Batman Beyond: Divine Secrets of the Yo-Yo Sisterhood

[katfairy]

This is not connected to Beyond Knightfall, although one or two things from there (such as the Clarendon) may show up. Also, I am not using the exact same characterizations for some of the less well-defined characters. The overall tone will be different, too- BK is basically serious, but has some humor in it; this saga- I mean story :p - is basically silly with some serious moments in it.

This is not going to be a single story, actually. I wasn't really kidding when I called it a saga, although series might be a better word. There is no end to this; I'm going to keep cranking out Sisterhood stories until I run out of ideas to steal. Individual stories will end, I promise.

Many thanks to Chris Dee, creator of the godly Cat Tales series, for the use of Big Bad Zogger.


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Ra's al Ghul sat and brooded, once again cursing the fact that Talia had not been the son he desired. Global domination was a man's job. His men did not give him the proper respect when they saw him in this body. And most importantly, if Talia had been his son, he wouldn't be sitting here with these hideous cramps!

It was The Detective's fault. His and that- that boy's. That mere whelp had defeated him; that was an insult that could not be ignored. And now The Whelp- yes, he liked that name- had the nerve to go up against the Joker! The Detective's second greatest foe! And he won! Again!!!

This could not be tolerated.

He toyed with several plans, dismissing them as either more clever than The Whelp deserved or not clever enough. The Whelp was not incompetent, after all, merely unworthy of the mantle that had been passed to him. Granted, he did stop the Joker, but...

The Joker. Oh, now there was an idea. The green-haired fool was well and truly gone now, but his legacy remained. And Ra's al Ghul was a great believer in maintaining legacies.

Ra's generally had little patience with maniacal bursts of laughter, but in some situations it was the only proper response.

Ra's was about to learn why one does not plot grandiose schemes of revenge when one has PMS.

###############################

Bruce sat in the Batcave, waiting for Terry. Today Terry was going to tell Dana the truth. After the Joker's attack last week, the boy had decided that if his family and Dana were going to be endangered anyway then they had a right to know about it and to know the reason why. Bruce had wanted to argue, but he couldn't, especially after Terry pointed out that Matt had been targeted before because of his connection to Batman. He had surprised Terry by agreeing, but he'd also warned the boy that he might not like the consequences. Terry had then decided to tell Dana first, and hadn't explained why. Bruce wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"I will never understand women."

Bruce looked up to see Terry coming down the stairs, a woebegone expression on his face. Not the "fight-with-Dana" look, but the "Max-showed-me-up-again" look.

"So how did she take it?"

"Well, I hauled her aside at lunch- I figured she wouldn't try to kill me if there were too many witnesses. Don't worry, I made sure we were out of earshot. Anyway, I told her, I apologized for lying to her, I apologized for the Jokerz attacking her- and then she called Max and Chelsea over and told them to pay up because she won the bet!"

Bruce was stunned. Of all the reactions he'd been expecting, that one hadn't even been on the list.

"Max didn't-"

"NO. Dana has known for weeks! Ever since I rescued her from Ratboy! And she never said anything!"

"What was the bet?"

"Oh, you're gonna love this- after she figured it out, she went and talked to Chelsea and the two of them confronted Max. Yeah, they guessed that part, too. Max caved. After the fur stopped flying, they decided not to tell me. They wanted to see how long it would take me to cave. Max thought i'd never tell, Chelsea thought I'd wait until after Graduation, and Dana figured I'd keep quiet until someone came after her because they knew she was my girlfriend."

"She really does know you, doesn't she?"

Terry glared at him.

"You're really getting a kick out of this, aren't you?"

"I never would have expected Max to be able to keep one set of secrets, let alone two."

"Thanks a lot." A thought struck Terry. "Wait a minute- all those times she's bugged me to tell Dana- I can't believe this! She- ah, slaggit!"

Terry leaned against the wall of the cave and looked as though he was contemplating bashing his head against it. After a while he looked over at Bruce with the beginnings of a wry smile.

