Incandescence - Apprentice
By Lebnaniya

Disclaimer
I do not claim any rights to the Batman Beyond series in the animated format or the comic books. All copyright material belong to their respectable owners. The following story is entirely fictional and pays tribute to the amazing characters developed by said owners. As a fan, I am writing this out of respect to the owners as well as to elaborate on this couple because I don't think the series gave Terry and Ten a proper relationship and ending.

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He had originally just wanted to walk around to stretch his legs but Terry soon found himself mesmerized with Wayne Manor. He walked slowly down the long hallways unsure of what to expect with each room. Wayne had given him leave of the manor several times before, but Terry always held back, more-so out of respect, but now, he allowed himself to wonder around the property.

He found one loft that made him blink several times. It was a room with a giant painting of Bruce's parents at the center. It was such a beautiful and lovely room, but even when he looked around, he found himself feeling the pain Bruce had gone through. Losing one parent was difficult enough for Terry, he could only fathom what it was like for Bruce having lost both at a much younger age.

Walking back down the hallways, Terry found himself lost in thought.

I've never really been here even though I've known Bruce for all these years, Terry thought as he looked along the sides of the walls and windows that were surrounded by paintings and family portraits. Many of them were of Bruce and his parents, as well as Bruce at various ceremonies during his entire lifetime. There were portraits of him as a young child and also as an already accomplished businessman.

Terry stopped when he came across a very special portrait even though it was very plain compared to the others. It was Bruce in a tuxedo standing with his arm around a beautiful young woman with flashing maroon red hair and a slim body. There was also a younger boy, probably around eleven or twelve years of age with slightly ruffled jet black hair. Bruce looked as stern as always but the two people standing beside him looked like nothing could bring them more joy in life.

Barbara really looked beautiful in that picture, Terry thought, as he stared at the painting. His eyes soon drifted to the little boy, Tim Drake.

He suffered so much in his life even before he met Bruce. And then after that entire incident with the joker... Terry felt himself drawn to the boy. Poor kid. And now Bruce was shunning the two people who loved and cared for him more than life itself.

They looked happy though. It's sad to think that the team never lasted. Barbara and Bruce became an item which only complicated things. Tim must have loved the idea though, making many jokes and picking on them all the time. He must have pissed Bruce off more than me, Terry smiled, as he envisioned the little boy annoying Bruce senseless.

But they never made it. After that tragic accident, Tim killed the Joker and was sent off to be taken care of by experts. Barbara forever loved and was always there for him, but Bruce could never show how affected he was. It was not like him. It wasn't their fault, but Bruce had lost Tim to the Joker, Barbara must have felt helpless, and poor Tim must have carried the burden of taking a life and being the one responsible for Bruce's change. And so the group fell apart. Bruce lost everything he cherished because he couldn't forgive himself.

Terry frowned as he glared at the picture. I won't let that happen. I won't allow those mistakes in my life. And with that, Terry walked back down to the batcave to continue his work.

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Meanwhile, miles away, Max found herself in the middle of a four way conversation but trying desperately to give credit where it was due.

"I can't believe him!" Blade whined, as she took another sip from her drink.

"I think they were both in on it or somethin'" Chelsea added, as she pouted, while resting her chin on one of her hands.

"It just doesn't make sense," Dana added, as she tried to understand or figure out why the guys would do what they did.

Max on the other hand remained silent most of the time and purposely took her time eating and chewing. She was desperately trying to come up with excuses.

Only hours ago, Jack had met up with Chelsea and asked her if they could take a small break in their relationship. She had been devastated with the news and when she asked him why, he could only answer that something came up that could possibly have him skippin' town. The exact same thing happened with Blade. She had gone to lunch with Carter and they had spent a very romantic time together, until he asked her to be patient because something came up and he needed a break.

"I cannot even begin to describe how much that hurt..." Blade trailed off, tears welling up in her eyes. Dana extended her hand and began rubbing Blade's back trying to give her reassurance that it would be okay.

