"Matt? But I... I saw you die..." Terry said looking into his brothers eyes. "How did you live? You got shot and thrown in a river!" Matt returned the look.

" I was washed up on shore near Wayne Manor," he said simply. "He brought me to the cave, helped me come back and asked me what had happened."

"What did you say?" Terry asked.

"I told him what I saw, including that you were alive."

There was a long pause, after a while of waiting Terry finally said "And?"

Matt glared at him "And he didn't believe me and said I was foolish to think that... that's all!"

Matt was obviously frustrated. Terry began to apologize but Matt stormed upstairs before Terry could open his mouth. Irritated and downtrodden, Terry sat down on a block of cement, which held the robotic rex. Ace walked up to him and lay his head down on Terry's lap.

Things improved a little the next few weeks. Matt had forgiven Terry and they were beginning to get along again. Bruce had remained skeptical, but had softened up to Terry minutely. He didn't badger Terry any more for being in the same room with him, but still wouldn't talk, and still sent glares in his direction often. Ace seemed to almost prefer to hang around Terry more now, which even Bruce thought was weird. Terry and Matt were about to go out for the first time together. Ace was sitting near the batcar looking up at Terry almost longingly.

"You know you can't go mutt!" Terry said.

Ace whined but seemed to understand. He got up and bounded off toward Bruce who had jut entered. Terry looked at him then started to the car.

"Where are you going?" Bruce said, glaring at Terry angrily.

Terry agitatedly sighed and said "Out,"

Bruce's glare had turned evil when Terry said that. Terry looked him right in the eyes, something he hadn't done since he had gotten back.

"I know you don't trust me, you think that the story isn't true, well I don't blame you. In fact I would probably do the same thing if I were in your shoes, I've been gone for over a year, and you and Matt have gotten close, you don't want anyone hurting him, then I show up and you instantly hate me because I'm dead, I don't exist anymore! Here I am! I never died! I was kidnapped and Clayface faked my death, yeah I know there's some questions about that. How could he? He would never pass the autopsy! What motivated him to do it?. Money Bruce! That's all it ever is. I have a hunch that even Spellbinder might have been paid, he was the one who acted as if he was in charge, he couldn't plan all that its just not his style. I can't support any of this unless I have proof! The only way to do that is to go out! Sure you don't trust me! But I don't trust that Matt could hold his own where I couldn't, he needs protection, I'm willing to give him that! There are such things as second chances, give me one, or you may lose more than one partner." Terry felt outraged, but hopeful.

There was a long pause. Matt stood there in disbelief, looking at Terry to Bruce. Bruce finally nodded. Terry muttered a simple thanks and walked to the car. He looked back at Matt who was now looking at Bruce with new understanding. Ace's tail was wagging.

Matt came to the car and they took off. Bruce monitored them carefully, still not trusting Terry with Matt.

The car sped away, they were heading to the cemetery, a place Terry wasn't at all looking forward to go to. They landed and walked through the graves until they got to Terry's. He didn't bother reading it, he didn't even want to look at it, it was painful to think that world could see your face and claim that it was just a memory, a memory even worth not caring about. Matt was looking at Terry sympathetically. Terry ignored this, while he bent down to find anything that didn't fit. Just as he had hoped, there sitting on the bright green grass sat a blotch of mud that just didn't belong. He wiped it up and put it in a jar when he realized more was oozing out of the ground. Then it occurred to him, was Clayface like Inque when it came to the fact that her pieces tried to get back to the bearer. He held the jar up and watched carefully. The goo stayed stiff as a board. Was it possible this wasn't part of him? That it was just a simple blotch of mud? He heard some footsteps behind him. His head jerked and he grabbed Matt instantly putting him behind himself, looking in the direction of where the sound had come from. Before him stood Commissioner Barbara Gordon. Terry relaxed and let go of Matt, who stayed behind him anyways looking scared, nonetheless.

"Batman?" He said quietly.

Terry hushed him.

"But...She's-"Terry cut him off again this time saying quiet agitatedly.

"What are you doing here?" Said Terry.

"I should ask the same for you," Barbara replied eying Matt behind Terry. "Last I looked Miginnis you were dead." She said.

Terry was about to respond but Matt ran in front of him and punched Barbara. "MATT!" Terry yelled angrily. Barbara stood up, and surprisingly was laughing. Terry was taken aback. Clayface grew out of her form.

"It's time to come home Bat!" He said pulling out a controller with a button. Terry threw a batarang at the controller, knocking it out of Clayface's grasp before he had a chance to press the button, which would render Terry immobile. Terry then grabbed Matt and told him to go to the car. Matt didn't listen. Instead he lunged at Clayface. "MATT!" Terry yelled. Clayface smacked him in midair. He fell to the ground. Terry got up and grabbed him. He took to the air, using his boosters to get as high up as he could. Clayface smiled and shot a trail of mud where his arm had been. Terry quickly dodged and took off toward the city. He managed to get away. With "mud" caked on the suit.

Terry put Matt down when they had landed he had been knocked unconscious. They were on a rooftop. Terry wasn't satisfied to go to the manor after what had just happened. He still didn't know how Clayface had returned, and didn't bother wondering until now. How should he have fought him? The sticky mud was so awkward if couldn't be punched. How did Bruce do it? Terry decided to ask him when they got back, he would use the calm link but didn't know if it even work or even if Bruce was monitoring them. Matt stirred. Terry came to his side.

