"Look Ter, I go with B tonight, you observe, and get into the swing of things! We can ask to go alone again tomorrow for you to get a better hold of yourself right? We can do this for however long you feel you need to before you can patrol with B," Dick had softly spoken while he was getting ready for dinner in his room.

Terry grunted.

"Are you even listening to me?" Dick had asked, a little irritated.

Okay, yes Terry was, but his thoughts were somewhere else.

As he felt the motions of arms crossing at the chest, almost as if he was underwater, he was thinking about Jason. His injuries were worse than they had originally thought, but it wasn't dire. But it was enough that Dick had to go through some of the supplies they had bought or else they would have to go into the first aid kits. Dick made sure he tried to use only the stuff that Jason wanted, but unfortunately for Jason, Dick had to dip into the 'away' pile.

Terry made sure Dick made Jason take those supplies. "For sanitation you know." Dick had explained to the younger boy.

It made his blood boil that Jason went through that. Including the things at home. Jason might not think he deserves kindness, but he does. Same as all of the children who aren't shown any.

Maybe if Dick was okay with it, when they fix up the new 'safehouse', they'll be able to house those kids who don't have a home. Or shouldn't be at theirs.

Maybe they could do a series of those houses around Gotham? Try to make them all look the same so if a child goes to a different one for various reasons, they wouldn't have to rememorize the layout. Maybe Matt might find one if word gets around about it…

'TERRY!' Dick screamed in their bond.

If Terry could, he would jump. 'Holy crap! Jesus, Dick did you have to be that loud?' He asked.

'Well you weren't listening!'

'I was thinking okay! It sounds like a okay plan, let's do it! Slag it, if I had a ear right now I swear, it would be ringing right now.' He really wanted to rub his head, but there were two problems with that.

One, it wasn't his head.

Two, he wasn't even in control right then.

'Then what, pray tell, were you thinking about?' Dick sounded like he really wanted to know.

Terry made an audible sigh. 'You know that idea of a safehouse for Jason?'

He watched as Dick squinted his eyes in the mirror. 'Yeeeaaaah.'

'Well, I was thinking that maybe we could have them around Gotham. In case anyone needs it. Or maybe Matt might find it and have a safe place to stay… if he's even here.'

Now here was when Dick sighed with his whole body. 'Terry, I know you're getting antsy with not finding Matt but-'

Terry did not want to listen to that. 'I KNOW!' He exploded. 'I know that Matt is either here or not! It's as simple as that! Either he is or he isn't! I just-! I just…'

Emotions overwhelmed him. Feelings of rage, worry, sorrow, and regret were swirling around him, trying to drown him. Everything that he was trying to keep under the surface erupted into a storm. He wasn't like Bruce, who could hold down his emotions for ages. Terry could keep them at bay for only so long.

'Matt's my little brother. It's my job as his older brother to protect him and keep him safe. And he was not safe. I don't know… I don't know what I do if I found out that he… he's…' Terry couldn't even finish that thought. 'So if there's even the smallest chance of making something that he might find, in order to be at least a little safe, then I want to do it.'

Everything was quiet. For some reason the world was shaking.

'And seeing Jason like that?' He continued. 'I don't think Matt could take it, if that was him. They're hurt, Dick. They're hurt, and lost, and scared, and I'm powerless to do anything to stop it.'

It felt like he was rambling now but he didn't care. If he was talking about Jason or Matt, or all the children, or everyone, he didn't know. Terry was supposed to be Batman. But how could Batman save the day if he couldn't even save his brother? He doesn't know what happened and that was probably the scariest part. The unknown.

The world was still trembling. Arms began to wrap around their body. "We'll find them."

It was Dick. Voice soft, and soothing. He was trying to comfort Terry. "I promise you, we'll find your brother and your body. It might not be right away, but we'll find them."

'…but what if by then it's too late?' Terry couldn't help but voice that horrible fear.

"It won't be. I'm sure of it."

.

.

.

Terry opened his eyes from the dream. Or it was more so a memory from the day before. He… kind of didn't want to think about it.

Time to suppress his feelings!

And time to go to Jason. Maybe he should make Jason breakfast or something. Or just bring granola bars for now.

Yeah that sounded good.

"Let's get ready." Terry mumbled to Dick.

After getting what is probably going to be his 'Terry' clothes on, he snuck down into the kitchen. Hopefully it was early enough that Alfred wouldn't catch him, but he wasn't sure. Honestly he shouldn't be surprised if Alfred did catch him in whatever act he's doing.

