A/N: So, from this point forward I have to give a very important *CONTENT WARNING*: from now on, we are going to be dealing with the extremely heavy subject of dealing the impending death of a loved on due to cancer. If that's too hard for some of you, I totally understand. Trust me. Half the reason I'm doing this is because I've got some grief I need to work through, myself. Some of it very longstanding. I just wanted everyone to know. It won't be the sole focus of the story but it will be extremely prevalent. Especially for the next two or three chapters, for sure.

Whether you continue reading or not, thank you for the support.

Chapter 1

Gotham City. Present Day.

Three years since the Moirai case saw Batman's team work like a well-oiled machine. While the gangs were still dedicated to stir up trouble and super-criminals were prone to appear at random, Batman, as he had for the past few years, no longer stood alone. With Nightrunner, Koutetsu, and Ember, Gotham and its police force felt a level of protection it hadn't in a while, with Barbara and Valerie kept the Dark Knights within constant communication. Bruce even reduced his role greatly as the overseer of the team with Max and Tiana taking over, sharing the Oracle duties. Terry even found himself with extra time off, as did Basem, which was great for them to spend with their families. Despite Terry, Max, and Basem's worry that they weren't doing their fair share as much anymore, Hayate, Michelle, and Tiana reassured everyone they knew what they signed up for and were more than happy to do their part and more.

Terry, Basem, Hayate, and Michelle were in the Cave as they watched the feed from Ember's discovery the previous night.

"Okay, that's weird," Basem mused.

"Where's all that stuff now?" Terry asked.

"GCPD's got it," Michelle answered. "I called the Cap and she sent a team to get it and Striker."

"What did Valerie say?"

"She'd check everything for prints and all, but… nothing looked too promising. Place looked abandoned for months. Like they cleared the place out in a hurry."

"What building was above it?" Basem asked.

"Tia said it's part of Yamaguchi Corp," Michelle explained, "but it was an old GothCorp building. Before they sold it to Yamaguchi about ten years ago."

Terry folded his arms. "GothCorp, huh?"

"Think there's a connection?" Basem asked. "Between either company? Bruce used to have hand in GothCorp."

"That was decades ago," Terry remembered. "He cut ties with them right around the same time he gave up the mantle. As far as do I think there's a connection, maybe. I mean… why have a bunker right underneath the building? Something to look into, if nothing else."

"This is assuming there is any connection to be found," Hayate said, "which somewhat depends on Capt. Bancroft's investigation."

"Yup." Terry shrugged, "Well! Then we just wait. Maybe check the city to see if we find any other places like that."

"You got it, boss," Michelle replied.

Basem looked around, "Hey. Where's Bruce?"

"Upstairs," Terry answered. "I'm about to drive him to the doctor."

"This early?" Basem checked his watch, "It's 7 in the morning."

"We can't talk. We're all standing in the Cave. And you're assuming he's been asleep."

Basem shrugged.

"Is he alright, Terry?" Hayate asked.

Terry took a deep breath and exhaled. "Yeah. But no."

"He still been getting those headaches?" Michelle asked.

"Yeah. Pretty… pretty constant."

"Is Diana here?" Basem asked. "I hadn't seen her in a couple of days."

"No, she had to see her mother on Themyscira," Terry confirmed. "She's on her way back now, though. Guess we'll all get the news after the doctor's. Helena's coming by later, too."

Silence overtook them all for longer than they expected.

Hayate took a deep breath and exhaled. "I'm… willing to admit, I'm concerned."

"Me, too," Terry admitted.

"We all are," Basem said.

"What's been scaring me is he won't let Sally look him over," Michelle muttered.

"That's got her worried more than any of us."

"Her and Max," Terry added. He considered everything for a moment. "I think he knows it's something more than usual."

The team fell silent, again, as their minds went to worrying places. Still, there was nothing they could do at the moment.

Michelle exhaled. She looked at the time then at Hayate, "We gotta get to work, baby."

Hayate nodded. "Do you want me to drive you to work?"

"If you wouldn't mind. Just pick me up after you get off."

"Of course."

"Thanks for covering last night, guys," Terry said.

