A/N: This was inspired by the cemetery scene that by paganpunk2. And reading the comic where Bruce officially declares Dick his son and heir, I just had to write this. Bruce goes to the cemetery to find answers on why he can't say three little words and finds Dick telling his own parents about the adoption.

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Saying Three Little Words

By

AJ

". . . I love you, too." Dick said in response.

Bruce watched his eldest son move to the changing area to change out of his Nightwing gear. He looked at the paper that now sat on the table . . . Dick's signature now written on the line below his.

'Dick has said those three words countless times to me since he was nine,' Bruce thought, as he slipped the cowl off of his head. 'Why can't I say them even once?' He picked up the paper that officially declared Dick Grayson his son and heir. Images of his own parents came to him and he realized why. 'My father rarely said he loved me in words. It was always with his actions. Is that why? Do actions speak louder than words for me? Will I ever be able to say those words to him? He deserves to hear them. I need to talk to Alfred.'

Bruce moved to the changing area and removed the rest of his uniform. He placed the cowl on its stand then started to place the uniform in the laundry so Alfred could take care of it later when he spotted Nightwing's uniform. A smile spread on his lips. 'How many countless nights did we do this, place our uniforms in the laundry together.'

Images of Jason and Tim came to him and Bruce realized that neither boy had placed their uniform in the laundry with his. Jason would leave his uniform, Dick's former uniform, on the floor and Tim, he would place his on a hanger in the laundry room regardless whether it needed cleaning or not. Tim also took his uniform with him in those earlier days since he still had his parents around. With his adoption by Bruce, Tim resumed his habit of placing his uniform on a hanger and taking it straight to the laundry room. It might save time, but it still set him apart from the others. Dick, though out of habit mingled his uniform with Bruce's . . . as if he was still his partner.

'That came out of nowhere. Was Dick still my partner? Robin is Batman's partner. Tim had pointed that out to me a few of years before. Batman and Robin are partners . . . but that did not preclude that Batman and Nightwing couldn't be partners after all . . . '

And that brought him back to those three little words. 'How can I say them? Do I need to say them? Dick seems to be the one to say them for both of us. He seems to know that I lo . . . I still can't even say them to myself.'

Bruce moved up the stairs to the Manor but did not stop there. He normally would head to the kitchen and Alfred would give him a snack and some decaf coffee before heading to bed. This time it was different. With the night waning and with dawn approaching, he found himself heading toward the back of the Manor and out the back door. His feet carried him across the back lawn to the path under the trees. He walked along the darkened path leading up to the hill beyond the small-forested area to the family cemetery. His feet continued to carry him until he stopped suddenly on the edge when he heard a familiar voice.

" . . . I still can't believe it . . . and yet . . . He said it would not change how he felt if I didn't sign . . . He still understands . . . After all this time . . . I thought . . . I thought he . . . He forgot . . . you know? He said he would never replace you as . . . And he hasn't . . . well" A pause filled the air until the speaker gave out an audible sigh then continued. "I remember the first time he brought me here . . . To think that he did this for me . . . had you brought here from Newtown so I could . . . I hope you don't mind . . . He won't admit it . . . Or at least say anything but . . . the truth of the matter is . . . He is my father now . . . My second father. You will always be my Dad . . ," Dick said to John Grayson. "But I hope you won't mind me calling him Dad now. I . . . I would from time to time . . . And I always wondered if . . . if you didn't mind. I love you both and I miss you still . . . But I love him, too. Do you mind if I say it? I know it's been a long time since I came here. There was so much that's happened. Some of it I'm ashamed to mention . . . I guess I better let you know, but there's something else I need to do first."

Bruce turned back toward the trees once more. He didn't want to intrude. He should have known that Dick would come here to see his parents right after the signing. It was only fitting. There will be another time for him to see his own parents or maybe he would come back later, but before he knew it, Dick's voice came once again to him on the breeze.

"Hi . . . um . . . Mr. and Mrs. Wayne . . . I mean I guess I should be calling you . . . Grandpa and Grandma now . . . Seems kind of awkward. I . . . I never knew my grandparents . . . and well I don't even know where they are even buried . . . They aren't around here . . . that is Gotham, that much I know. Anyway . . . I just wanted to let you know . . . your son is now . . . my . . . officially now . . . my . . . my second Dad. He actually did it . . . after all this time. I remember when he wanted to adopt me . . . tried to adopt me soon after . . . and well CPS wouldn't let him. I didn't understand back then why he wanted to . . . He didn't know me back then . . . At least that's what I thought. I guess he knew me more than I realized. And I guess I know him, too."

