A/N: I'm not a Terry/Max shipper. I decided to say that upfront because a lot of the BB fics seem to have those two together. I don't know why, but their relationship has always seemed to be more of brother-sister to me than boyfriend-girlfriend and the idea of the two of them together is faintly disturbing.

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'Another year, another school term,' Terry thought to himself. At least this was his last year of high school. Terry sighed as he walked through the front doors of Hamilton Hill High School. So many things had changed since he was last here. Bruce had fallen sick and died, he and his family had moved into Wayne Manor, and he had acquired a new set of teachers for his night activities.

Thankfully Wayne Manor and its grounds was large enough that he, Dick, and Diana could disappear for hours on end and still come up with a plausible explanation. He didn't know how much longer his mother would buy "We were cleaning up one of the store rooms," though. And with Matt always poking his nose in places, Terry was worried about his brother stumbling onto the entrance to the Batcave.

"Four more months," he whispered to himself, counting down the days until his eighteenth birthday. By then, even if his mother did find out, she could not forbid him to. Well, she could, but he did not have to listen. And Clark had promised to have a little talk to her if it was necessary…

Terry shuddered. 'Better him than me,' he thought with a smile, imagining his mother verbally scolding the Man of Steel.

He was heading towards his locker when he an arm draped itself across his shoulders. Terry looked up and suppressed a grimace. "Nelson."

The jock ignored the cold tone of voice and grinned. "Hey, Terry. Word is that you came into a mother load of cash recently. Truth?"

Terry scowled and reached a hand up and removed Nelson's arm. "What's it to you if I did?"

Nelson faked a hurt look on his face. "Hey now, Terry. Is that anyway to be treating a friend?"

"I'd rather make friends with a tarantula. Beat it, Nelson."

The jock smiled insincerely. "Aw, now, you don't mean that, do you? Gotham's newest most eligible bachelor?" He chuckled. "Wonder why that old bat left everything to you." Lowering his voice, he asked, "So, what's the secret? Think I can scam some old guy to leave me everything, too?" Nelson winked.

Terry fought to control his anger. "You don't know anything." There was steel behind his words. "Leave me alone."

The other boy smirked. "Aw, what's the matter, rich boy? Too good for us common folk now?"

Terry lost it. Grabbing Nelson by the collar of his varsity jacket, he slammed Nelson against the wall. "I won't tell you again. Leave. Me. Alone."

Nelson's eyes were wide and his feet dangled uselessly, inches above the floor. He shakily nodded his head and Terry let him go. There was a dangerous glint in his eye as he smoothed his clothing. "Underneath all the money, McGinnis, you're still just a punk."

Terry watched as Nelson walked off and joined a group of his friends, laughing and slapping backs. "Ignore him," a voice advised.

He turned around and smiled at, Maxine Gibson, known to friends as Max, resident computer genius and one of the few people in Terry's life who knew his secret. She glared at Nelson's retreating back, her arms folded across her chest. "Nelson is a pompous and arrogant jerk who's just jealous."

Terry sighed and slumped against the wall, pushing his hair off his forehead. "I know. It's just that…people are going to think that, aren't they? That I somehow tricked Bruce into leaving me everything."

Max transferred her glared to Terry. "People can think what they want. You and I know better, and so do the other people who count. And since when have you ever cared what anyone thought of you?"

"Did you watch the news last night?" Terry went on, seemingly ignoring Max's question. "They had something about me…'Gotham's newest eligible bachelor' they called me." He grimaced, remembering that was what Nelson had called him also. "They went on and on about me, speculating on why Bruce left his money to me and what I would do with it. It made me so mad! It's like my life isn't my own anymore. Like…like…"

"Like you now have to live your life how others want and expect you to?" Max's eyes were soft with sympathy.

Terry sighed and nodded.

"Welcome to the life of the rich and famous, McGinnis." Max shook her head. "Have you talked to Dana yet?"

"Not yet. She just got back from vacation the day before yesterday. I don't know how I'm going to tell her about everything that's happened. I don't know how she'll react."

Max smiled and placed a hand on her friend's arm. "As much as she's always complaining about you, she really does care. Why else would she keep taking you back when you keep standing her up?" She grinned. "Trust her."

* * *

Terry was just closing the door of his locker when he felt two slim arms encircle his waist. "Why hello there, handsome." Dana reached up to give him a peck on the cheek.