Which was grabbing granola bars, apples, and two large water bottles. Jason had been drinking quite a bit of soda lately, but he needs some proper water. Terry then proceeded to fill the metal water bottles with ice and, well, water. Quickly, he glanced around.

'We should probably write a note.' Dick whispered. Really, they're the only ones to hear each other. But he could understand the need to keep quiet.

Terry nodded. He turned to find a pad and paper only to find the legend himself. Alfred Pennyworth was staring at him.

He totally didn't make some sort of 'eeping' noise. No way no how.

"Young master, may I ask where you are going?" Alfred asked, a singler eyebrow raised.

"Uhhhhh, Gotham?" Terry tried not to make it sound like a question, but ultimately failed.

The one eyebrow was still up high. "As much as I appreciate you going 'out and about,' I do hope you partake in regular, healthy meals." He then glanced at the snack food gathered in the teen's arms.

"Uh, of course! Pffft of course I do Alfred! These are just, snacks!" Terry nodded 'his' head. "I'm a growing kid, and I might get a little uh hungry so uh. Yeah."

'Wow that was terrible.' Dick groaned.

'Shut up!' Terry gritted back.

That eyebrow did not go down, even an inch.

"I promise to eat a healthy breakfast and lunch?" He tried.

With a suffering sigh, Alfred seemed to relent. "I'll inform master Bruce that you do not plan on having breakfast or lunch with him. Again."

Terry gulped. "Um, thanks." He began to walk away from the butler.

"I do hope you'll spend a full day with us. Some 'bonding time' would be rather nice."

Oh god was Alfred guilt tripping him?

"Maybe tomorrow!" Terry yelled, before dashing away.

He didn't need to look back to know that Alfred more than likely had a disapproving look on his face.

'We're so going to regret this aren't we?' Terry thought.

'Yep.' Dick confirmed.

The park in the morning was always so nice. Usually younger kids and their parents go for the playground or to enjoy the few natural spaces Gotham had to offer. Still, there was some ice left about, however with the heat of Gotham and the amount of days that had passed, there was hardly an iceberg left. On the bright side, the park was watered.

Even more on the bright side, he easily found his target. Which was pretty lucky due to the confusion on time the day before.

Brooklyn accent in place, Terry threw a granola bar, yelling, "quick catch!"

Jason barely had enough time to actually catch it. But catch it he did. Perhaps he fumbled a little, but once it was firmly in his hands, he glared a little at Terry.

Terry just smiled at him. Said smile grew wider when he saw that Jason was wearing the training clothes he and Dick had picked out the day before.

"Looking sharp, kid." His smile turned into a smirk.

Jason just scoffed. He certainly looked a little awkward. More than likely due to the clothing.

Terry's smirk fell a little, remembering what had transpired the day before.

"Hey," he started, taking Jason's attention away from the bar, "I'm sorry for the other day. For being too pushy about the clothes."

The younger boy shrugged. "Yeah you were kind of a dick."

Terry blinked at the last word Jason had said. It had taken a moment to remember that he wasn't being addressed as Dick, but was insulted. So what did he do?

Chuckle.

"Hey!" Jason looked like he took offense at that.

"Sorry, just thinking about someone I know."

'Hey!' Dick definitely took offense to that.

Terry just grinned while Jason scowled.

"Anyway, after you eat that, I'm thinking of showing you some stretches in order to warm up." Terry began. He then went to eat his bar.

"Why not go straight to it like last time?" Jason asked, genuinely curious.

"Because last time was to see where you were at, and how much you can learn in a certain amount of time." He answered. For a moment he thought. "Maybe we'll set up a schedule. One day you train with me, and the next you go learn with my twin. This would give you a break to let your body rest. There might be times where there's a cancellation scheduled ahead of time or on short notice. Does that sound good?"

Jason just stared back at him. So Terry stared back. He noticed that with the help of Dick's medical knowledge, after so long with Alfred, Jason was looking better. If only a little. And the food hopefully was helping too, but Jason was going to need more calories if he's going to exercise, and whatever else he's doing at home.

Hopefully it wasn't anything bad.

But the black eye was starting to… look bad. Yes it looked bad when it was forming, and yes, it looked bad the day before. Yet perhaps it looked especially bad right then was due to Terry seeing how Jason looked better vs the stark contrast of the black eye. Both Terry and Dick had a feeling that maybe it would take longer than ten days for it to heal. And there were signs of lack of sleep underneath the other eye.

