CMAeris: I try not to put A/N before the chapters, but this is just a quick heads up that Nights of Tomorrow: Forgotten Years (NoT:FY) is out and it will be telling the story of the ten years I skipped in the previous chapter. Also, there would be references to NoT:FY in this chapter and future chapters.

Nights of Tomorrow

Chapter Eight: Broken

"It's him." Damian said excitedly as he rushed into the cave after he reached home.

"It's who?" Tim asked as he glanced up from his screen.

"It's the deadweight! He's alive!" Damian said with his arms out in exclamation. "I saw him today! He looked a bit odd with those fake glasses, but I know it's him! He's alive! He's alive!" He laughed unable to contain himself. "Where do you think he was hiding all this time? And for ten years! He couldn't have done it on his own!"

"Dami." Dick called out to his former Robin gently.

"Why didn't he come home though?" Damian pondered. "He must've had a good reason." "Damian." Tim interrupted him. "You have to stop."

"What?" Damian's smile faded when he noticed that Dick and Tim didn't share their enthusiasm.

"I know you're excited and all… but it's not Terry. He died remember? Alfred brought his body home. You saw it yourself… We buried him…" Dick said gently as he placed a hand on his shoulder.

Damian's smile strained as he laughed again. "No, it's really him! He's using another name, but I know it's him. He has father's eyes! And who else could become a CEO that quickly at the age of 22?"

"Dami." Dick's voice strained.

Damian shook his head and pulled away from Dick. "I know it's him." He snapped. "You'd agree too if you saw him!" He pulled off the hidden camera in his cufflink and tossed it at them. "See for yourself!"

Dick plucked the camera from the air without a word, but he didn't move to the computer.

Tim gave him a calm stare. "Even if he does look like Terry, how are you sure it's him? Just by looks alone? What if he's a shape-shifter? Or even a clone? It wouldn't be hard for Cadmus to make a copy. The body may be the same, but psychologically, it could be someone else entirely."

"… But I know it's him." Damian protested weakly. "I know it's him."

"I know you miss him Damian," Tim said knowingly. "We all do, but you have to consider the possibility."

Alfred cleared his throat. "Why don't we invite Mr. McGinnis to the charity party next week? Then you can interrogate him to see if this young man is Master Terry."

"Alfred." Dick started, but the dear butler moved to usher Damian towards the stairs with a comforting hand.

"A little test won't hurt anyone." Alfred said gently, he didn't want to destroy Damian's hopes completely.

o.o.o.o.o

"… A charity ball at Wayne Manor?" Terry glanced up to Lucius Fox Jr. as he pushed his fake glasses up the bridge of his nose.

"Yep, it's cutting a bit close to the party, but it seems like you impressed the normally stoic Mr. Wayne yesterday at the meeting." Lucius Jr. leaned against his desk.

"…Do I have to go?" He resisted a whine as he shuffled his paperwork, trying to hide behind the limp paper.

Lucius Jr. tilted his head curiously. "Why don't you want to go? It's a great opportunity to network and meet the partners."

He paused. "I rather spend my Friday evening quietly with friends than in a fictitious socialite party filled with masked idiots."

The dark man gave a laugh. "You don't have to stay for the whole thing, just show up for an hour or two, meet some people, talk to the Waynes, then leave. I'm really surprised you made it up the ladder so quickly, with how anti-social you are."

"I'm not anti-social!" He retorted, but he got the subtle advice the man was giving.

Lucius Jr. grinned brightly. "Good, then you can go no problem. See you there Friday, Terry." He chirped before strolling out of the current CEO's office.

The door closed quietly before Terry huffed in annoyance. "I hate it when he's right." He grumbled under his breath. "… I really don't want to go." He pouted, but he knew he had to. After all, now that he was the CEO of his dad's company, he has an image to maintain.

Nevertheless, if he had to go to this party, he needed to prepare himself. No doubt, Damian has concluded Terry McGinnis is Terry Wayne, for who knows what reason, but it doesn't mean he would admit to them. It was safer for him to be McGinnis. With Cadmus no longer hunting him, he could work behind the scenes much easier and he developed a good system for himself in Gotham. Returning to the family served no purpose to him. He was better off away from them.

