Two weeks and Bruce had not yet heard from Diana since her first, unexpected, visit. Seeing her was the last thing Bruce had expected, and had sent him once more down memory lane, which didn't happen to be one of his favorite places. He had far too many regrets. It was one of the reasons he had been glad to hear Terry was now engaged to his former high school sweetheart.
Terry would stand a chance of being happy in his life, of not regretting all the choices he had made. Even if it did mean he would retire as Batman sooner, Bruce didn't care.
Well he did care, but he also understood.
If he had a second chance, to do things differently in his life, he would take it.
Taking in so many apprentices for one. He cared for them all, and did not regret adopting both Richard and Tim, but letting them get caught up his mission, he did regret. Four Robins, and two Batgirls, and every one of them had been hurt because of teaming up with him.
Richard Grayson, or as Bruce had usually preferred to call him: Dick. He became just as wrapped up in things as Bruce had, if not more. He had set out to prove himself, and had become just as lonely as Bruce. As much as Dick had come to hate Bruce and nearly everything about him, it was surprising how much he had ended up like his former mentor. Plenty of money, no one to share it with. He'd let the woman he love slip through his fingers, just as Bruce had.
Then there was Jason Todd, his second Robin. The Joker had gotten him alone, and beaten him severely. Even then, Bruce had been worried about his identity, and had taken the time to get rid of Jason's costume and wrap him in a blanket. Jason died later that night. That was something Bruce had never forgiven himself for, yet, he continued to let himself make mistakes.
Tim Drake had been more than eager about becoming the new Boy Wonder. But he had gone out on petrol alone, and Joker captured him, tortured him, driven him to the point of insanity. I had taken a year of intense therapy for him to be completely sane again, even then, he would still have nightmares. Then His father had found him, and upon finding out everything that had happened, demanded Tim were no longer allowed to be Robin. Bruce had agreed, he was going to forbid Tim from ever donning the Robin suit again anyway.
Stephanie Brown had wanted to atone for her father's past crimes, but she became reckless. She had disobeyed a direct order in the line of duty. Bruce didn't hesitate in firing her from the position. He wasn't about to have a loose cannon around, he wouldn't let her get hurt like Jason and Tim had.
Barbara Gordon, the daughter of the commissioner Gordon. She'd had the nerve to make her own costume and just start joining batman and Robin during patrol. It didn't take long to find out who she was. There had been romance, both between himself and Barbara, and Barbara and Dick. Later, the Joker had shot and partially paralyzed her, making her unable to continue on as Batgirl.
Cassandra Cain replaced Barbara as Batgirl. Cass's considerable martial-arts prowess made her especially valuable when put to the task of helping Bruce and his allies reclaim Gotham's streets. With Barbara's blessing, she became the new Batgirl as a reward. Bruce later sent her to Blüdhaven. Her mission is to keep watch over Robin, while he began a new life there.
So many pupils, and not one of them cared much for him anymore. Yes, he and Barbara had talked over the years, but she'd been especially peeved when Terry had become the new Batman. Tim had even overcome some of his hatred for Bruce, but neither could seem to have a conversation without things becoming awkward, so it was rare for them to communicate.
Then, he had also become a part time member of the Justice League. He was one of the original seven, of whom, only three were still alive. Himself, Superman, and Diana. No doubt only Superman and Diana would be the only ones. True, superman had aged over the years, but the man was in his ninety's, and passed for a man in his late forties. Then there was Diana, an immortal. She had not, and would never, age.
So then, even if he hadn't pushed her away, the facts at this point in time would not be very different. He was an old cripple, and she a young crime fighter who would live until someone actually managed to kill her.
Though over the years, he had wondered how she had been able to convince her mother to let her go home. After all, Diana had been forbidden from returning after he and other members of the League, had gone there to help her. But then after the state he seemed to have gotten her in after he had rejected her, she had apparently been desperate enough to find a way to be allowed to stay.
He had rejected her after Tim. The ordeal had helped him to realize that his enemies didn't need to be physically strong to hurt people he cared for, and if they had access to certain drugs and devices, it wouldn't matter how strong the person was that he cared for. He'd been a fool to let things go on, especially after the whole Circe idea. He'd known he was falling for her, but he just let himself keep falling.
He'd finally managed it though, and then the next thing he knew, he'd seen Diana on the news, informing the people of the world she was resigning from the League so she could go home. He'd told himself it was for the best, at least that way if his walls had started breaking, he couldn't get to her.
Now she was back, and even if he did want her back, there was no way he could have her now. He was hard enough to tolerate when he'd been young, now he didn't even have his 'good looks' going for him. Bruce wasn't arrogant, he had been a good looking man in his youth, the most sought after Bachelor in Gothem. Now he was just an old cripple, without a snowball's chance in hell of being with a woman like Diana.
Suddenly, Barbara Gorden's face appeared on the vid screen in the Bat Cave.
"Barbara."
"Bruce, I wanted to talk to you before the news came on."
"The news?" She still realized he didn't miss the evening news, he had become accustomed to watching the evening news before going out on patrol, he had rarely missed it.
"It's bound to be one of the top stories… Bruce…" Barbara's voice sounded slightly hoarse, and her eyes glazed over. Something was wrong.
"What happened Barbara?"
"It's Dick, he was shot."
Dick had been shot? Why would anyone shoot a man in his late seventy's, who was retired? "What hospital-"
"It's too late Bruce, the doctors, they couldn't revive him. He died before he reached the hospital. From what I heard, he was walking home when he overheard a mugging, and decided to intervene. He saved the woman, and her daughter, but after they ran to get help, the guy managed to pull out his gun."
Dick was dead.
