince myself that it was the right thing. I kept repeating them now, trying to assure myself that it was alright.

"Can you take him to his room?" Alfred's voice brought me from my thoughts. His eyes are tight and his wrinkles are more pronounced. Alfred's looks disappointed in me, angry even. That is worse than anything. At least until Dick awakes.

I took him to his room and bundled him up in warm blankets. Alfred got hot chocolate. He didn't say another word to me.

It took over an hour before Dick woke up. When he did his eyes scanned the room blearily. Confusion was etched into his face. He stared at the clothing and the pile of blankets, and at the hot coco. Finally he looked at is. I saw the pain in my face reflected in his eyes.

He studied me a moment. My heart constricted as I worried that he may not want me after all.

But then he held his arms out to me. "Daddy." He whispered hopefully.

I crushed him against my chest. The sobs I was trying desperately to hold back started to form. "I'm so sorry." I whispered into his hair.

"It's not your fault." He mumbled. Those words were accompanied by a smile. He shifted to look up at me. "It was needed. And it was better you than any of our rogues."

Those words are what I needed to hear. I needed to know that he understood. It seemed he did. He understood my intentions and he didn't hate me for it. That was what I had needed to hear from him. For some reason though, the words don't make me feel that much better.

Dick snuggled closer to me. My arms wrapped tighter around him. "Thank you." He whispered softly.

I kiss his forehead and squeezed him close. I don't say anything. I can't say anything. My throat had constricted painfully and tears were threatening to spill out of my eyes.

No Dick, I think, thank you.

It was this boy who brought me back to life. It was him who was able to bring life and joy back into my life. It was Dick that made me realize that the world had hope. I never thought I'd be able to love. I'd never thought having a son was possible. Not only was it possible, I'd realized, but it was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

I press the boy tighter to my chest.

No Dick, thank you.

A/N: Again, I hope you enjoyed. Bruce is very hard to write. How did you think I did?

I was shocked at how much people seemed to enjoy the last chapter and I hope this chapter hasn't let anyone down. Again, please let me know what you think. I love to hear what you liked best and worst or if you found anything wrong. It helps me do better next time.

FuzzyBee103 suggested a chapter with the team that has Dick's training coming into play. I may write this chapter, so be on the lookout for a third and final installment!