"And they gave you no clues as to the reason why?" Dana asked. When Blade and Chelsea just shook their heads no, she turned to Max. "You've seen them around haven't you Max?"

Chewing even slower, Max tried to think of something good to say so that the girls wouldn't be upset with the guys and still give them a chance if they did ask to come back. It was a difficult decision that the guys came up with. In order to protect Chelsea and Blade, now that they were involved with trying to get back at the Assassins Guild, the best way to keep the girls safe was if Carter and Jack distanced themselves and avoided them all-together.

"Um...no...not really. Terry sees them most of the time. I run into them on occasion." Max then took another big bite, another desperate attempt to avoid answering questions. She really wished they would just change the subject.

"But that just doesn't make sense! All this time they've been so great with you guys..." Dana trailed off, trying to figure things out. She couldn't understand why they wanted a little break and she also knew that Chelsea and Blade both had strong feelings for them.

"I'll go talk to them!" Dana finally announced.

"What?" Max practically choked as she realized what Dana was planning to do.

"If I talk to them, maybe they'll open up to me and tell me why they need this break."

Max frowned, clearly agitated at the entire situation. Putting her sandwich down she realized just how unfortunate Terry must have felt all those times, trying to make up excuses while still trying to be genuine.

"Okay..." Max made up her mind, "...I wasn't goin' to say nothin' about it to ya'll but since you won't let up here's the scoop..." Pausing slightly, Max prayed that she looked as sincere as possible.

"The guys want to 'skip town' because someone is giving them a bad rap. You both know about Jack and Carter? I mean, like really know about their pasts right?"

Dana nodded her head. She gave Blade's hand a squeeze before continuing. "Carter was known as Terminal right?" Blade looked up at this and then turned to look at Chelsea.

"And Jack was part of some gang?" Blade added.

"Correct," Max said, finally getting an idea.

"You don't mean to tell us they're back into that kinda stuff..." Chelsea asked, but Max cut her off.

"NO! N-no of course not. Some jerks are out there 'claiming' they are Jack and Carter so the guys need to keep a low profile. Haven't you noticed why they haven't been here on campus for ages? Plus, the professors think it's them when it ain't." Max exhaled, as she leaned back and gave her most serious poker face ever. She really hoped the girls bought it.

And they did.

"Oh thank goodness!" Dana exclaimed. "I mean, I know they say they've changed but I was going to say that if they were still into that, then that would be a problem." Max was about to point out even if they were still into that they were good guys now but Blade beat her to it.

"I don't know Dana, I kinda like the mysterious aura that Terminal has," she joked, although her laugh gave her away as Chelsea grinned. She too had a thing for bad boys.

"Poor Dana," Chelsea teased, "You're too predictable. All you want is a stable boyfriend but Blade and I have this thing for bad boys and it ain't goin' no-where."

"Chels!" Dana teased, finally happy that both of them were feeling better. Max just watched the girls as they began to pick on Dana. She couldn't help feel that facing the Assassins Guild felt a lot easier than having to deal with the girls being an emotional wreck. Dana included. Sighing, Max closed her eyes, "I think that one time you guys held a séance to summon the ghost of a student who died at the Hamilton High School was so much easier than this."

When no one responded, Max opened her eyes and found that she had done well. The girls were all smiling and giggling as they recalled that long ago adventure that took place in the girls locker room. Good, they're doing alright.

"Well, I've got to get going. See ya'll later!" Max waved, as she got up and left. The other three girls exchanged goodbyes with Max before they continued to reminisce on high school memories.

Oh yeah! I'm good, Max thought, as she knew they would not be asking any more questions regarding the guys.

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Back at Wayne Manor, Terry had his earphone on as he spoke to Max. "So Tan Productions had made huge contributions to the Special Agents training and funding facility and that's why the Assassins Guild has been constantly targeting them?"

"Yep!" Max said, as she adjusted her seat as she continued typing in her room. Carter had changed into his old costume as Terminal and said he was going to go look into what other gangs had heard regarding the matter. It would be easier for him because he already had a history with many of the Jokerz gangs so exchanging information would be easy.