"No thanks necessary, Terry," Hayate replied.

"Yeah," Michelle said. "Happy to do it. If you hear anything from the Cap, let us know. And… about Bruce."

"You got it," Terry nodded.

A bit later that morning, Bruce sat in front of Doctor Martinez's desk in the doctor's office, glaring at the wall. He hadn't gotten his most recent results yet.

But he didn't need any tests to tell him something was wrong.

Very wrong.

Now, he just needed to know what and what he could do about it. If anything.

The door opened and Martinez walked in. Martinez worked on Bruce some years ago, responsible for discovering the blood link between Terry and Bruce. While Sally was still Bruce's private doctor, Bruce kept in contact with Martinez as a primary; more for appearances than anything. That didn't make Martinez any less of a capable doctor and Bruce held him in high rehard.

"Always so stoic, Mr. Wayne," Martinez smiled.

"Such is my nature," Bruce replied.

"I noticed." Martinez sat down at his desk and exhaled. He leaned forward, resting his arms on his desk and interlocking his fingers. "There's… there's no easy way to say this."

"Just give it to me straight," Bruce said.

Martinez exhaled. "Glioblastoma multiforme. Also known as GBM."

Bruce simply blinked.

"It's… actually in an advanced stage. I'm surprised you've just now felt the effects."

Bruce sat in silence. A moment slowed down to what felt like an hour.

Glioblastoma multiforme. He knew of it. It was rare. But dangerous. The life expectancy was no more than about a year after the first diagnosis. But Bruce knew the truth: if it was an advanced stage, he had far less than that.

"Mr. Wayne?" Martinez asked.

Bruce blinked and replied, calmly, "Yes. I apologize. I… was taken aback."

"Please, don't apologize. I'm the one who's sorry. I just… I didn't know how else to explain…"

"I've always been direct, Doctor. I like directness in return. How long would you say I have?"

Martinez opened his mouth then closed it.

"I don't mind, Doctor," Bruce reassured. "Be direct, like I said. In fact, I prefer the truth."

Martinez sighed. "A few months. At best."

Bruce nodded, understandingly, "I see."

"Mr. Wayne, I'm so sorry. To be even more honest… your treatment options are… limited, at best. Your body…"

"I've lived a long time, Doctor. I know. Trust me."

"Mr. Wayne, I… I-I am so sorry. I… I just… don't know what we can really do at this point."

"It's fine." Bruce took a deep breath and exhaled. "Doctor, would you mind keeping the news private for now? I promise, you'll be able to make it public, soon, but… I need to tell my family first."

"Of course," Martinez nodded.

Bruce stood up, as did Martinez. Bruce offered his hand and Martinez shook it.

"If there's anything I can do…"

"You've done more than enough, Doctor," Bruce smiled, releasing the handshake. "I mean that. I'm proud of the man you've become, by the way."

"Sir?" Martinez asked.

"You're a great doctor, Sergio. And an even better man. And you were a good kid, back then, too. One of the last things I got right before I hung it up."

Martinez was stunned, momentarily. He never let it slip that he knew Bruce was Batman. But Martinez quickly remembered he was facing the world's greatest detective. He smiled. "How long did you know I knew?"

"Pretty much always," Bruce replied. "I remember my mask being torn when we escaped the fire."

"Then I can finally say… thank you for saving my life."

"And thank you for all of the lives you've saved."

Martinez's smile fell away. "I'm sorry I can't save you. Mr. Wayne, I… let you down."

"Nonsense," Bruce countered. "You've done everything right. This… it's life. No one lives forever."

"Can I do anything for you?"

"Don't tell Sally yet."

"Of course."

"Anything else, I'll let you know," Bruce continued. "But… there is one thing you can do for me above all else."

"Anything."

"Stay you."

Martinez let out a bitter laugh. "Yes, sir. I can do that."

Terry sat in the waiting area, just outside the office, and looked up when he heard the door open to see Bruce exiting. They locked eyes as Terry stood up.

And Terry knew.

Bruce hadn't said a word. In fact, his face didn't look any different than normal.

But Terry knew.