Picking up his blackberry, he quickly typed text messages to the Ivys to make sure they won't need him for the next few weeks. If he was right, Damian wasn't going to let up and it might be dangerous to them if they came looking for him. As for the Titans, a message was sent through their private com-link that he was out of service until further notice and a warning to Conner and Bart not to come to Gotham. If they came, they'd blow his cover in a blink of an eye.

The only thing left was to give Cassandra the head's up. Since she couldn't read and talking over the phone was too risky, it was best to do so in person. She was finishing up with her students at the dojo when he came after work.

"Terry." She greeted quietly as she evaluated him. "You're not here to train."

Terry grinned sheepishly. "I might not be able to come for lessons for a little while."

"…Why?" She asked.

"It looks like—" He quickly turned around at the sharp whistle of a BB gun behind him. He raised a hand to catch the small BB bullets before it managed to hit him. "What was that for?" He snapped in annoyance at the smirking red-haired man at the door.

"Congrats on the new CEO position kid." Jason said lazily as he strolled in.

Terry flicked the BB at the other's nose. "Why must you insist on shooting me every time you see me?"

"Good training." Cassandra replied.

"See, even the beautiful sensei agrees with me." He strolled over to rest an arm on her shoulder.

She easily grabbed his arm before flipping him over onto the mat and shoving him into an arm lock. "But you need more training, Jason."

"Geez, neither of you have a sense of humor." Jason grumbled as he struggled out of the former Batgirl's grip, but failed miserably.

"Go live in Central with the other redheads then." Terry retorted as he crossed his arms in annoyance.

Shortly after his returned to Gotham to start his life as Terry McGinnis, he ran into Jason Todd. He was sneaking back into the manor to do the security maintenance that Tim and the others missed when he found the other lurking in the cave. They scuffled, ended up in the other world and returned with a grudging understanding. Though, Terry and Cassandra openly work to change his method against the underworld.

"All right already! I give! Let go woman!" Jason grumbled in defeat before Cassandra smirked and released him. He sighed as he sat up rubbing his arm. "So, why's the new CEO of Wayne Enterprise here? Don't you have paperwork to do?"

Terry rolled his eyes. "As I was saying." Ignored Jason's witty comment. "I ran into Mr. Wayne during the meeting yesterday. I'm not doubting that he'll stringently comb through my history files."

Jason raised a brow. "The demon brat was at the meeting?"

"Lucius Fox Senior was determined to retire." He shrugged in response.

"What are you planning?" Cassandra asked.

"Well, I'm stuck going to a charity event they're hosting. No doubt, I'll be grilled." He muttered. "It's probably best that we stay off contact for a while, just so they won't give either of you any trouble."

Jason smirked. "Sure you don't want me to blow the party? Those are obnoxiously boring."

Terry's eyes narrowed. "Do that and you're not getting toys for a year."

"Geez." Jason muttered under his breath. "No sense of humor."

While Jason could make do with stealing weapons from the criminals of Gotham, there were some tools that only the family had that Terry could supply him with.

"Behave and you'll continue to get your toys like a good little boy." Terry smirked.

"Yeah, yeah." Jason retorted sarcastically. "I'll stay off Santa's naughty list."

With the loose ends dealt with, the only thing left was to straighten out his cover story. He dread for the day to come.

o.o.o.o.o

Dick Grayson could do many things. He could fly through the air with ease and somersault his way over the roofs of Gotham. He was formerly the boy wonder, formerly Nightwing and currently Batman. He could face thugs armed with guns and psychopaths of all forms. He could do all that, but even so, he still had trouble with this.

Party planning.

Even after five years, it was difficult to carry out a charity event with the same ease as Alfred. And just when he thought he was ready, this McGinnis character popped up. From the Damian's pictures, the young CEO looked very much like an aged version of the late Terry Wayne. It was likely due to the resemblance that Damian was so adamant in believing McGinnis was his brother.

Alfred decided to add McGinnis to the guest list to appease Damian, but that also mean more detective work was needed to check on the new CEO of Wayne Enterprise. The background check was clean, McGinnis was so dreadfully dull and normal there was nothing that stood out. Warren McGinnis was a Wayne Enterprise stockholder for nearly three decades. He worked in computer engineering and security programs before he passed away some years ago.

