A/N: You didn't think I'd leave you with just a prologue did you? Thank you to all the people who read this (especially those of you who followed/faved) the support was amazing!

Special thanks to my reviewer dorkmaster42

I do not own Young Justice, if I did I wouldn't be writing fanfiction

Chapter 2 - Hello Again

Bruce's P.O.V

The cell was barren save for a small bed, a sink, and a toilet. The gray walls were padded and the only light shone from a dim, lone lightbulb hanging in the center of the equally gray and padded ceiling.

A lanky figure rose from the simple cot, still standing in the shadows of the dim room.

"Hey Dad"

Batman started a bit at this. Dad? That wasn't one of the names he'd expected the insane son whom he had personally thrown in a mental facility for mad criminals to call him.

"Hello Renegade" Batman said coldly, trying to mask the onslaught of emotions inside him with indifference.

The former Robin flinched, whether at the name or the detached tone with which it was said, Bruce wasn't sure. If Bruce didn't know better he would think that Dick - no, not Dick, Renegade - seemed disappointed. If he was upset, however he didn't show it for long. The villain collected himself quickly and tried to counter Bruce's outward coldness with his own unaffected tone.

"Need something?" Renegade asked casually before flopping back onto the small bed.

"I need to talk to you." A thoroughly confused Batman said bluntly, each trying to match the others' seeming disinterest in the conversation.

"Is that so? What about?"

"The recent string of murders lately."

"Why?"

Now that was the question Bruce had been asking himself since he had pulled up infront of the Asylem. Why?

'Because I want to see my son' his heart told him.

'Because these recent kills mimic his own almost exactly' his brain argued.

But his mouth said "I don't know."

"Hmmm. Have you missed me?" Renegade responded, his uninvolved mask starting to crack, the final words, likely intended as a taunt, came out more hopeful than he probably intended.

Bruce wasn't sure how to respond. He had missed his son. He had missed him terribly. Missed flying through Gotham with his brightly clad partner by his side. But was this person really his son? Or was he just a shell?

"I don't know." He said again.

Renegade just nodded and didn't answer.

Bruce was confused. The teen wasn't acting at all like he'd expected. Again if he didn't know better, he'd say Renegade seemed upset with how impersonally Bruce was handling this meeting. But what did he expect?

(Flashback)

"Proud of me?"

Bruce just stared at him. Proud? No, no he wasn't proud. Why was Dick so calm, didn't he know that the video was solid evidence? Why wasn't he denying it! Unless...

No

Bruce shook his head to clear it. He'd come this far and managed to maintain faith that Dick was innocent, even when all the evidence pointed to him.

No. Dick was innocent, he wouldn't believe otherwise, he wouldn't cross that line, maybe he was frammed? Cloned? Imperson-

*Slash*

Bruce barely pulled himself out of thought fast enough to duck, and the batarang sliced off the tip of his cowl's right ear.

Bruce was stunned. His hand slowly coming up to feel the rip in his cowl when he had to dodge left to avoid the flying kick Dick had aimed for his head.

The force of the kick sent Dick crashing into the computer screens behind Bruce sending broken glass flying and electricity coursing over the console.

With a growl Dick turned to face his mentor, the crazed look in his eyes coupled with the electric flares from the computers behind him, transformed the once innocent boy into something terrifying, something evil.

'I have to end this now,' Bruce thought, 'before Alfred comes down here, there's no telling what Dick might-'

There it was. The line. The line he said he wouldn't cross. He crossed it when he actually believed Dick would hurt Alfred.

*Wham*

Once again Dick had caught Bruce lost in thought. The only reason Bruce had been able to block the punch was due to years of fighting reflexes. He needed to focus, to forget who he was fighting and remember who he was protecting.

Eyes narrowed, Bruce went on the offense, throwing punches and kicks, driving his opponent back toward the still sparking computer. The cave faded away along with his thoughts as he fell into a rhythm - punch, kick, dodge, feint, block.