Bruce listened once more as Dick's voice paused.

"I want to say I'm sorry for not coming to see you for a while. We've been through a lot . . . Bruce and I . . . We've had our ups and downs and I can't help remembering what he said to me once. That's the way it is . . . between fathers and sons . . . He saw me as his son back even when I first came here . . . There have been times when I felt that I didn't really know Bruce . . . But then . . . He really does understand . . . I guess I know him better than I thought. I still wish he could say . . . But at the same time I know that it's hard for him so . . . I guess I'll keep saying it for both of us. I really do love him . . . Grandpa Thomas . . . Is it okay if I call you that? I . . . I never had a grandfather before . . . Alfred . . . He always seems to be . . . a grandfather . . . I hope you don't mind. I guess . . . I mean I'm sorry I hadn't been around much. A lot has happened. And I guess I'll be telling you about it later, not before I tell my own parents first. Well, I better go. I just wanted to thank you for . . . for having a son like Bruce. He still does things that . . . He's still awesome in my book . . . even when he acts like . . . But I bet you already know that and well . . . He's a hard act to follow . . . you know? I guess when the time comes . . . He really does see me as someone who could fill his shoes . . . But to be honest no one can . . . Even me. And thanks."

Bruce once again had to stifle the tears that threatened to spill after what Dick had said. He quickly moved off the path and under the trees to keep from being spotted as Dick made his way down the path and back to the Manor. He had not realized that Dick had been coming here as often as he could. Moving back on the path after Dick went down to the Manor, Bruce moved up the hill and headed toward his parent's gravesite.

He didn't say much, but what he thought he was certain they would know. 'I guess you know. Well, it was about time. Took me long enough. Meant to do it sooner, but . . . when things happened with Jason . . . I . . . I . . .' Bruce was suddenly ashamed to admit the truth. 'I was afraid of losing him . . . So . . . I . . . pushed him away . . . I realized that was a mistake. Tim made me realize I needed Dick more than . . . And he . . . he is mine . . . that is he's my son . . .' his eyes fell on the headstones of John and Mary Grayson. 'Well he's really their son . . . but I . . . I've learned to . . . Dad . . . Why can't I tell my son . . . three little words . . . the same three little words that you . . . Will I ever be able to say them?'

Bruce felt the shadowy presence that he often felt when his need was great. It was as if they knew he needed them still, but would only come when his need was at its greatest. He looked up to see the ghostly image of his father. He had only seen that image once before in his life . . . the day before he made the decision to adopt Dick.

'Deciding to become a father is our greatest hope and our greatest fear. Once we bring a child into our lives we become something greater than ourselves. We see the world differently than we will ever see it again. That child becomes the center of our world. We want to see that child reach their full potential, but we also want to keep that child safe from harm . . . no matter how small or large . . . no matter how real or imagined. Even so . . . the greatest reward we can ever receive from that child is their love.'

'A child's love . . . my child's love,' Bruce thought. 'John and Mary Grayson's son freely gave his love to me . . . And . . . I gave him . . . my . . . love.'

For the first time since before his parents were killed, Bruce acknowledged the love that was freely given and something inside him opened . . . a door that had been closed for so long. Then something moved out of the darkness . . . a spark of light that wasn't from outside . . . but from within him . . . a small child with a beaming face that he had not seen since that night. 'I love you, Dad,' the child said, and this time, Bruce realized the child was him. He had said those words before . . . The spark grew . . . like a small flame . . . released into the air . . . the flame grew. Hope filled him and Bruce rose once more and just before turning his back on his father's presence he thought, 'There's someone I need to say something to. It's long over due. And it's long over due here, too. I love you Dad, and I miss you. And thanks.'

Bruce moved back through the cemetery, through the trees and back down to the Manor. His steps had a lightness to them that had not been there in ages. And there was a renewed hope.

'May that light be a beacon for all to see, my son,' Thomas Wayne said as he watched his son return home. 'I'm proud of you and I love you, too.'

End