Disclaimer: I own nothing in the DC universe except some comics.

I don't know why but I had the hardest time writing this chapter even though it was shorter than my usual chapters. Maybe some weird form of writers block since I was actually more eager to write the next few chapters than this one? I don't know but I will have at least one more chapter before Christmas maybe two but I can't promise. Also I need recommendations from my readers on what to call Terry when he's in uniform. I can't call him Batman, Bruce would never allow that, Batman Beyond just doesn't quite roll off the tongue and BB is already taken by a Beast Boy. The only thing I can think of is Black Bat but I know that name's already been taken and in the off chance it I may write a sequel it would be weird to have two characters named the same if I decided to include Cassondra. So, any suggestions?

Someone Else's Future

Terry was glad that only Batman and Nightwing were here to listen to his origin story. This might be a little too traumatizing for Tim. He just finished up telling the former dynamic duo about how his father worked for Bruce's old company and stumbled upon Powers' plot to make nerve gas and how that secret had led to his murder. He told them how he had discovered Bruce's identity as the former Batman and how after asking for his help and being turned down he stole the bat suit and made his debut as the new Batman. He told them about the basic stuff like a few of his new recurring villains, the fate of some of their old ones and finally about the Bat family's last stand.

"Keep in mind half of what I know is only verified by Barbara Gordon and a few tidbits from Bruce. I didn't even know about Dick Grayson's involvement until I met up with him almost a year later."

Both the current Batman and Nightwing nodded in encouragement waiting for Terry to tell the tale even though they knew it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"In my time we were having issues with this new mysterious villain and his henchmen. He knew a lot more than your average villain about both Bruce and myself but while we're investigating, the boss himself crashed a party we were attending. To everyone's surprise especially Bruce's it was the Joker himself. After that Bruce was trying to deny that it was the real Joker then tried to have me hang up my cowl. I wasn't getting any answers from him and so I went to Police Commissioner Barbara Gordon for a better explanation."

Dick didn't interrupt but he couldn't help but smile at the thought of Barbara as the new commissioner for Gotham. He knew she'd do a good job.

"She told me how a long time ago Robin, Tim Drake, went out alone on patrol as Robin and never came back. Batman of course investigated but this time the Joker covered his tracks. Usually he likes to be found but this time he took his time. Tim was missing for weeks without so much as a lead. Nightwing had come in to help even though at the time he and Bruce barely talked to each other."

Dick frowned at the thought. Sure he and Bruce fought sometimes but what kid didn't fight with their parents every now and then. Even though they argued about him joining the Police Academy there was still no doubt in his mind that Bruce cared. He couldn't help but wonder what happened to their counterparts in Terry's world to break up such a partnership.

"I don't know when it happened exactly but while he was in the Joker's clutches Tim finally broke and told the Joker all of Batman's secrets. Secrets that the Joker used to tear the Bat family apart even further. He had managed to kidnap Alfred and was threatening him with the machine gun. Nightwing and Batman went to rescue him but it had been a long time since Bruce had worked with Dick and he forgot one of his oldest roles, never stand in front of your partner. Nightwing was in pursuit when Bruce jumped ahead of him blocking his view with his cape and the Joker opened fire."

Terry had to look away at the shocked expression from Batman. He was hard to read if you didn't know how but Terry knew this was very upsetting. He wished he didn't have to continue because this was just going to get worse.

"Nightwing was hurt, bad. Bruce managed to get him out of his suit and called for an ambulance but the Joker had taken Alfred and escaped forcing Bruce to pursue. He was able to save Alfred in the end but once again the Joker got away with Tim still in his custody."

Terry pause for a minute wondering how much more he should tell when Batman spoke up.

"How badly was Nightwing injured?" Again you had to know how to read Bruce to catch any form of emotion but even if you didn't you could tell he was very worried. Dick was still standing beside him his face blank and emotionless as he waited to hear the fate of his counterpart.

"It was really bad, he lost an eye, has limited use of one arm, and to this day still has a bullet in his spine. He essentially had to relearn how to walk again. His days on the trapeze were over and he never put the uniform back on again."

Terry couldn't help but notice the subtle gesture in Batman's hand almost as if he was going to put a hand on Dick's shoulder for support but then thought better of it. He also saw Nightwing glance at Batman and the two had an almost inaudible conversation. Or perhaps they would simply talk about this in private later. Terry was only halfway done with a story after all.