Terry smiled and turned around, giving his girlfriend a hug. "Hi, Danes. How was Japan?"

Dana shrugged and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "Same old, same old. I visited my cousins and saw the sights. I don't know why Dad keeps dragging me back there every summer." She tilted her head to the side and studied Terry. There was a sadness in his eyes that wasn't there the last time she had seen him. There was also something else. Ever since he had started to work for Mr. Wayne, Terry had matured a lot, but now…now, his eyes looked _old_.

"Terry? Are you all right?"

Terry shook his head and looked away. "Bruce passed away over the summer."

"Bruce?"

"Mr. Wayne," he explained. "He died in late July."

Dana reached over and hugged him. "Oh, Terry. I'm so sorry." Terry leaned into her hug, enjoying the feeling of her arms around him.

"There's something else, Dana."

She looked up at him.

"Mr. Wayne left almost everything to me."

"Oh." She then looked puzzled. "Why would that be a problem?"

He let go of her and leaned against the wall. "I guess its because I feel a little bit guilty. I mean, I wouldn't have all this money if Bruce hadn't died. And I'd give it all back in a heartbeat to have him back."

"Oh." She reached out and embraced him again, and the two of them stood that way for a while, until the first bell rang.

* * *

Mary McGinnis was in the kitchen getting a drink of water. She froze when she heard a sound. It was late at night and everyone should have been in bed for hours. Setting down her glass, she listened. She faintly heard the low mummer of voices. They were getting louder. She frowned when he recognized Dick Grayson's voice. She knew that he had been Bruce Wayne's son, but she did not think he had been a very good one. To think that he left his poor father all alone in this house, never visiting him!

"Rough night, huh?"

"You can say that again." Mary's frown deepened. What was Terry doing up this late on a school night?

"But you did good. Bruce would have been proud."

Terry gave a short laugh. "Bruce would have critiqued me, telling me everything little thing I did wrong. And he would have been right, too."

"Bruce's bark was always worse than his bite. Over the years, I've learned to come up with a translation guide. One grunt meant you did well. Two grunts meant you did really well. If he growled at you though, then you had better shut up and do what he wanted you to do."

Terry laughed again. "I remember that growl a few times myself. And then there were those times he's shouting at you to do something, and you're shouting back that you're a little busy."

This time Dick chuckled. "The resident control freak. I bet he hated that it wasn't him in the suit."

The voices began to fade as the speakers moved past the door to the kitchen. Mary caught a few more words, but most of the conversation was muffled. Justice League? Superman? That was a bit of a jump from talking about Bruce Wayne.

Mary moved to sit down at the table, thinking. She would have to talk to Terry tomorrow about his late nights. But her main thoughts centered on Dick Grayson. When he had talked about Bruce Wayne just then, there had been true affection in his tone. Could she have judged him wrongly? But why did he leave Mr. Wayne alone?

* * *

Before leaving for work the next morning, Mary McGinnis paid a visit to Dick Grayson. Knocking on the door, she waited, reevaluating all that she had seen of him.

Dick answered the door, dressed in a t-shirt that said 'Bludhaven Police Department' and sweatpants. Past him, she saw a wall covered with faded circus posters. "Mrs. McGinnis," he said with some surprise. "What can I do for you?"

Mary fidgeted. "Mr. Grayson, I…I would like to apologize."

He smoothed back his hair. "Apologize? For what?"

"For my behavior towards you." She sighed. "I thought that you were a poor son to Mr. Wayne and were only taking advantage of Terry. But…well, I overheard part of your conversation with Terry last night, and I just wanted to say that I'm sorry."

There was a worried look in his eyes. "Conversation?" he asked.

She nodded. "About Mr. Wayne. I'm a mother, and I heard true affection in your voice. For all your difficulties with the man, you did love it. And I just wanted to apologize to you, Mr. Grayson."

Dick studied Mary McGinnis thoughtfully. After a long moment, he nodded. "Call me Dick."

She smiled. "Then I'm Mary." She paused. "Now, about you keeping my son up till all hours of the morning…"

Dick grinned sheepishly and rubbed a hand through his hair. He had forgotten how parents acted towards their children. He remembered Bruce, forbidding him from going after Tony Zucco, and he smiled to himself. 'Thanks, Bruce,' he thought. 'Thank you for being a great dad.'