Overall, Jason looked cleaner. It was obvious that he still needed a long way to go.

With a mouth full of food, Jason spoke. "Yeah sure. Why not."

Now this… this made Terry grin.

"Great!" He exclaimed. He then took a hold of one of the water bottles, and handed it over to Jason. "Here, have this. Gotta properly hydrate yourself."

The younger boy reluctantly took the bottle. Tentatively, he took a sip of the water.

He just smiled. "I also have some apples if you want one."

One blue eye side eyed him. "Fine. But only because I like apples."

And with that, they enjoyed a cool morning in the park. It most certainly helped that no criminals tried to do anything shady right then. Sure most of the illegal activity tends to happen once the sun goes down, but that doesn't mean there aren't those who tend to do things in broad daylight. Those times aren't exactly the greatest for Batman due to the fact that darkness is Batman's best friend.

Maybe they should get a hero for daylight hours.

Once done with their breakfast, they threw the remains away in the nearest trash can. Wouldn't do any good to be a litterer. Making sure both he and Jason took one last great gulp of water, Terry started to show how to properly stretch.

Terry would never have thought to admit it, but he thought that he might like teaching others how to defend themselves. Not to fight, but defend. There was a difference, and while Terry fought, Jason would have to defend.

It was nice, doing some step by step on how to properly block, get out of holds, and the like. Unfortunately as time went on he noticed how Jason grew tired. Due to this, it got them to sit down on the grass, drinking their water once more.

What had seemed to be silence to the younger boy was actually Terry and Dick discussing where to eat. Again.

'Okay so we went to iHop, that little Japanese restaurant, and country food.' Terry listed off. 'Where else is there?'

'Well we could have Mexican or Chinese.' Dick offered.

'Which one's closer?'

'Chinese.'

'Well then there you go.'

Nodding, Terry stood up. He looked over to the young boy and asked, "feeling like having some Chinese today?"

Jason snapped his head from where it sat on his knees. "I want egg drop soup."

This made the teen grin. "Egg drop soup it is."

He watched as Jason stood up. Truth be told he was a bit nervous, not knowing if the eleven year old would be a bit wobbly on the legs. He wonders if he could make Jason take a nap. It was unlikely, and despite how much he wishes it not to be so, their relationship wasn't strong, as it was still too new.

He and Dick really need to get their collective ass in gear and get that safehouse in working order.

Grass were stepped on and sprung back with each foot fall. He took the lead, yet walked the same pace as Jason. They were silent… and then he remembered.

"Did you kept the books?" Terry asked.

He watched as the smaller boy jerked. Startled by the question.

He hesitated to answer for a moment. With a nod he said, "yeah. I did."

Pleased with this knowledge, he asked, "did you start reading any of them yet?"

"… I got through the first two chapters of Dracula."

Terry smiled. "Yeah? And do you like it so far?"

Jason turned to give him a deadpan stare. "I literally just started I can't say anything much about it."

He chuckled at this. "Okay yeah. That's fair."

Once they got to the bike, Terry tossed Jason his helmet.

"Come on kid, safety first."

In return he was given a frown while he gave back a laugh. Soon enough wind was going to try it's hardest to tear them away from their seats.

And when they would go to their destination, Terry and Jason would try something new.

'Okay so I think we can cover the costs of buying this place and remodeling it.' Dick thought over. 'Not sure if we should make the outside look the same as much as possible or just. Change it.'

After having a proper brunch with Jason, Terry and Dick agreed to go back to the… honestly it was a poor excuse of a house, but it was going to be one anyway. They also agreed to let Jason go after that meal and tried to get him to promise that he'll get some proper rest.

Terry had even said, "go home, take the biggest nap ever if you need to. Just go sleep okay kid?"

Jason only grumbled in reply, but agreed.

But before they could part ways, Terry remembered what Alfred had said and told Jason, "Rob and I are going to do some brotherly bonding or whatever us twins do tomorrow. You can stay home and rest up some more."

The kid had looked a little taken aback. Hesitantly he agreed though.

So they went to the, what was hopefully going to be structurally sound once they're through with it, building. Now that they had more time, they would take notes.

"Okay, so we already want new pipes…" Terry muttered. "A garden… maybe a greenhouse outside? Or attached to the building?"

'Honestly I'm a bit hesitant to have a greenhouse outside. It might draw attention.' Dick admitted.

"That's true." Terry nodded. "Keep everything in doors then. Got it."