"It was shortly after that the Joker sent Batman and Batgirl an invitation. He and Harley Quinn were waiting for them in the rundown ruins of the old Arkham Asylum building. That's where he revealed the gruesome details about what he had done to Tim Drake. He had used stolen technology from Cadmus along with his own brand of Joker venom to mold the poor kid into a miniature version of himself. Tim was tortured, brainwashed, and essentially driven insane at the hands of that monster.

"During the fight Harley fell off a long side of the building and while her body was never found she was presumed dead. As for the Joker, he tried to get Tim Drake to shoot Batman but there was just enough of Tim Drake left to resist. But after such a long and painful ordeal the kid snapped, shot the Joker, and killed him instead."

Batman and Nightwing were both silent but clearly distraught. Their Tim may have escaped this fate but it didn't change the fact that this had happened to another version of someone they loved very much.

"It took Tim over a year in a psychiatric hospital to recover but Batman never took a partner again after that. Barbara took time off to help Tim but never went back out as Batgirl again either. Her father, the original Commissioner Gordon help them cover up the incident but it left a stain on the family and was forever tainted after that. What they didn't know at the time was that the Joker had inserted a microchip in the back of Tim's head with his own DNA and memories that, over time, turned Tim Drake into the new Joker."

Nightwing looked pale and spoke for the first time since story started. "That was the information I found on the chip. If you hadn't helped us when you did Tim might've… Dear God."

Terry founded it a little endearing that whether in the future or the past Dick Grayson always thought about others first. His future was painful and full of hardships but here he was focusing on his little brother. He hoped that this Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne wouldn't have the same falling out as the ones in his world did. He could tell they still cared about each other even if time hadn't healed old wounds.

"Back in my time the Joker had managed to break into the Bat cave and attacked Bruce nearly killing him. I was on my own for most of the investigation after that but I did manage to find a clue that linked the Joker to Tim Drake and when I confronted him I found out that he was using Tim's body to do his dirty work making him forget right afterwards. Tim had a history of mental illness after the incident so he never questioned any unusual nightmares or lingering gaps in his memory so no one caught on until it was almost too late. I barely managed to beat the Joker by frying the circuitry in Tim's head and got him to a hospital. He's okay now physically but no doubt this set him back quite a bit mentally."

The room fell silent as Terry finished his tail. He hoped this was enough, Bruce had said the incident with the Joker and Tim Drake was a possible link between their worlds but then since he interfered did that interfere with the link as well? Finally Bruce spoke.

"That should be enough information for now. If all goes as planned we will be leaving for the Watchtower within the hour." And without another word Bruce went further into the Bat cave.

Terry didn't know what to make of it, it wasn't unusual for Bruce to hide his emotions but it was almost like he was more disturbed by this then Terry thought he would be. But then again this Bruce was younger and also lost a Robin. Time could also be a factor.

He glanced at Nightwing who was looking a little pale. There was no doubt that Dick was disturbed by Terry's story. "You want to head upstairs? I'm starting to get a little claustrophobic down here." He said more for Dick's benefit than his. Dick nodded and followed Terry up the stairs and behind the old grandfather clock. Alfred wasn't in the kitchen but there was a hot plate of freshly baked cookies waiting for the two of them. Neither of them were very hungry.

Nightwing sat at the table his chin resting in his hands and seemed to be deep in thought. Terry patiently waited for Dick to say something wanting to give the other boy a chance to digest all the information he had just learned.

"It must've been tough for Bruce," Dick suddenly said. "Having two injured kids to worry about at the same time." Terry couldn't look Dick in the eye. There was a part of the story that he had left out hoping it wouldn't come up.

But Dick was raised by the Batman he could easily see Terry was trying to hide something. "So what happened after that? I know you said that my counterpart and Batman didn't get along but I can't see my other self trying to escape the manor if I was injured as badly as you said. I would think they would put their differences aside to help Tim recover."

Again Terry looked away and a feeling of dread crept into Dick stomach. "What is it you're not telling me?" Terry sighed and finally relented.

"Bruce sent Tim to recover in a private hospital, the best that money could buy. I don't know how much he was involved with his recovery but Bruce cut off all communications with him even after he got better."

Dick looked at Terry wide-eyed with disbelief. "That can't be right. You said yourself you didn't know the whole story. And I know for a fact that I would not have stood for any of that, 'I need to stay away from my family to keep them safe' bullshit!" Terry sighed again he had been hoping to avoid this.

"I know Mr. Grayson didn't abandon Tim, he was the one that help me find your counterpart. But after the incident Mr. Grayson officially cut himself off from Bruce entirely." The look on Dick's face was one of shocked, disbelief, and anger.