He decided to call Superman and Flash for assistance. Both would be able to help him keep track of the young man while he was busy with the annoying socialite party and they would have legitimate reasons to attend. Clark Kent from the Daily Planet could easily use his reporter status while Wally West could tag along with his wife Linda West, the reporter from Central.

It wasn't that he didn't want McGinnis to be Terry. He'd very much want to believe that. But he was worried for Damian. If the young man weren't Terry, it would damage Damian and just when he was starting to open up. He failed Bruce's son once, he doesn't want to fail the man's remaining son.

"How are you coming along, Master Dick?" Alfred asked as he hovered over the other's shoulder.

"… Help me please?" Dick groaned in anguish as he resisted banging his head against the table.

While Dick was busy with the planning details, Tim worked to keep Damian in check and not let him run off to stalk the new CEO.

"I told you I could find proof that he's deadweight! Why won't you just let me go?" He snapped with agitation.

"This is exactly why I don't want you to go out right now." Tim reasoned calmly. "You're being brash right now. What if he's Terry? Then what? How do you prove it's him? You haven't the faintest clue why he left in the first place. Don't forget neither of you were on good terms before he died."

Damian stopped as his shoulders slumped down. "… He probably still thinks I want him dead…"

Tim sighed and placed a hand on the other's shoulder. "You've changed and if it really is him, he's changed as well. Just wait."

Damian stayed silent as he reluctantly stayed away from the young man he thought of as his brother.

o.o.o.o.o

The day of the party, Damian anticipated this day for what seemed like an eternity, while Terry dreaded it with each nearing day. Six pm, Terry was dragged to the site by Lucius Jr. The man insisted he be there early to get through each and every one of the potential investors for Wayne Enterprise.

Fake smiles and words of flattery, both that Terry could so with practiced ease, but it gets old fast when it's repeated for an hour as Lucius Jr. dragged him about the room to meet the partners and Gotham's rich socialites. Oh, he could've easily escaped the man, but then he would risk getting accosted by the Waynes.

"Bored?" Lucius Jr. grinned when they finally broke away from the crowds.

"Give me a hostile company take over any day." Terry muttered under his breath as he grabbed a glass from the passing buss boys.

"But you're doing so well." Lucius Jr. teased.

Terry rolled his eyes as he took a sip of his champagne. "How many more people do I still have to meet?"

"Well, I've already introduced you to everyone you need to know, you can go enjoy the rest of the party on your own. Oh, just don't leave too early, it's rude if you do that." The man clapped his shoulder and left him on his own.

The new CEO found himself lost without his vice-president's reassuring presence, he felt exposed for an attack from the Waynes. Glancing around quickly, he made sure they haven't spotted him before he moved towards the buffet style table to hide. Though, much to his surprise, he wasn't expecting a familiar speedster stuffing his face at the table.

The redhead spotted him immediately before waving an arm for him to come over. "Tewwy!" He said with a mouthful as he walked over with a full plate. He chewed and swallowed before he spoke again. "Hiya Mr. Big-shot CEO. You didn't tell me you worked at Wayne Enterprise." He chirped.

"You never asked." Terry replied carefully. He and Wally had met again when Bart dragged him off to one of the notorious Flash Christmases and introduced him to the family as a civilian friend. "Why are you here? Aren't you a mechanic?"

The red-haired speedster gave a bright grin. "Well, my wife is a reporter you know. After all, the Central Times been trying to get a look at the new CEO of Wayne Enterprise for a while." He nudged Terry's side playfully.

"I see." Terry said. Dick couldn't be anymore obvious sending this Centralian superhero to scope him out.

"So how did you meet Bart again?" Wally asked as he devoured a beef skewer. "Gotham is at least an hour or two away from Central."

The young CEO gave a nonchalant shrug as he swiped a salmon crostini off his plate. "Well, your daughter seemed pretty fast when I saw her last time at the Christmas party. I'm not surprised if Bart could be just as fast and get to places without much time." He grinned as he popped the finger food into his mouth.

Wally stared at him with widened eyes before a forced smile reached his lips. "Uh… Could you finish this for me Ter? I need to use the restroom." The plate was in his hand before Wally sprinted off at a human pace.

Terry smirked as he plucked another piece off the plate gleefully. It was always fun to mess with the speedsters. He was in the middle of polishing off Wally's plate when another familiar face showed up.

