Okay. This is an eensy story set somewhere during the Batman Beyond episode "Lost Soul". Now, while I think the BB writers are brilliant people, they don't have my obsession with a certain ex-Robin. ^_^; (And, by the way, I don't care what some of the animators of TAS did to his eyes, they're BLUE! *cough* Sorry. Pet peeve.)
Now, the basic idea for this story has been in my head for a long time, but I was never really inspired to write it until Lost Soul came along. If you've seen it, you probably know why that was the trigger episode. ^_^
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"Family"
by Becky
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That night changed things for Terry McGinnis. He realized that he was willing to put his life on the line to stop people from being hurt. That being Batman was about the man inside the suit. Before there had been lingering doubts. The suit gave him the edge, stacked the odds in his favor. Now he knew it was truly *him*.
He wasn't the only one who realized something about himself that night. I knew he'd gotten closer than I'd intended to let him. Just like the others.
That should have been the sign that opened my eyes. But I didn't want to see it.
When he wanted to go after the suit, I tried to make him think twice about it. I told him about all the damage my own suits had undergone, but he saw right thought that. Another warning sign I missed.
I knew I was worried for his safety; it wasn't just that I didn't want to have to clean up the mess or stop Vance myself. I cared about *him*. And that caused me concern. I was through taking in troubled kids, so how did this young man slip past my defenses? It was a disturbing thought.
I handed him the utility belt from my old suit; I wasn't about to let him go in there defenseless. Or without a disguise.
Even in retrospect, there was no other choice. My old suits were out of the question, they were too large for him and no time to adjust them. Batgirl's cape and cowl were out for obvious reasons. Robin's outfit and mask were too small. He opened the display case to pull out Nightwing's mask. It was the one that fit best.
I still didn't want to see it at first. Despite my concern, I was pleased that he'd chosen to keep fighting. When he turned to leave, that's when it hit me.
The resemblance was impossible to miss; I wasn't sure how I had managed to do so this long. It was uncanny, right down to the dark hair and bright blue eyes. They could have been brothers.
I'd worked very hard to always keep Terry at arm's length until that night. Even after, my first instinct was to push him away even farther, but I couldn't do that. It wouldn't work.
In the end, I knew I would lose him, too, but there was no avoiding it. Just like the first time an angry young boy with blue eyes had stepped into my life, Terry was family.
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(The End)