"No, there's no way I would just abandon Bruce without giving him a chance to explain... I know him, emotions are not his strong suit but even if his visits went poorly-"

"Bruce never came to visit." Terry interrupted. "He sent Alfred with a replacement Nightwing suit but he never came to visit his Dick Grayson." Terry didn't expect Dick to pound the table so hard it almost cracked. He jumped back in surprise.

"You're wrong, Bruce may be emotionally constipated but he wouldn't just…" His voice was now a mixture of anger and hurt similar to the tone Mr. Grayson had when he first told Terry the story. "He wouldn't just abandon his kids." Terry came up and laid a hand on Dick's shoulder. He stiffened a little but didn't pull away.

"I don't know what else to say, like you said I've only heard parts of the story and the gap that Bruce could fill he's not filling." Suddenly Dick stood up but kept his back to Terry.

"That maybe your Bruce, but that's not mine." And without another word he marched upstairs presumably to visit Tim and prepare him for the temporary move to the watchtower. Terry wanted to follow but feared he might be intruding so he sat back down at the table and glared at the plate of cookies now cold on the table as if they were responsible for this mess.

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Alfred Pennyworth approached his long time employer and surrogate son who was seated at the Bat Computer multitasking. He frowned when he saw he was watching a recording of Dick and Terry having a conversation in the kitchen and frown even more when he heard what they were arguing about.

"You do realize that when Master Dick discovers that you've been hiding recorders around the manor again he will not take it well." Bruce stared at the monitor still watching as Dick left the room leaving Terry alone in the kitchen. "I know you are aware of this but Master Dick is correct, you and your counterpart are very different people."

Alfred is probably the only one who could read Bruce's emotions better than Dick and he could see him calculating and trying to find the reasoning behind his counterpart's actions. He knew that if he let this continue Bruce would drive himself crazy.

"Might I recommend that you cease worrying about your counterpart's past actions and focus on the task at hand. Master Timothy is still in need of recovery and seeing as how I just chased away a strange green bird from his window, I suggest we leave soon."

Bruce groaned knowing that yet another meta had tried to sneak into his house. After Tim was secure he made a mental note to seriously increase security around the house. "Preparations are almost ready and after Tim is settled in I'm having a long talk with the team."

"Very good sir, just please try not to scare them too much, they are only concerned about Master Timothy's well-being."

"If their concern is causing them to ignore the rules it creates a greater risk for all of us." Bruce was silent for a moment before continuing. "There are too many involved as it is and too many people know too much." Sensing what was really concerning Bruce Alfred once again offered his wisdom.

"If you are implying that your counterpart cut himself off from his entire family to spare them greater harm I think you find that he was the one who wounded them the deepest. I know you'll never make the same mistake, at least not as long as I am alive. And if you do and I am no longer here to remind you then I shall be forced to haunt you until you're dying day."

Bruce cracked the rare smile at his old friend, grateful for his guidance. Suddenly the program he was waiting on beeped indicating it was complete. While overtime Bruce had learned to let people in he was still paranoid by nature. So far the DNA analysis he had run on Terry McGinnis had come up negative for any matches. He was not surprised by this and he was also not surprised to find no record of any possible mothers in this time. But what did surprise him was that a positive match came back for his father.

"Oh dear." Alfred commented as he saw the name flashing across the screen.

Bruce Wayne 99.97% positive paternal match.

Bruce glared at the screen. Sometimes he wished his paranoia wasn't always justified.

To be continued…

Next time: Batman's trust is once again tested even if Terry has no idea why. But as the League and the Team discussed what to do about the newcomer Terry learns that Bart Allen is keeping a dangerous secret. A secret that involves a member of the bat family.

Note: The scene which Terry is describing the final fate of Nightwing was never revealed in the DCAU but it was turned into a story arc in the Batman Beyond comic book series and the graphic novel Batman Beyond: Hush Beyond. While this was made to fit into the DCAU the timing is a little off since in the story Dick Grayson told Terry that Bruce hadn't worked with a partner in a very long time when he made the mistake and Dick was gunned down. But since I doubt Robin went solo and was still in his early to mid teens when he was captured by the Joker it indicated he was still working with Bruce in the movie. But in the comics it was almost implied that Nightwing's fall took place closer to when Bruce retired. If it was any other villain besides the Joker it honestly would've worked better for the story and the timing would've matched up but since it's the only story we have telling us what happened to Dick Grayson in this universe I'm just going to ignore the few inconsistencies. At least this does explain why Dick was not involved in the search for Tim Drake in the Batman Beyond movie even though he was mentioned.

That's enough geek talk out of me see you next time.

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