"Mr. McGinnis?" The glasses-wearing man of steel approached him with a smile. "Clark Kent from the Daily Planet. What's it like to be the new CEO of Wayne Enterprise? I heard the Waynes are quite taken with you."

"Ah, the infamous Superman look-alike." Terry said casually. "What are you doing away from Superman reporting?"

"Well, you are the new CEO of Wayne Enterprise Mr. McGinnis, every newspaper wants an exclusive interview with you." He answered easily.

"Oh." Terry was mildly annoyed that the reporter wasn't as easily warded off as the speedster. "I suppose that the Waynes were not impressed with my work."

"Surely that's not the case, I heard the young Mr. Wayne was quite taken with you in your first meeting."

"We've only met once, I really doubt they could favor someone that quickly. Besides, I haven't met the rest of the Waynes." He shrugged.

"Well, Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne's ward had invited you, so I'm sure they're happy to see you." Clark added.

"I'm not going to make assumptions until I've met them." Terry replied as he took a sip of his champagne.

"But you will meet them before you leave?" He pressed on.

"Since they invited me, it's impolite to leave without greeting them." Terry gave him a hard stare. "Aren't you straying off topic here Mr. Kent?"

The reporter smiled brightly. "Has anyone told you, you resemble the missing Terrence Wayne very much?"

He shrugged and slyly asked, "And how would you know that?"

"I've done my research Mr. McGinnis." The other chirped not wavered by the fact that Terry tried to bluff him.

Damn alien. He thought in annoyance. "You resemble Superman too, but I'm sure you're not. Celebrity resemblance is very common nowadays."

"What is the pressure like being the new CEO?" Clark switched to a more standard question; at least he knew how to back off unlike the speedster.

"Well, I have Mr. Fox to look to for advice, he's very experienced and well versed in the business… and we do have several projects that's in production at the moment." Terry paused as he feinted a glance to the other side of the room. "Could you excuse me? I have someone I need to talk to." He hastily left and sped to Lucius' side in hopes that the man could ward off other possible heroes in disguise.

"Ah, Terry! Just the person I was looking for!" Lucius placed a friendly arm around his shoulder before pulling him to yet another person he didn't want to see. "You have to meet Tim Wayne. He was dying to meet you."

Terry held back a grimace as he forced another smile and held out his hand to shake the former Robin's hand. "Terry McGinnis, pleasure to meet you Mr. Wayne."

Tim had a look of wonder as he shook his hand with a pained smile. "Please call me Tim. Bruce isn't here right now."

Lucius smiled brightly at the two before clapping them both on the shoulders. "Well, I'll leave you two to talk."

Terry internally wanted to strangle the man, why was he abandoning him? "All right. What was it that you wanted to see me that urgently before Tim?"

Tim smiled sadly. "Have you ever lost someone dear to you Terry?"

"I'm an orphan." He replied quietly. "I'm already used to it."

"But have you ever thought of cloning? The possibilities that you can do in bringing them back to life that way?" Tim asked.

"… Whoever thinks that, they need therapy." Terry replied bluntly. He couldn't believe it, after all this time Tim was still on cloning?

"Maybe." Tim admitted. "But don't you ever wonder what if you could bring them back? What it'd be like with them back?"

"You're really asking for it when the humanity rights association hears about this." Terry reasoned.

"Who doesn't want to see their loved ones again?" Tim asked quietly.

"Money can't fight what comes naturally." Terry grounded out.

Beep! Beep!

Terry jolted at the familiar sound. The alarm that alerted them that dad was home. Where was it coming from? His eyes darted around the crowd and he spotted Damian, surrounded by a horde of socialites. The alarm came from Damian's phone, but at a closer look, he spotted the alarms he was looking for around Damian's neck. His hands clenched furiously as he saw red. That audacious jackass!

Without a word, he left before he decided to do something he regrets. Tim seemed to have wanted to talk to him more, but Damian was in great need of saving from the socialites. Terry had enough of this forsaken party. He wanted to leave at all costs.

"Sorry to interrupt." Terry hunted down the group Dick was occupied with. "But may I borrow Mr. Grayson for a moment?"

Dick turned away from his group with a surprised look across his face. He gave his guests a sheepish grin with a raised a hand in apology before he walked with Terry to the hallways. "You must be Terry the new CEO. I'm sorry I haven't gotten a chance to get to you. Are you enjoying the party?"

