It's All Relative
Chapter 11: To Become a Family
By Teala373
The only sound heard in the manor living room was the heavy, angry breaths as a wild-eyed Dick Grayson seethed in the direction of a man he had, up until about five minutes ago, thought of as a father.
Through the red haze of his angry vision, the pulse of his anger skipped a beat as he was shocked to see a mirror image of himself. Bruce was just as angry with him.
Bruce had never meant to live out his days like this. He hadn't meant for Dick to live them out as such either when he took him in all those years ago. He certainly hadn't meant any more pain to come to Tim. And Barbara… she was never supposed to be a factor. None of them were. None of this was supposed to happen, but it did.
And he was going to end it.
Turning on his heel, Bruce headed towards the den. Fate was going to start doing things his way. He was overdue.
Dick's eyes nearly feel from his sockets as they bulged from his head. White-hot anger flooded through him as he watched Bruce walk away. He couldn't believe that Bruce had dared to match his anger and then just walk out. Determined to finish what he had began, Dick began stalking towards the den.
Threading a hand quickly through his hair, Tim sighed as he advanced. Taking full advantage of Dick being blinded by his rage, the former Robin slipped up behind him and ensnared him in a restraining hold. Dick fought him like a wild boar, but with his anger clouding his judgment, Tim was able to keep him contained.
"Let go of me, damn it," he roared as he tried to twist out of his younger brother's grasp. He inability to escape only further fueled his anger.
"Dick, please calm down…"
"CALM DOWN! You want me to calm down after what he DID…"
Not quite sure if his mediating would help, Tim sighed again. "Not for anything, but how did you come across this nugget of information?"
"Babs told me," came stiff words through clenched teeth.
"She told you, word for word, that Bruce was Terry's father?"
"Not… like that…" Dick's struggling lessened, "she said it all weird… because she didn't really want to tell me…"
A short burst of laughter escaped Tim's lips as he applied pressure to a point on Dick's arm that he knew would further inhibit his movements. "I see that you two still don't have your communication down."
Dick's movements stopped momentarily. "What are you talking about?" he clipped out gruffly.
"You never get it right with her. You never did."
Dick's back straightened. His mind was a tangle of emotions as he struggled to piece all the information together. He opened his mouth, but before the words could come out, the loud sound of a banging door cut through the room.
Bruce had returned, thundering in the room with more hurt and anger than either of his adopted sons had ever seen before. Flicking his wrist, he sent the file folder he had been holding spinning as it skimmed across the space between himself and his sons. Releasing Dick, Tim picked up the folder and handed it to him.
"Jim Gordon was one of my best friends. I considered him family and thought of his daughter as my own as well as a partner," Bruce accentuated each word with a biting edge, just short of yelling. "I may not have been so liberal with my feelings, but I thought you understood that I loved you as my own son and that I was happy that you had found someone… How you could EVER accuse me of such a disgusting and indecent act is… beyond my comprehension!"
It was then that Dick opened the folder and saw the truth. Bruce had conducted a paternity test on Terry. His father was listed as Richard John Grayson. As the reality of the situation hit him, he dropped the folder, a wave of coldness washing over him. Bruce had only told him a handful of times how much he had cared for him, but he had never said he had loved him. He hung his head, embarrassed for what he had just accused him of. Bruce had never betrayed him. He had only ever protected him.
Several silent moments passed. Bruce's emotions had long since subsided. Fighting amongst themselves wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to piece this family back together. Alfred had warned him about closing himself off forever. It was time to take his advice.
Things were going to be different.
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Terry and Matt had grown up in a home with minimal yelling, homemade cookies and lots of hugs. They weren't very happy with a drill sergeant mother that ordered them to pack up their things and flee with her to a building downtown.
"This is only temporary until we can get out of the country," she stated before they entered the office of the Themescyran Princess.
"Mom, it's cool," Terry whispered while they waited for Wonder Woman to return from a meeting, " I know about Bruce."
He was met with a wild eyed look of horror he had never seen before on his mother. "Terry, you don't understand…"
"We don't have to run," he leaned over to make sure Matt was still preoccupied by his Virtual Gameboy 3-D, "we can work it out…"
"Bruce isn't your father," she hissed back at him, "Dick just has things all wrong… as usual."
Terry felt his blood rush and then slow down again. "It's Dick, isn't it? He's my real father… but then why are we running?"
"You're too new at it yet," a far away look overcame her eyes as she stared off at an imaginary point in the room. "You risk your life every night, thinking that by saving others from your fate, you'll make your own pain go away. But it never goes away. And when you try to move forward, when you try to have something real, something good, the world turns against you." Her eyes came back into focus then and she locked eyes with her confused son. "Bruce can never run, and just around the time you realize you have to run from him, he makes it so you can't escape."
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"Barbara said you threatened her," an overwhelmed Dick mumbled.
"More lies that were fed to her."
Dick's head came up sharply. Bruce had briefed him on Wonder Woman and Ted Kord's involvement on Barbara's disappearance. If Ted Kord wasn't already dead, Dick would have made sure he was.
"I still don't understand," Tim took a seat next to Dick on the couch and crossed his arms. "There's no motive. Well, for Wonder Woman, anyway. She masterminded this whole thing, but for what reason?"
Bruce had been toying with an idea of just how Wonder Woman had pulled this all off so effortlessly behind his back, but when Tim said 'masterminded', it set off a very dangerous set of wheels spinning.
"I'll be back," Bruce whispered harshly as he turned and headed out of the living room. "Don't move."
Both sons looked after him questioningly, but said nothing. They knew that tone.
"Hey," Tim nudged a very dejected looking Dick. "We're going to fix this. Together."
Dick looked up and slowly raised a corner of his mouth. "Thanks, bro. I'm glad you're back."
Tim put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Listen. We're all going to do it right this time. I want my son back. I want the only real family I've ever known back. I want my life back. And I want those things for you, too."
Dick nodded. He wanted to know his son. He wanted Babs back. "I may have caused more permanent damage with Babs…"
"What else is new?" Tim chuckled. "You always screw up and she always forgives you. It's a circle with no break. This should have taught you that."
"I'm tired of screwing up," Dick released a hard sigh as he stood and began pacing. "I want something… real."
"It will be real this time," Tim rose and tried to meet his eye. "I think Bruce is… getting it. I think this time around is going to be different for all of us."
Dick turned to say something but something made him stop and turn around sharply. No other person on the main floors of the manor would ever be able to detect it, but Dick knew it. He had lived with it since he was nine years old.
Something was happening in the cave.
Tearing over to the grandfather clock with Tim at his heels, Dick tried desperately to get down to the cave. It seemed to take forever as he felt as though he couldn't push his legs fast enough. His hands fumbled at the secret lever and the stairs seemed to go on endlessly.
When they finally reached the bottom, the gasped at what they saw. Bruce was gone, but it wasn't that he was gone, it was how he was gone.
One of the cases had been smashed open.
The original Batman suit had been taken.
The original Batman was back.
"I say ten bucks," Tim began, "that he took a bottle of pain killers instead of his cane."
Dick turned to him and smirked. "I say ten bucks that he never needed the cane."
Tim smirked back.