Yet no matter how much he tried to block it out, he just couldn't bring himself to completely forget who he was fighting. He couldn't hurt Dick, even now the boy was still his son. But, maybe this plan would keep him from having to inflict any serious pain on his son.

Closer, closer, closer, NOW!

Bruce delivered a particularly forceful kick to the boy's chest sending him flying backwards into the broken computers.

Aaaaargh!

Dick let out an inhuman scream as he hit the destroyed console, electricity racing through him until his body fell limp and he dropped to the floor. Just before he fell unconscious, he raised his head and fixed Bruce with his electric blue gaze, once full on joy now colder than Mr. Freeze's suit. He moved his mouth but no sound came out before his eyes rolled back and his head dropped to the floor.

This was one time Bruce wished he wasn't so good at reading lips.

Bruce stood over the crumpled form of his son. There was no question about it anymore, Dick was guilty. Bruce still wasn't sure how or why but he knew he couldn't deny it anymore. Couldn't protect Dick from his fate no matter how much he wanted to.

Bruce hadn't felt this helpless since that night in a crime alley when he was eight.

There, standing over his unconscious, protege-turned-villain Bruce felt like that eight-year-old child again, and just like he had all those years ago, with Dick's last words ringing in his ears, he cried.

"This isn't over"

Bruce cuffed and blindfolded Dick as soon as he composed himself. Just this once it had been good to let his emotions out, but it had left him feeling numb.

Bruce drove to Arkham Asylem in silence, not even looking at the bound, still unconscious, criminal beside him.

When he arrived at Arkham he handed Dick over as the villain behind the recent killing spree under the name "Renegade" and recommended that he be kept in a high security, solitary cell.

The guards didn't question him and took Dick, now Renegade, down the hall to his new cell. Part of Bruce wanted to follow, but he just stood there, numb, as they took his son away.

Eventually he knew he had to leave to report to Commissioner Gordon, so without saying another word he turned, walked out the door, got in the Batmobile, and drove away.

And didn't return for two years.

(End of Flashback)

The look in Dick's eyes all those years ago haunted Batman even now. Strange that now Renegade's eyes held none of their previous malice. Now they just looked tired.

It took Bruce a while to realize that the two had been standing there just staring at each other for an awkwardly long time, not that this meeting couldn't have gotten much more awkward than it already was.

Batman figured now was as bad a time as any to actually do what he came here for.

He cleared his throat, realizing that there was no easy way to begin this conversation, he just went with the direct approach.

"Renegade, who are you working with?"

Renegade, cocked his head, a move that reminded Bruce far to much of the old Dick for his liking. Dick opened his mouth to answer-

*Zap*

When the shock collar around his neck turned on.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Renegade screamed through gritted teeth and fell to the floor in a convulsing heap.

The image of Dick writhing against the computer console two years ago forced its way into Batman's mind.

Bruce looked around apprehensively and was poised ready to attack when the door opened slowly.

"Oh! Batman! Sorry didn't know you were in here, or we wouldn't have used the collar." Said the surprised orderly with a tray in his hand.

"Why do you use it at all?!" Narrowed eye lenses were the only indication of Batman's anger.

Bruce on the other hand was very angry, all feelings of resentment he had for Renegade vanised and were replaced by his fatherly instinct at seeing his son hurt.

"To keep him from attacking whenever anyone comes in."

"He has attacked people?"

"No... but that's thanks to the collar." The orderly quickly explained before setting Dick's tray on the floor and exiting quickly.

Batman shook his head in disgust before turning his attention back to Renegade, who sat panting and shivering on the floor.

Bruce approached him with caution. Like one would aproach a wounded animal.

Renegade flinched when Batman rested a hand on his shoulder. Both sat frozen for a second, Bruce afraid that the boy would snap at any physical contact from him. But, he didn't resist, in fact he wrapped his arms around Batman's torso, buried his head in his shoulder, and sobbed. Caught off guard by Dick's actions, Bruce just stayed kneeling, stiff and unmoving. When his mind finally caught up with what was happening he proceeded to wraping arms around his former protege; supporting them both as he stroked Dick's hair and back. Eventually he settled Dick in his lap. Still holding his son close he wrapped his trembling frame in the wings of his cape.