Jack and Ten had also gone out to see if they could gather any information regarding the guild. They were also going to go spy on some of those Special Agents who were patrolling the city in the hopes of learning something new.

"I never knew that Tan Productions was that involved with re-shaping the entire city..." Terry trailed off. Now that he thought about it, he never really asked Dana much about her father's company when they were dating and even after their break-up, he never paid attention to who were the big shots re-building Gotham. He had always expected Bruce to tell him and that was it.

"Their motive," Max continued, bringing Terry back to the conversation, "...was to drive fear into the owners. Many of the already deceased targets were individuals working for Tan Productions and Dana's father. I guess, they were trying to lobby at some point to get those members and CEOs to bend to their every whim but those who refused ended up dead." Max paused slightly, realizing just how many people had already lost their lives.

"Thirty-two people were already assassinated Terry...that's tellin' you somethin'."

"What are the updated public statements from the police departments?" Terry asked, as he continued to type on the computer screen.

"One second," Max said, as she too typed on her keyboard before a screen popped up. "The Department of Public Safety as well as Law Enforcement advises people to remain calm...ya-da, ya-da, ya-da... Oh! I found it. That with the support of extra re-enforcement and the National Guard, they expect to keep the city safe... They refuse to negotiate with terrorists no matter what the stakes..."

Terry continued to type as he listened to Max on the other line. He was a bit surprised that the police would refuse to try and negotiate and lure the Assassins Guild out but then again, the guild probably had already influenced some important individuals to keep them from wanting to move things forward.

"Additionally, Sam Young assigned extra security to all the employees and companies that were suspected of being targets."

"Those people and companies must be the ones that Bruce discovered on that list," Terry interrupted.

"And, Sam Young has issued an emergency Witness Protection Program but it's not really a witness protection program. It's more for those people who were told they were targets so that they could enter the program and remain protected or removed from the city until all of this is over and done with." Max finished.

"Political asylum. Hey, what ever happened to those five disks you got?" Terry questioned.

"Those mini disks you got from Commissioner Barbara Gordon?"

"Yep."

"Don't you remember? Wayne told you he got them."

Terry rubbed his eyes as he recalled that incident. "Sorry. I've been working all day today I feel like I'm ready to call it quits for tonight. Thanks Max for everything. You've been great. Tell everyone I won't be coming over tonight."

"You stayin' at the old man's place?"

"I'm going to keep working for a while before I call it quits. After that, I'm heading to my mom's place."

"Goodnight Terry. Oh hey wait! Do you want me to kiss Ten goodnight for you?"

SLAM

"Ouch! Damn it Terry, you did not have to hang up the phone like that," Max shouted, as she pulled her ear-phone off. "Touchy!" She said to no one in particular, but couldn't help smile.

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As much as he hated to admit, Terry felt himself blush and he also wanted payback. Max knew exactly how to push his buttons.

"You know she just does that to make you feel better." An unexpected voice soon said.

Terry turned around and saw Bruce standing a few feet away from him. "Hey."

"So how much work have you got done?"

"Plenty. However, I still need to do more research on possible headquarter locations. As soon as I find it, I'll make my move. As you know, the police are also doing the same thing," Terry said, as he got up and moved over, giving Bruce the seat in front of the computer. "They need warrants and they have to go by the law. Easier for me to just go in and out without no one knowing and if it's the location then we'll take 'em down." Terry finished, as he looked to his side as Ace curled down next to Bruce's feet.

"Don't devalue the capability of our officers Terry."

"I wasn't."

Bruce eyed him for a second. There was a time long ago when Bruce, as Batman, had thought that police officers never really did much, until he needed them. When they answered the call for help he had grown a new and respectful outlook on the men and women who served as officers.

"I've actually wanted to talk to you about something else," Bruce said, as he turned off the computer. "I've actually wanted to talk to you ever since that incident with Tim Drake and the Joker."

"What is it?" Terry asked, noting the difference in Bruce's tone.

"Terence, I need to talk to you about your family." Terry was caught off guard. That was the last thing on his mind.