"It's bad," Terry declared. "Really bad."

"You didn't ask," Bruce noticed.

"Wasn't a question."

Bruce let out a hard exhale. "Yes." He walked over and sat down.

Slowly sitting back down, Terry rubbed his hand across his face. He leaned forward, staring at the floor. "How long?"

Bruce opened his mouth but just exhaled. "He's… not sure. Could be months. But… with what it is… realistically… who knows."

"What is it?"

Bruce looked down.

"Bruce, just tell me."

"Have you heard of glioblastoma multiforme?" Bruce asked.

Terry thought back. "Yeah… GBM. Jared told me he had an uncle who…" He stopped. He stared at Bruce in silence for a few minutes as the full weight of that hit him. "Oh, God. Oh, Jesus! Bruce, no!"

Bruce stared at Terry, stoically.

Terry steadied his breathing. His mind was racing but he had to remain calm. No one needed him to go into hysterics right now. No matter how badly he wanted to. Terry fought down those emotions and regulated his breathing. "Bruce. What can I do?"

"Be yourself," Bruce declared. "That's all I need, Terry. Don't worry about me."

Terry fought the urge to cry with everything he had. Somehow, he succeeded. "We need to tell everyone."

"We will."

Terry studied him, "What about Clark?"

"I promise," Bruce agreed.

Terry considered his next question but decided to ask anyway, "What about Dick and Selina?"

"Why tell them?"

"They deserve to know, Bruce. Just like Helena and Diana. And Barbara and Tim. You need to tell them. All of them. They have the right to know. And, if you don't, I will."

Bruce considered that. "I agree. But… we should… have a private meeting first."

Terry nodded, "You're right. Handle things in house."

"We'll tell them, tonight. Call Tiana, too."

"You got it."

"Terry."

"Yeah?"

"Would you… mind having breakfast with me?" Bruce asked.

A pain hit Terry's heart so swiftly he almost fell out of his chair. But Terry kept his composure and nodded, with a smile, "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

That evening, Terry and Bruce called everyone to meet at the Manor, with Tiana arriving last. They all gathered in the common room, where Thomas and Martha's portrait was. Tiana took notice of everyone's positions: Terry silently leaned against the fireplace mantle with arms folded while Bruce sat in his armchair and was focused on the fire in the fireplace. Max was trying not to shake but was becoming less and less successful. Diana and Helena were sitting on the couch with Max, on either side of her, both looking as concerned as she was. Helena took notice of Max and took hold of her hand. Basem, Sally, Hayate, and Michelle displayed their own levels of concerned behavior as they stood around the room.

"Hi, everyone," Tiana greeted.

Max looked at her and smiled, "Hey, Tia." Everyone followed suit in greeting Tiana.

Terry looked at the group, then at Bruce. "Bruce."

Bruce looked up at Terry then turned toward the group, "Thank you for all for coming."

"Of course," Tiana said.

Max fidgeted, nervously, "This is all about the doctor's, isn't it?"

"Yes," Bruce replied.

"Oh, God…" Max bowed her head.

"Bruce…" Basem spoke up. "…don't hold back, okay? Just… just tell us what's going on. We need to know."

Terry and Bruce looked at each other. Terry nodded.

Bruce looked back at everyone. He focused on each face for a moment then his gaze fell to the floor. "I'm dying," he declared, quietly.

The whole house went still. Terry just shook his head, rubbing his eyes. Everyone began the horrible process of comprehending and understanding what Bruce just said. Max gazed at Bruce, feeling tears fill her eyes immediately. She shook her head as mind lurched to understand this. Diana slowly stood up, staring at Bruce with her mouth open. Helena just looked around in disbelief. Sally covered her mouth to keep from crying. Hayate, Michelle, and Tiana stared at Bruce, not able to form any words.

Among the group, Basem managed to come out of his shock and find his voice, first. He swallowed then whispered, "Say that again."

"I'm dying," Bruce repeated.

"No…" Diana whispered.

"It's called glioblastoma multiforme. I'd… been… not feeling well for weeks."

"Yeah, we know!" Basem said, angrily. He turned and walked a few steps, rubbing his forehead.

