Chapter Four- Questions of Destiny

"You have to stop seeing him, Rachel."

"But why? He's a good guy. You said so yourself. Why don't you trust him with me?"

"You deserve better-"

"No," Rachel said firmly. "He's as close to perfect as any guy can get. He treats me well, he's always there for me when I need him, and I love him."

"No you don't."

"What do you know about love?" Rachel shot angrily.

"You're too young to know what you're talking about."

"I'm too young to know how I feel?"

"You're seventeen. Entirely too young to know what love is."

"And I suppose you do," Rachel said sarcastically.

"This isn't real, Rachel! And that is why you cannot see him anymore," Bruce said loudly.

Rachel opened her mouth to argue, but Bruce stopped her.

"I will burn every Firewing uniform you possess if you try to get around me."

"You wouldn't" Rachel said in disbelief.

"I would and I will."

"I can be friends with him, right?"

"Yes," Bruce answered shortly. "I suppose I can't stop you there."

"I have to tell him face to face."

"Be back in an hour."

Matt answered the door."

"Terry, your girlfriend's here!"

Mrs. McGinnis came up behind Matt.

"Rachel, dear, Terry is-"

"Right behind you," Terry finished.

"Five minutes," Mrs. McGinnis barked to her son.

"We were just having another argument," he hissed as they went outside.

"We have to break up," Rachel said, her voice quivering.

"I know," Terry replied sadly.

"I don't want to," Rachel said, burying her head in his chest.

"I know," Terry repeated. "Neither do I."

"Bruce said he was going to take the Firewing uniform if we didn't. Even if I let him, he might have done something worse."

"My mom is so convinced you're toying with me until you get bored. She thinks that you think you're better than I am because you get all of Bruce's money when he dies."

"I don't even want his money. I could care less."

"I know."

"So what do we do? I don't want to lose you, Terry," Rachel stated.

"Understandable. I'm quite a catch," he teased.

"Modest."

"I'm not letting you go. You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

"Well, maybe…maybe we should sneak around until we figure something else out," Rachel suggested lamely.

"I don't really like that, but I guess we have to. Love you."

"Love you too," Rachel replied, and kissed him on the cheek. "Act sad," she whispered. "They'll never suspect if we're careful."

"Rachel, about earlier…" Bruce said carefully.

'Act mad,' she thought. "Haven't you done enough damage for one night?" she snarled.

"I known you're upset now, but you'll see one day that I'm right."

"You're not my father, Bruce."

"I know I'm not your father. But we both know he would agree with me about Terry."

"Do I look like I care? Leave me alone," Rachel snapped, glaring. If she had been a better actress, she would have hit him with the eyebeams she'd inherited from her mother.

"Teenagers."

"So did you fake the old man out?" Terry asked the next morning as he hugged Rachel.

"Worked like a charm. I pretended he was Deathstroke so I would really hate him right then." After a moment, she asked, "You?"

"It worked pretty well. I remembered how sad I was when my dad died and wouldn't talk to anyone. Funny how gullible they are isn't it?"

"Yeah. I didn't call last night; you know they're kept track of by the ever organized Bruce."

"Ain't it the truth." Tightening his hold on her, Terry rocked her back and forth. "We'll get through this, Little One."

Rachel blushed. She was only little compared to Terry, being 5'7", but it was his special nickname for her.

"Mr. McGinnis! Miss Grayson! Get to class!"

The plan to sneak around went well for several weeks. Batman and Firewing still kept the city safe. To give the impression of friends, they talked on the phone less. Terry didn't go to Wayne Manor as much. Rachel even went as far talking to another guy on the phone in plain sight of Bruce. (A/N Don't worry, he's a friend of Max and has no further reference in the story.)

Secretly, of course, they were still seeing each other. Rachel made excuses by saying she was hanging out with Max.

Terry, being a teenage guy, needed to leave sometimes, and his mom let him.

"I hate hiding this," Rachel said.

"So do I," Terry replied gently. "I actually look forward to school now."

"I miss you always being at my house."

"It'll be Ok, sweetheart. I promise."

A few days after this conversation, however, neither could stand hiding their relationship any longer.

"Meet me at the park at five."

"What's going on?" Rachel asked when Terry arrived.

"We need to get out of this stupid city. Everyone's trying to rip us apart."

"Run away, you mean."

He nodded. "Yeah."

"It's not fair to run away."

"It's not fair to try to keep us apart, either! We belong together."

"I know we do."

"I won't let this happen. I don't like sneaking around. You don't either, Rach," Terry said.

Rachel finally voiced something that had been in the back of her mind for days.

"Maybe we were wrong about destiny."

Terry looked shocked. W-Why would y-y-you say t-that?" he spluttered.

"I don't know!" Rachel cried. Then she found the right words. "If we were really meant to be together, we wouldn't have to hide our relationship."

"Oh. My mom was right."

"No, she wasn't. I'm just questioning whether it will last forever. I do love you, Terry. Honestly."

"I know you love me," he replied, and hugged her. Terry didn't let go for a rather long time."

"Now what?" she asked when he let her go.

"We tell the truth."

October 24

Terry and I had a really long talk today. We have decided that it's best to tell the truth about eth relationship we've been hiding. I'm kind of nervous as to how it's going to turn out.

Rachel

Well…guess you'll have to see how it all turns out in…Chapter 5!

-iluvrobbie