"Are you ok?" Terry asked.

"Aside from the fact that my heads been run over by a steamroller? Yeah sure just peachy." He sat up.

"How did you know?" Terry asked about Clayface.

"It's common knowledge that she died in a car crash, but since you were living in a box for over a year you wouldn't know." Terry felt really bad when Matt had said this. What else had he missed? How much of an advantage could Psycho, Spellbinder, and Clayface have?

"Where are we going now?" Matt asked.

"Home." Said Terry.

Matt nodded and Terry called the car. When it arrived Matt began to get in.

"Don't!" barked Terry.

He checked it at every angle in every square inch to make sure it wasn't bugged or wired. Terry remembered the last time it was, and if it hadn't been for Bruce their secret identities would be the topic of almost every morning discussion. Once he was satisfied, Terry signaled for Matt to get in first. This had turned out to be one of Matt's first rides in the car, he was after all, only ten and was too young to drive himself. He sat in the back seat studying the controls carefully as Terry drove.

It didn't take them long to get back to the manor. Once they arrived they heard the usual barking of Ace. The door to the car opened when it came to a full stop. Bruce was in the cave, and seemed to have seen everything. He kept his eyes fixated on Terry as he helped Matt out of the car. Terry looked at him too when Matt was safely out. He headed toward the computer. Taking off his mask he took a sample of the gunk and put it in the analysis tray.

"Composition," he instructed the computer, and waited for it to print out the results.

"You were sloppy," Bruce said glaring at him. "You could have cost Matt-"

"Yeah sorry if I'm not used to having someone out there with me, I've been locked up, and its not like they gave me the paper in the morning, there's no way I could have known!" Terry was fed up. He didn't want to be barked at for the rest of his life because of mistakes he made. Maybe Bruce made a mistake for trusting him with the suit to begin with. If he couldn't deal with Terry's judgment then maybe he should leave. Terry knew he would never say that to Bruce though, after all he WAS the one who gave him the suit and responsibility in the first place. The printer finished its job and Terry tore the paper out and looked at it.

There search brought them to what Terry had thought all along, Clayface had been updated since Bruce's day. Someone seemed to have brought him back using certain chemicals from a genetics lab almost outside Gotham. Now the only questions were who, why, and when. The combination of the chemicals that made him up gave him the ability to transform right down to the very cell, but wasn't 100 accurate. There would have been a slight break in the genetic code but most stupid labs would overlook that. They decided not to go out the next night, it was too dangerous, or at least Terry thought. Matt was adamant that they go, but Terry kept him there. Bruce seemed to trust Terry almost, but still stayed tense around him, Terry was beginning to wonder if this would ever change.

When Terry finally got Matt to settle down he started watching this corny program on TV that Terry never heard of.

"This came out only a few months ago, you were..." He broke off after the commercials had ended. Terry was flabbergasted about how Matt could watch that. He caught a glimpse of some hamsters with big googly eyes bouncing up and down merrily when he slipped into the kitchen to get him something to eat.

Suddenly glass shattered. Terry stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide while Psycho stared back.

"Hello bats." He said with a big smirk on his face. Matt had gotten up after hearing the glass shatter. He was now storming in the kitchen.

"Are you o-"He cut himself off as he saw Psycho.

"Ahh! Just the person I'm here for!" Psycho laughed hauntingly.

"You'll never lay a finger on him again!" Terry said putting himself directly in front of Matt.

"Oh I'm sorry Bats but we can't have you ruining our little party brigade! CLAY!" He yelled. Clayface came brawling into the room, gun and knife in hand. Bruce stormed in as well. Ace, who came in with Bruce launched towards Psycho. Clayface shot him.

"ACE!" Terry yelled.

The dog fell over, Terry didn't know if he was dead or alive. Psycho was just laughing, and Clayface had a sly grin on his face. Bruce's teeth were bared. Psycho stretched out a hand and Clayface tossed the gun to him.

"Ookay, here's the deal," he said lazily, pointing the gun at Bruce. "Give up the kid or mister senior dies got it?"

Terry gripped Matt's arm tight. He swore to himself that he would die before he let anything happen to either of them.

"My patience is thinning," Psycho said coking the gun.

Terry glared at him angrily.

"Alright your choice," A bullet fired just as Terry lunged to push Bruce out of the way. He got Bruce out of the way, but was still too slow. The bullet caught him right in the chest.

"TERRY!" Matt shouted running to his aid immediately as Terry hit the ground. Bruce stared in shock.

Psycho angrily threw the gun down, "Why you foolish little-"He was cut off as Terry somehow found the strength to lunge at him. Psycho caught Terry's hands in his and smiled at the hurt, and anger Terry held within his eyes. "You just wrote all of their death sentences, including yours!" He took out an electricity bar and shoved it in Terry's chest near his gun wound. Electrifying pain shot all across his body.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" He wailed weakly, he fell to the floor unable to move, unable to fight, as Clayface grabbed Matt and started to the door. Bruce had shot up and was with Terry, who was clutching his chest in pain, was this how it would end? Would this be the last things he saw. Matt fought and cried at the same time. He was scared that he would lose his brother again, scared about what would happen to him, scared that he would never even see Bruce again.

"Matt!" Terry said weakly a tears trickling from his eyes. He closed them soon it would be over, soon it would be all over, then everything turned to darkness as Matt was taken out of the room, out of the house, and maybe out of their lives forever...