The whole building was just in such a sorry state. Terry honestly wasn't sure where to start. Well, actually he did. It smelled of mold and mildew that suffocated the whole place.

'We'll definitely need to get new roofing.' Dick managed to point out. It seemed that he had found the slight leak coming from the ceiling.

This brought pause to the duo.

Dick had found something out of the corner of 'his' eye while Terry's attention was elsewhere. Terry wasn't too sure if he had done that or not while Dick was in control.

So much to figure out. So little time.

Slag it all.

He had to remember to breathe. Everything he's doing could be a step closer to Matt. To finding him. To make sure he'll be safe.

(Everything he's doing could be a step further from Matt. To losing him. To find out that he'll be hurt or worse.)

Leather gloves ran through black hair. He didn't need any gel today. (It was almost as if Dick's body was changing in accordance to Terry's influence. He hopes not. Just the thought of something like that happening would make Terry sick.)

Windows needed to be replaced. Probably the same could be said for any insulation and just the floors and walls. Definitely needed new doors. The basement… the basement was probably a whole different beast.

Could he and Dick really fix this up on their own?

"I think we need a proper team for this." Terry muttered to Dick.

'We'll look into any remodeling companies that are going for the 'eco friendly' look later.' Dick offered.

Terry rose a brow to this.

'Hey, I head eco friendly stuff is better for us in the long run.' Dick mentally shrugged.

Terry was not going to argue with that at all. His universe could certainly take a note or two. Yeah carbon went down quite a bit because of Poison Ivy and any other plant incidents the Earth had, but they really needed to pick up the slack. He then wondered what Mr. Wayne thought about going green. After all, Derek Powers made a bunch of changes when he became the head of the company.

"Okay so, what. Rain water that's been filtered for everything? From watering the plants, drinking water, to washing clothes? I know bamboo grows a lot faster than trees and there's places that use bamboo for things like flooring and stuff." Terry began to throw things out there. "Use old junk to fix this place up?"

'Hmm. I think we already agreed on the rain water thing. We'll have to think of a place to put the giant container that would hold the water. Maybe the basement so it wouldn't be seen? We'll have to make a system that collects the water. For the bamboo that actually sounds like a great idea! We can replace the wood with bamboo for everything. Well, maybe not the main doors. As for the old junk, maybe we can get it treated and see if it's still good for something.'

A nod.

"Honestly I don't know what to do with the grass. Once again I can't believe we found this place that actually has a yard."

'Eh, if we want to keep Poison Ivy we can just turn it all into flowers. Maybe plants that are native here? Also I want a tree.'

"A tree." Terry deadpanned.

'Look, it doesn't have to be a fruit tree. Because come on. The soil. But trees are nature's monkey bars.'

Terry sighed. 'You do realize that it probably won't grow fully until we're both old men right?'

'I'm just thinking for the future!'

He decided it would be best if he didn't argue.

"Okay," he muttered, "we need to figure out how to designate the rooms."

It had three floors and a basement. There were definitely going to be enough room for more than two bedrooms.

"Should we just. Have a floor that's nothing but the garden?" He asked.

'Not sure. How 'bout this. We actually look around and then go from there!'

He just heavily sighed at this. "You do realize that we could fall through the floor if it's too rotten right?"

'Oh don't be such a baby. I'm sure we'll be perfectly fine!'

Terry rolled 'his' eyes. "Alright. Fine. But don't come crying to me when we get hurt okay?"

'Yeah yeah. Now get exploring!'

Once again, Terry huffed.

Truly, the building was a surprise if there ever was one. It was in an area that no one, hopefully, would pay any attention to it, there was actually a lawn, and not to mention space within the building itself. It looked like it was once a house, in the style of the Victorian era at that, but time had not been all that kind to it. As Terry said before, he was surprised that it wasn't condemned and thus, torn down.

Certainly, it was great that Terry and Dick came along and found it. It would finally get some use again.

Over all, as Terry weaved in and out of rooms, it looked like their plan could work. They would have to make sure there wouldn't be any lead left, as super old houses like the one he was in tend to have, and they would have to find places to put security. There was no way in hell they would leave Jason defenseless in a place like this. Strong windows that were hard to break, great locks, and an alarm that would alert them if there was an intruder. Sure there would be more things, but it was a start.

Now if only they actually know where to put stuff.

Although considering how the top floor, not the attic as that was a different beast Terry didn't want to confront, was completely spacious, that might be where the inside garden might be…

Would they put everything in pots? Don't they need compost bins in order to make new, fresh soil?