"What do you mean?"

"You have got to do something about your mother and brother."

"Why? What've they got to do with this?"

"Everything." Bruce said patiently. Like a father explaining something complicated to a little child.

"Since the Assassins Guild has already found out about your secret they're going to use them against you. They'll hurt them Terry, if not worse. You need to do either one of two things. First, you need to tell them the truth or get them out of this city as soon as possible."

"But..."

"But nothing. I've already made a deposit earlier this morning. It was a paycheck for all of your services and it went straight to your account. You can fly your family out of this city, even out of this country if you wish. I'm not going to instruct you what to do but if you want to protect them you need to include them in this entire ordeal." Bruce finally concluded as he closed his eyes and sighed.

"I became Batman because I lost my family. And you are right, we are both very different but you still have a family Terry. Don't lose them or you'll end up like this old man before you," Bruce said, as he opened his eyes and grinned at Terry, "God knows that's the last thing you would ever want."

Terry smiled briefly before he sat down on the edge of one of the far tables at the side of the computer.

"Why now? You never told me this before. You would never allow me to include family or friends in our conversations."

"Because I found something today and it reminded me of a mistake I made a long time ago."

"What was it?" Terry asked confused.

Bruce pulled out several photos from his pocket before extending his hand and giving them to Terry. Terry carefully took hold of the pictures, noticing how old and fragile they were. The first picture on the top of the bunch was a picture of Batman and the Original Robin. That's Bruce and Dick Grayson, Terry recalled. He had done some research after that entire incident with Tim Drake and the Joker and studied Bruce's history. He realized just how tragic it truly was and Terry had grown a very strong respect for all the original members, including Dick Grayson.

Terry stared at the picture of Batman and Robin. It was a paparazzi snapshot of them on the rooftop. The two of the must have been really close...

The next photo was an actual picture of Bruce with Dick. They were both standing side-by-side, smiles plastered on their faces. They were dressed in dark tuxedoes and they looked real dignified. The next photo after that was a picture of Dick Grayson as an acrobat from his childhood life. The photo after that was yet another photo of Dick probably around 11 years old. Terry looked up to see if Bruce was watching him, he wasn't. Bruce was watching Ace, as the dog lay at his feet.

Returning his gaze back to the photos, Terry noticed that the next photo was of a beautiful blonde woman. She had beautiful blue eyes and an old classical look. She was also holding a black cat.

Catwoman.

Terry looked up but Bruce refused to look at him. The next photo was a group photo and he recognized the individuals right away. Bruce told me once that he worked for the Justice League. There were over ten members and he recognized each one; with the next photo, Terry couldn't help but smile. It was the picture he had seen in the hallways at Wayne Manor. The one with Bruce, Barbara and Tim Drake. They must have been really important to him. Finally the last picture was one that Terry found himself staring at. It was the oldest picture of the entire bunch. Bruce, when he was a very young boy, probably around six years of age, was sitting on his mother's lap, her arms wrapped around him with Bruce's father standing by their side.

Terry looked up, staring at Bruce, a sense of sadness washing over him. These were the most important people in Bruce's entire life and he lost them all.

"Here kid. Take this disk with you the next time you go patrolling, that is, after you take care of business."

Terry walked towards Bruce as he took the disk.

"It has possible locations of the guild's headquarters." And with that, Bruce turned in his seat and leaned back, resting and waiting for Terry to take his leave.

"Hey Bruce?" Terry asked.

"Yeah?"

"Think my picture will be up there in those hallways?" Terry teased.

"Don't push it kid," Bruce said, in his ever so calm voice, however, Terry detected a faint chuckle at the end of his statement.

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Additional Notes
I really feel bad for Bruce Wayne. I mean, first he lost Catwoman, then Dick Grayson, then he lost Tim Drake, then Barbara, then the Justice League, and all his friends and lovers in-between. I feel bad that an old man is left to die alone in his mansion. Money could and would never bring him the happiness he had wanted. But then again, he's also very stubborn! The legacy of Bruce Wayne as Batman can never be replaced.