"It's a wonderful party, but I'm afraid I have to leave early." Terry said evenly, trying his best not to run out of the manor.

"Is something wrong?" Dick looked worried.

"It's nothing." He replied. "I'm sure the rest of your guests will enjoy your party, but I really do need to go Mr. Grayson. I hope you'll understand."

"Of course." Dick nodded. "I'll walk you to the door."

Neither of them realized how long it took to walk to the door. It has been ten years since Terry walked through the main halls and Dick was used to leaving the manor via cave.

"You're the new head of your family now, true?" Terry tried striking up conversation.

Dick chuckled a little. "New head? Nah, that's was always Bruce's thing…" He trailed off.

Terry glanced elsewhere. "That still doesn't change the fact you need to take better care of your family."

"Pardon?" The former circus performer turned to him.

"Find out yourself." Terry said as they reached the door.

A happy bark caught their attention as Ace raced to their feet with his tail wagging. He was quick to rub his face against Terry's hand affectionately. A smile touched his lips briefly as he petted the dog's head.

"Nice dog." Terry said as he pretended not to recognize his dog. "I need to get going now Mr. Grayson. Pleasure meeting you." He made his way out without realizing that his cover was blown.

o.o.o.o.o

Three hours later a group was gathered in the cave for a non-bias assessment of McGinnis's character… with the exception of Wally.

"He's evil! EVIL I TELL! YOU!" Wally whined as he stuffed his face with the leftovers. "He totally knew who we were and what we were trying to do! I tell you that kid is him!"

"I wouldn't say he's evil." Clark interrupted the munching speedster. "But I do agree it is him. He evaded a lot of my questions and even tried to bluff me that he'd reveal I'm Superman."

Tim nodded. "He tried his best pretending not to know any of us, but it's hard for him to hide his thoughts on sensitive subjects. He was quite against the idea that I would attempt to clone again."

"There's no way he doesn't know that we've realized who he is." Dick murmured. "Ace gave him away so easily."

"I don't know why the hell we're still having this fucking conversation! It IS him!" Damian snapped. "We all have one proof or another that showed it's him!"

"Fine, it is him, then what?" Dick reasoned. "Why didn't he come home? Why is he staying away? You're so caught up that he's alive that you haven't even thought of the reasons why he's staying away."

"Why does it matter? He's alive! Why are we pussy footing around him?" Damian snapped as he stormed off.

"Where are you going?" Dick called out to him.

"To do something you wouldn't!" Damian snapped before he was out of sight.

Dick sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Kids." Wally chirped. "Parenting isn't as easy as it seem is it Dicky?"

"Shut up Wally."

o.o.o.o.o.o

Terry was annoyed. The Waynes haven't changed in the least since he was gone. Tim was still obsessed with cloning the dead and creating lifeless copies. Dick was still caught up with his own agenda that he doesn't know how his family was crumbling. As for Damian, oh that demon spawn infuriated him so. It was not enough that he died once already, but he had to steal from his corpse! He has one of those damn alarms already! Why the hell does he need a second one? Was he trying to flaunt it as a trophy?

He growled as he thrust quick successions of jabs at his opponent before taking a cheap shot at the other's shin. His forehead poured with sweat. He had been sparring with Jason since he left the manor and raced to Cassandra's dojo.

"Shit!" Jason cursed as he blocked his attacks and tried to retaliate with his own dirty tricks.

Terry saw through it easily and caught Jason by the wrist. He twisted his arm behind his back and shoved him violently. Jason stood firm as he tried to back kick the other, but Terry used it as a chance to kick the open joint at the back of his knee, slamming him to the ground and shoving his head into the mats. He breathed heavily as he forced Jason's arm up higher and higher.

"Damn it kid! I give!" Jason snapped out.

Terry let out a steady breath as he released his murderer and reached out a hand to help him up.

Jason lied on the mats with uneven breaths. "Shit, the hell pissed you off?"

"I apologize." Terry said evenly as he tried to catch his breath as well. "Today was the party."

The redhead raised a brow. "You should've let me come with you. I would've made it interesting."

"Not with the alien and a speedster there. You would've been jailed faster than you can say mercy." Terry replied bluntly.