Terry then came face to face with a clearly broken bathtub.

"… found the bathroom." He spoke aloud.

'… I can see that.'

"At least now we actually have an official designated room. Could be a bit bigger though." The room would definitely be cramped. A shower stall instead of a bathtub would probably be better space wise. "Oh and look. The toilet is still intact."

It… didn't look that great.

'It looks disgusting. Let's get a new one Terry.'

"Oh definitely."

'But you gotta admit that this isn't as bad as what you originally thought.'

He sighed. "No," he gave in, "it's not as bad… still surprised that literally no one has done anything with it."

'Their loss our gain!'

"Yeah…" he breathed as he took a long look at the room he was in. "Our gain."

Shaking 'his' head, he continued on his mission.

As he walked around any rotten floorboards, he thought of how many bedrooms there would be. Four would be nice, and even more would be better as that could house more people. But the question was could the building handle that? Having two bathrooms with a tub or shower would be nice as well for the minimum.

'Hey Ter?'

"Yeah?"

'Let's just get a crew to do this.'

He smirked at that. "Good idea."

Stepping out of the bathroom, after taking his shower, Terry nearly ran right into Bruce. It felt so weird to see the man up close. It was one thing to see him up close while Dick was in charge, as it was like… watching through a screen, but it was another to be in control and experiencing Bruce Wayne. That man was truly in a league of his own. He probably learned everything he knew from Alfred considering how the older man was. Although being stuck in a short body made the man all the more intimidating. Back in his proper body, and when Wayne took that dip in the Pit, Terry was only a little shorter than him.

(So many differences. So many… changes. But he was Batman, and Batman was supposed to adapt to anything thrown at him.)

Truth be told, he wasn't expecting to interact with Bruce until dinner time.

"Bruce!" He exclaimed, surprised. "What-?" He cut himself off, realizing saying 'what are you doing here?' wouldn't exactly be a good question.

The billionaire managed to attempt to look sheepish. "I was actually looking for you."

It was unexpected, to say the least. But it was expected considering the man was looking for Dick.

It also occurred to him that he should speak. "Oh, um. Why?"

'Holy fuck that was terrible.' Dick groaned.

'How about you shut up okay? It's not like I normally work with Bruce while he's being… weird.'

'How is he being weird?'

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go see a band tomorrow."

'… why the fuck does he sound like a school girl asking for a date?' Terry thought, completely baffled.

'I DON'T CARE JUST SAY YES!' Dick yelled. Again.

Blinking rapidly, Terry said, "sure!"

The smile he got was awkward, but even he could tell it was genuine.

Then it hit Terry. "Wait when did you get the tickets."

'You know what? That's a good question.'

Bruce actually looked sheepish. None of it was faked whatsoever. Man, it was throwing Terry for a loop.

"I actually had them for a while now."

Terry just stared at his not exactly boss. "And you just asked me now?"

"I wanted it to be a surprise." He defended himself.

"It was a surprise that's for sure." Terry reassured.

God this was just painfully awkward.

"When are we leaving?" He asked.

Bruce relaxed at this. "Well, since it's an all day event I was thinking we leave around say… seven thirty."

The teen nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Bruce nodded.

And then they just stood there.

Oh god it got awkward again.

"Okay so… I'm just… going to go back to my room…" Terry said, slowly inching over towards Dick's room.

This seemed to bring Bruce back. "Yes, yes. Right. I'll- I'll see you at dinner."

"Yep!" Terry agreed before making his escape.

'Okay what the fuck was that?!' Terry thought as he was not quite running away.

'I'll be honest, I have no clue.' Dick replied.

'So you're saying that this isn't normal with Bruce?'

'And it is with yours?' Dick shot back.

'Not really? Not as much as what just happened right then. The old man would be more gruff about it.'

Whipping the door open and slamming it closed, Terry took a calming breath.

But then he decided that that wasn't really appropriate for the situation so instead he fell 'his' face into 'his' hands and groaned.

"God just what the hell is my life." He moaned.

He was not looking forward to dinner.

But… maybe it wouldn't be so bad as long as Terry stayed on 'his' toes.

Eyyyy sorry for the long wait, but I'm trying to write as much as possible and then be able to post more chapters closer together. Currently I'm trying to work on the next chapter. As for this one that you just read, I literally ran out of ideas to write without making this feel even more choppy. But also because of this I decided to go 'fuck it' and post it up. So I hope you've enjoyed it! Until next time!