It was then that Batman's resolve began to collapse and Bruce the father began to brake through. He was reminded why he had ordered Dick placed in a solitary confinement, high security cell. In part to protect Gotham from him but also to protect him from the other criminals there who had a bone to pick with the former Robin.

Batman had gone over the evidence for a solid year after the incident. Each time hoping to find something new, something that would change the facts, prove Dick's innocence. He neglected his duties as Batman, neglected his duties as Bruce Wayne to the point that even Alfred had to tell him to stop. He remembered clearly the day he truly gave up. The day he had to accept that Robin was no more and only Renegade remained.

It was because of that last thought that Bruce had agreed that Arkham was the only place to send the former Boy Wonder. But here was Dick, not Renegade, Dick sobbing into his chest like there was no tomorrow. The few understandable words being things like "help me... daddy... home... don't leave... alone."

Something was wrong here, very wrong.

Bruce had missed something, something important while reviewing the evidence, otherwise Dick wouldn't be sitting here, shaking in his arms.

He had been wrong.

Wrong.

And Dick had paid the price. Unless... this was all a ruse, an elaborate trap to get Bruce to believe Dick was innocent. But... no he couldn't be, Bruce had seen the tape, reviewed the evidence, Renegade was guilty. Bruce had accepted that a long time ago he couldn't keep going back and forth even if-

"Daddy?"

Bruce looked down to where his son's head had just poked out from under his cape, tears still running from his brilliant blue eyes and spilling down his face.

"Yes." he hated how cold he sounded. But it was all he could do to keep the feelings that were threatening to tear him apart.

"Please. Don't. Leave me." Dick pleaded his haunted eyes staring up at Bruce.

"I won't son. I'm taking you out of here. I'll figure something out." Bruce promised stroking his son's tangled raven hair.

Dick nodded before slumping against Bruce, clearly exhausted.

"Do you not sleep well?" Bruce asked the father in him growing more and more concerned.

"I never do. It's hard to fall asleep with all of the crazy laughter and noises, and when I do get to sleep I have nightmares." Dick mumbled wrapping the cape tighter around himself as he burrowed deeper into his father's armored chest.

"Go ahead and sleep I'm not going to disappear."

"m'kay" Dick yawned before closing his eyes and completely relaxing into Bruce's arms.

Bruce waited until he heard Richard's breathing become deep and even to signal that he was fast asleep before giving the boy a more thorough examination, not entirely sure what he was looking for.

Upon closer inspection Bruce was horrified to find that his son was clearly malnourished and dehydrated, he was slightly warm to the touch but shivered due to the chill in the rooms air (he was equally upset to find that the small bed only had one thin blanket that he guessed did little to help one keep warm. But the worst came when Bruce shifted the collar up a bit on Richard's neck to reveal the hideous black and purple bruising that encircled his neck from where the collar had been used too often, too harshly.

While Dick was still shaking slightly due to the cold, Bruce also started shaking due to the rage building up inside of him at the treatment of his son.

He had left Dick there under the assumption that he would be treated well and taken care of. Obviously that was not the case.

If Bruce had any doubts about taking Dick away from Arkham he didn't now. He was going to take Dick out of this torture chamber and bring him home where he belonged.

He and Alfred could take care of him, and he could monitor him more closely, perhaps learn something by observing that he couldn't learn from questions.

Regardless of what he had done in his past, Dick was still his son, Bruce had been a fool to forget that and would do anything to fix his mistake.

Anything.

Now there's a proper chapter. That last little scene is for anyone who, like me, LOVES daddy!bats. I was trying really hard to balance Bruce's feelings as a father with his sense of justice, and I'd love it if you all would let me know how I did. Once again thank you all for reading! I have imaginary cookies for anyone who reviews. Anything you like, didn't like, thought was unclear, ect.

See you soon!