"So what pissed you off kid?" He chewed idly on a match. They had forced him to quit smoking ages ago.

"It's something petty, I'll get over it." Terry grumbled as he grabbed the towel Cassandra handed to him.

"Petty?" Jason tilted his head back. "You have your priorities all screwed up kid. You're pissed at them for something petty, but you're chatting up with your murderer?"

"You're one to judge, you went after Tim when he wasn't even your killer." Terry quipped.

"Ah touché." Jason drawled. "By the way, you only won because I'm getting old."

Cassandra dropped a towel on his head. "Keep telling yourself that. Both shower. Smell."

"But you like the musk babe." Jason grinned from under the towel before she shoved his face back to the ground with one hand. "Ugh… love you too babes."

Terry smiled faintly at the two. He'd rather be in their company than the family any day. He washed up before thanking them for putting up with him. He felt much calmer now. Who cares about the Waynes? This was the only charity event he needed to attend. After this, he'd keep to Wayne Enterprise and they can do whatever they wanted.

On his drive back to Gotham Park Tower he wanted nothing more than to get into bed and bury his face into his pillows and sleep till morning. He was sore from the spar and the adrenalin he ran on was finally wearing off. From parking his car to riding the elevator, everything was a blur. It wasn't until he opened the door to his apartment and the lights flickered on that he noticed something wrong. Someone was in his suite.

He tensed at the unfamiliar hooded figure standing in his living room. The stranger looked like death, donned in black with his tattered cloak. Each step he took he crept like a spirit's ghostly wisps. His instincts screamed for him to flee immediately and he had, after he slapped the panic button. The hooded figured reached out for him, but he had already turned his heel and raced out of his suite for his life.

Oddly, the intruder didn't pursue. The complex's security spent an hour combing the whole building for the costumed figure. Finding nothing, they deemed it safe for him to return. Not that he believed them. Whoever this was, he was not the typical Gotham villain. There wasn't a moment where he didn't want to go to either the Ivys or back to Cassandra's dojo, but if he did, he'd bring trouble to them. They weren't the targets he was.

Steeling himself, he returned to his suite, ready to face his stalker. Though, he didn't expect to be grabbed immediately upon entering again. The instant that gloved hand touched his shoulder; he grabbed onto the stranger's wrist and arm, much like what he did to Jason earlier, and tossed him. He wouldn't risk pinning him to the ground. He had no clue what his stalker was capable.

The cape fluttered loudly as the hooded figure tucked into a somersault and landed soundly on his booted feet. The hood fell back and the shadow crept away to reveal a familiar face under a black domino mask.

No longer donned in the costume of Robin, it was Ibn al Xuffasch.

o.o.o.o.o

Damian sped down the path at break neck speeds. He didn't care what anything the others had to say. Everything at that party proved McGinnis was his brother. Even if he has no physical evidence yet, nothing will stop him from seeking his brother out. Whether to talk or outright drag his ass back home, something will be cleared tonight.

The security to Gotham Park Towers was a joke compared to what Terry set for him during their moments of death tags. The suite Terry used lacked personality everything was pre-furnished as if it was straight out of a designer magazine.

Nothing stood out. No pictures, no files, not even a laptop. It was as if no one lived here, but he knew this was his brother's suite. He couldn't stalk him in person under Dick's rules, but he said nothing about the net and satellite. This was the suite he lived in, but why wasn't he home? He left the party hours ahead of him.

Cabinets and drawers held nothing of importance. It was only luck that he noticed the strange wad of cloth that sat in the open kitchen. White with brown splotches… it looked almost like… blood. He grasped onto the cloth tightly. He recognized what it was.

A jingle of keys caught his attention. The door unlocked and the lights came to life. Standing at the door, stunned, was his brother. He looked terrified. He wanted to reach out to him, wanted to tell him he just wanted to talk, but the other had already slapped the panic button and raced out the suite. Damian cursed under his breath. He should've disabled security.

Too late for that, he has to leave before security caught sight of him.

Damian waited a short distance away while the staff combed through the building searching for intruders. He couldn't see his brother, but he assumed that Terry was either at the security booth peaking over the security cameras or planning to leave.

