Author's Note:  Sorry for the long wait, folks!  I've been working on an archaeological field study in the Aleutian Islands for the past couple of months.  I had a great time, but I wasn't able to work on my fanfics – boy, did that drive me crazy!  Anyway, I'm finally back and writing again, so here's a new chapter for you all.  I appreciate your comments and your support.

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            There are times when Terry doesn't have to put on the suit to become Batman.  He's not sure exactly what sets off the change, but something about this situation does.  His nervousness drops away and his mind turns into a well-tuned calculating machine, weighing the options and putting together fragments of thought into neat solutions.

            "So you want me to prove to you that they aren't dangerous?" he asks.

            "I don't know if you can prove it," Superman says.  "But anything you know would help.  Although it may not be much."

            Terry thinks for a moment about what he's going to say.  "Actually, I know who they're working for."

            The momentary shock on Superman's face makes Terry feel a little guilty, but surprisingly satisfied.  "When did you find this out?"

            "Last night, when I spoke to her." Terry says.

            Superman frowns at him.  "You should have told us," he says, in almost the same tone that Wayne uses when Terry has screwed up.

            He is expecting Terry to be chagrined and offer him an apology.  Terry McGinnis would have done exactly that, but Batman won't.  He doesn't take that kind of treatment from anyone except Wayne.  "She asked me not to," he says, without mentioning that Wayne told him to keep it to himself as well.  "After what happened the last time she tried to talk to the Justice League, I don't blame her."

            Much to Terry's disappointment, Superman is not surprised.  "If she told us about what she was doing, well, she isn't the first.  I've lost count of the number of messages we've gotten from people who want to start up an organization like the League."

            That's why they didn't tell us about Natalie's message when this all started, Terry thinks to himself.  "That's why you said no to her?"

            "We have to.  People thought Batman was a dangerous psychotic when he first appeared.  They turned out to be wrong, but Bruce was an exception to the rule.  You too," he adds.  "Most vigilantes are clumsy enough to get caught by the police or make a fatal mistake before they cause any serious damage.  A few are better than that, but they tend to think that the ends justify the means."

            "Okay, I get it," Terry says.  He's glad he didn't actually accuse Superman of withholding information from him, now that he knows the League had a perfectly good reason for not telling him about Natalie's message.  And he understands their reasons for caution.  "These guys are different, though."

            Superman nods.  "Obviously.  They're very well trained, they have the funding for sophisticated equipment, and they're spread out across the country but presumably working for the same organization.  That's part of why the League, among others, is worried about them."

            "That's not what I meant," Terry protests.  "They're not psychos.  They haven't killed anyone.  Or let anyone get killed."  For a second Terry thinks of Tanya Wooten and feels guilty, even though he knows in an abstract way that her death wasn't his fault.

            "We're still not sure if that's true," Superman reminds him, "And there's a lot of people who don't want to take the chance that it isn't."

            Terry thinks hard for a few seconds.  He's the only one who can resolve this, and he has to be very careful about how he does it.  Finally he comes up with a solution.  "I can't tell you who's in charge," he says, "But I can contact them.  They'll probably be glad to talk to you, if you'll agree."

            Superman seems satisfied with that.  "I do.  By their rules, if I have to."  Of course, Superman can afford to play by almost anyone's rules, if he wants to.  Terry's just hoping that he's playing the right way.

~***~

            The McGinnis family spends the next day trying to recover from the near-disaster of the previous evening.  Terry takes responsibility for all the household chores and the care of his little brother.  Fortunately, Matt comprehends the gravity of the situation and behaves with more maturity and politeness than Terry thought he was capable of.  The phone is ringing off the hook with calls from concerned friends.  Mary McGinnis also gets a call from the Rawlings Bank & Securities, informing her that she will be on paid leave until her place of employment is up and running again.  That does a lot to put her mind at ease, and Terry's as well.

            Terry is as nervous as his mother, though for different reasons.  He knows that she wants to talk to him about last night, even if she really can't find anything to say.  But they can't talk about it in front of Matt.  High-strung as he is, Terry is beginning to think that perhaps Matt knows more about Terry's part-time job than he lets on.  Such a possibility never occurred to him before, but then again, it never occurred to him to think that his mother knew the truth until a few days ago, either.  He's also worried about how things are going between Natalie and the JLU, and he intends to check up on that at the earliest possible opportunity.

            There's also the possibility that his mother will insist that he quit being Batman for good.  She was already ambivalent about it, and actually seeing him in danger might push her attitude from 'ambivalent' to 'negative.'  He keeps telling himself that that particular concern is the result of simple paranoia, but it seems more and more threatening by the minute.  All the potential crises hanging over his head make the time move like molasses and feel like the sound of a fingernail scraping down a chalkboard.