"Your headaches…" Diana whispered.

"And you've been way more tired than usual," Helena noted.

Basem turned around, dropping his hand, "And the other day was the first time I'd ever seen you dizzy."

"What can they do?" Max asked, worriedly. "Like… like what's the plan? Lasers? Chemo? Trip to New Genesis? What?!"

"Most likely, there's nothing they can do," Bruce answered.

"What?!"

"No way!" Michelle shouted. "No way! That is not true! That's bullshit!"

"Terry?" Basem asked.

Terry looked down, nervously. He looked back at the group. "I… talked to Dr. Martinez."

Bruce looked at Terry, surprised.

Terry looked at Bruce, "Called him back after we left then went to go see him." He looked at everyone else, "He showed me the results and x-rays." He shook his head, "I… all possible options…"

"My body isn't strong enough," Bruce admitted.

"That," Terry confirmed, grimly.

"Oh, my God!" Michelle started pacing, frantically. "Oh, my God!"

"Wayne-sama…" Hayate said, sadly.

"Terry!" Max said, desperately. "Terry, is all of this true? Don't you lie to me! This better not be some plan or scheme or something! Is this true?!"

Terry exhaled. Then nodded, "Yeah."

"Oh, Jesus…" Max bowed her head.

Diana and Helena just stared at Bruce, still in shock as they were still processing the news.

"I wanna look at these x-rays," Sally declared. "And I'm not giving them back until I look them over every way possible!"

"Sally…" Terry said.

"Just get me the damn x-rays!"

"We'll get them for you, Sally," Bruce reassured. "But… I've looked at them. There's not much that can be done."

"That's what you say!" Sally said, defiantly.

"Bruce…" Basem said. "What can we do?"

Bruce smiled. "Just be yourselves. In truth… that's all I ever needed."

Tangier, Tanger-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, The Kingdom of Morocco.

Ikram and Athanasia walked through the compound, heading for the hangar.

"Are you ready, Father?" Athanasia asked.

Ikram exhaled. "I… have my reservations."

"You shouldn't, Father. Everything so far has gone according to his plan."

"We had a plan. Until it was suddenly usurped by him."

"He merely had a better plan, Father," Athanasia replied. "You acted, hastily, even you admitted that. This plan… it is brilliant."

Ikram exhaled. "As true as that… may be, this plan is… dangerous. This will be a war, Daughter."

"Our previous plan would've been war."

"But it would've been more of an overwhelming blitz. The problem with this war… is its level of calculated measures and steps and there will be loss. And we cannot avoid…"

"He explained this, Father," Athanasia interrupted. "War does include loss. But the victory… that will be… infinite."

"It better be," Ikram replied. "We have everything we possess involved in this. If we are to ever rise again, then we must…"

"You worry too much, Father. He's planned this out. The war will be won. After a fashion."

"I fear you've been turned by him, Daughter."

Athanasia smiled. "He's my husband. I believe in his vision. As I believe in him."

They walked into the hangar, on the catwalk above of their soldiers as they moved equipment and vehicles around. Athanasia and Ikram stood next to him as they overlooked the soldiers' work.

"We're close, Beloved," Athanasia said to him.

He just smiled.

"Are you still certain of this?" Ikram asked.

"Positive." He stared at the soldiers. "For years, we have waited for this opportunity. It is finally time. We are finally ready."

"There are other places we can strike first. Other locations we can claim!"

"But only one… has any sort of meaning. Only one. And conquering it… will prove our superiority."

Ikram rolled his eyes, shaking his head.

"Then our destination remains the same, Beloved?" Athanasia asked.

He stared at her, "It does, my love." He looked at his soldiers. "Gotham."

"Of course."

Ikram grabbed hold of the railing, groaning. "He will be waiting."

"Batman," he said. "Yes. We will. He will prove a challenge. But we will defeat him and take Gotham for our own. We will raze it, then we will build it back up. And before it falls, I will carve my name into the soul of the Batman, this new Batman. As well as his corpse. To take that mantle, he is strong. He will not beg, he will not cry. But, before he dies… he will scream my name. He will scream… Bane."