Once the security staff was gone, he hurried back to the suite and disabled the panic buttons in the suite and waited by the door for his brother. He wasn't letting him run off again this time. When Terry returned he tried grabbing onto his shoulder, but his brother surprised him by tossing him across the room. With a tuck and a somersault, he easily landed.

"Get out." It was the first thing Terry said to him since their first meeting at Wayne Enterprise.

Damian ignored his demand to leave. "You've learn some new skills while you were gone."

Terry frowned. "I don't know who you are or what you're talking about. I demand you to leave my home this instant!"

"No." Damian replied bluntly. "And don't bother with the panic button, I've already disabled it."

"What do you want? Who are you?" Terry glared.

"Stop bullshitting me." Damian snapped. "I know it's you deadweight!" He tossed the rag at him. "You were wearing this when Todd shot you! It has your blood and the holes are exactly where the bullets entered!"

Terry saw red as he snatched the rag from the air. "Stop taking my stuff!" He growled. "You already have the manor! The right as dad's son, the Robin mantle, the next in line for Batman's mantle, the family and the god damn wealth. What more do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything of yours! I just want you to come home!" Damian snapped back. "How long were you alive? Why haven't you come home this whole time?"

"It's none of your business! And I don't want to go back!" Terry yelled.

Damian stood firm. "It damn well is my business! Why did you run away in the first place? Wasn't the manor your home?"

Terry tightened his fists as his face turned red with anger. "The manor is dad's home, not mine! And how could I live there when you're suffocating me everyday with your attempts to kill me?" He threw the rag to the ground. "It's not a home! It's a mausoleum! If I stayed any longer, it would've been my grave!"

"I don't want you dead." Damian said quietly.

"Then what were the last twenty-eight attempts on my life supposed to mean?" He snarled.

Damian said nothing there was no defense for his past actions.

"I've answered your questions. Now LEAVE!" He pointed to the window.

The former robin stood in silence for a moment before he reached into his cloak to dig out the alarms that hung around his neck. "Here." He held out the alarms to him.

"I don't want it." Terry snipped, his arms crossed.

"Just take it would you?" He said quietly.

"I—don't—want—it." Terry enunciated clearly. "If you don't want it, throw it in the trash, I have no use for it."

"It's not trash!" Damian snapped. "This was supposed to mean something! You know it meant something!"

"Meant, past tense." Terry drawled. "It means nothing now. I don't want it."

"How could it mean nothing? This told us when father came back! This is all we have left of him!" He argued.

"And that means nothing, I could easily make more of it. Dad is dead, holding trash won't bring him back." Terry said icily.

"Take it back!" Damian growled as he tried to shove it into his brother's hand.

"No! I don't want it!"

Damian forced it into Terry's hand, and the younger refused to take it. They scuffled until Terry stopped protesting all together and took the alarms. The newly made CEO stalked over to the open window with an icy glare and chucked the alarms out without a care.

"It's trash and for the record—I would rather have Jason Todd here than you."

Damian felt his heart drop as he watched the two dangling alarms plummet over the edge. He dashed to the window, quickly diving after them. Terry didn't bother to watch as he closed and locked the window. Couldn't give less of a damn than he already has.

Outside, Damian continued to plummet as he frantically reached for the alarms. He was meters from the ground when his fingers latched onto the fine line that held them together. Swiftly, he shot off a grappling hook and swung himself onto a nearby roof. With the alarms grasped gently in his hands he glanced back at Gotham Park Towers mournfully.

He was raised mastering the art of assassins. He was taught that obstacles were meant for elimination. He was told it was his destiny to stand by his father's side and eventually succeed him.

But, his father was dead. He stood by the side of another man. The mantle of Batman was far from being his and rather than killing and destroying his obstacles, he had grown fond and attached. He has changed for the better and yet, he was told he was no better than a murdered by his only brother.

Damian walked away in silence.

o.o.o.o.o

CM Aeris: Whew! That was suffocating, but the chapter's finally done. Another reminder to check out Nights of Tomorrow: Forgotten Years Interlude for more details on what happened during the ten years and also I have a blog up for the edited version of Sons of the Night and Nights of Tomorrow. It's posted on my profile. And one last special announcement! A good friend of mine has offered to draw me a picture of this bat-family patrolling Gotham City for my birthday present! So look forward to her awesome picture sometime during the summer! See you next chapter!

Next Chapter: Fallen