            At some point in the early afternoon, the phone rings for about the thousandth time that day.  Terry's busy cleaning up after lunch, so Matt answers the phone first, giving him a reprieve.  He doesn't give the phone any more thought until his little brother comes into the kitchen with the cordless receiver and offers it to him.

            "It's Mr. Wayne," he says noncommittally.

            Terry's almost overjoyed at this news, but he doesn't show it.  "Thanks," he says as he turns off the faucet and dries his hands on the towel by the sink.  He takes the receiver and lifts it to his ear as Matt leaves the room.  "What's up?" he says.

            "Terry, I just heard the news about Mad Stan.  Is everything all right?"  He knows Wayne well enough to catch the note of concern in his voice.

Terry desperately wants to tell him about the whole Natalie/JLU situation, but he knows that subject is off-limits right now.  "Mom's fine," he replies.  "A few people were injured - and, of course, the lobby of the Rawlings Building is a total mess - but that's it."  He's trying to figure out how he can tell Wayne that he has to call him back later tonight, without saying anything that might sound suspicious to someone who overhears the conversation.

"I'm glad to hear that.  Tell her I send my best wishes."  Terry can tell that he means it.

"Thanks, I will," he says.

"How's Ace doing?"

"Except for being bored, he's fine."

"There's something else.  I'll probably be returning tomorrow afternoon as I planned, but my schedule might change.  I should know for certain by tonight.  I'll call you then to confirm one way or the other."

Terry grins.  He knows perfectly well that Wayne is not going to talk with him about travel plans.  "Yes sir," he says.

"Good," Wayne says.  "Thanks for keeping everything in order while I'm over here."  That is, of course, a remark about Batman – and rare praise, coming from Wayne.  "I'll talk to you later."

"Okay.  Bye," Terry concludes the conversation.  Just a second after he presses the TALK button to end the call, the phone rings again.  He was about to put it down and get back to washing the dishes, so he finds this particularly frustrating.  He tries to keep that feeling out of his voice when he answers the phone with a "Hello?"

"Terry?  It's Dana."

Terry almost drops the phone.  "Dana!  Hi.  It's…been a while since I've heard from you."  Oops.  That was really slick, with the false-sounding cheerful tone and all.  But what else could he have said?

"I know," she says, choosing not to dwell on the faux pas.  "You've got a lot on your mind.  I just wanted to know how you were doing…I mean, this must be hard on you, with what happened…"  She trails off.  At this point Terry thinks that it might have been easier on both of them if they had had a violent, messy breakup instead of a relatively peaceful and civilized one.  With a nasty breakup you know where you stand – you and the other person just hate each other's guts and avoid interacting with each other as much as possible from then on.  But when it's a quiet breakup, you can't hate the other person and you can't love them either, so you have no idea where you stand.  That's the problem he and Dana are having now.

"We're doing all right.  Nobody got hurt," he says quietly.

"I know, but I don't think I could handle it if something like that happened to me and…after what happened to your dad…" She makes a distressed noise.  "God, Terry, I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to bring that up, it's just that I didn't know what to say."

"It's okay," Terry reassures her.  "I know what you mean.  Thanks."

"I'm glad you understand," she tells him.  "And to hear that you're all right.  I was worried.  We may not be together anymore but…I still care about you."

For a second, Terry thinks that there may be a good chance of patching up their relationship after all.  Dana's obviously having second thoughts – or at least that's how it seems to him.

But he realizes that they can't get back together.  He used to think that he could somehow be Batman and still keep Dana.  A year later and with a ton of evidence to the contrary, he realizes that he can no longer lie to himself and keep believing it.  Terry has to choose one or the other – something that Wayne never told him, because he knew Terry had to learn it on his own.

Terry's already made his choice.

"Thanks," he says again.  "That means a lot to me."

There is an awkward but mercifully short silence.

"Please tell your mom I said hello, and I'm glad she's okay," Dana says.

"I will, thanks."

"Bye."

"Bye, Dana."  There's a click from the receiver as Dana hangs up.  Terry presses the TALK button to close the line, unable to decide whether he's saddened or relieved that the conversation is over.  He can't blame Dana for calling him with her condolences.  If their positions had been reversed, he would have done the same thing.  But talking to her just…just…

He made the right decision by deciding to let Dana go.  Didn't he?

Terry puts the receiver on the counter, sighs deeply, and puts his head in his hands.