"Hey, Old Man, you know that no-kill policy of yours? Is that a rule or just a guideline?"

"It's a rule."

"Oh."

"Try not to look so disappointed."

Terry laughed.

"Well, I'm not much for the whole signs-and-portents crap, but I'm gonna take this a good omen. Tomorrow I'm telling Mom."

#################################

"I told her."

Bruce looked up at Terry just as he had the day before, but this time he kept quiet. The boy was pale and stony-faced, and obviously not in the mood to talk. He grabbed the suit and was gone in minutes. He barely spoke a word all night.

#################################

"Mr. Wayne, I'd like a word with you."

"Of course. I've been expecting you."

Bruce knew this was going to be painful, and he was right, as usual. As far as Mary McGinnis was concerned, all that being Batman meant to Terry was a cheap excuse for fighting. She had ordered him to stop. He'd refused, so she came to Bruce.

"I want you to fire Terry."

"I tried that last week. We both nearly got killed."

She glared.

"I could go to the police, you know."

Oh, yes, Barbara would just love that, Bruce thought. "That would not only get both Terry and me killed, it would put you, Matt, and everyone else close to us in extreme danger."

"Then he's going to have to choose: Batman or his family."

They heard a gasp at the door; both of them looked up sharply. Terry was standing in the entrance, white with shock. Bruce knew then that things were about to get very ugly. He wasn't wrong. Mrs. McGinnis threw accusation after accusation at Terry. He tried to refute them, but she refused to listen. He begged her not to make him choose, and she just screamed at him. Bruce sat frozen, wishing he was anywhere else, knowing he couldn't interfere. Finally Mrs. McGinnis lowered the boom.

"All right, that's enough! I don't want to hear any more! Is your nightly brawling really more important to you than your family? It's your decision."

"No, it's yours." Terry spoke with an almost desperate calm. "Think about what you're asking- it's not only about the fighting, and you should know that. I'm saving lives out there, helping people. If you make me quit, those people could die. Some of them will. And every time I heard about another death I could have prevented if I'd just been there something inside of me would die too, until I started to hate you for forcing me to make that decision. Is that what you really want?"

There was silence for a few seconds. Mrs. McGinnis' cold expression intensified.

"So that's your choice, then. You're abandoning your family for an old man's obsession and some cheap thrills. I should have known; we never did come first with you. I'm just glad your father isn't alive to see this."

Bruce had thought Terry couldn't get any paler. He'd been wrong.

"No..."

"You have until Sunday night to pack up and get out of my house."

"Mom, please..."

"I don't want to hear it, Terry. You made your choice. You're no better than the Jokerz who murdered your father."

She turned and walked out while Terry was still speechless. Bruce, who could see Terry's face, couldn't think when he'd had a stronger urge to smack a civilian across the room. Ace, picking up on his feelings, started to growl. The sound snapped Terry out of his trance and he also stalked out of the room- but headed in the opposite direction. Bruce buried his head in his hands, trying to think of some way to salvage the situation.

"Bruce, I- oh, my God- has something happened to Terry?"

Bruce looked up sharply. Barbara Gordon stood where Terry had earlier, and identical expression of horrified shock on her face.

"Not what you're thinking, but yes. Terry told his mother."

"So that's whose car I passed."

"Probably. She was just here, telling Terry he had until Sunday to get out."

Barbara stared at him, then suddenly looked uneasy.

"Does Terry know how to access Big Bad Zogger?"

Bruce didn't even get out the first word of his usual objection to the silly nickname for Strategic Self-Mutating Defensive Regimen 4 before he realized what the answer was. He surged to his feet and almost ran to the elevator. He hated using it- it made him feel old- but right now he wanted to get down to the cave as quickly as possible. Barbara wheeled and ran for the clock. By the time he reached the cave, she was already bending over Terry's too-still form. She looked up as he approached.

"Happened just as I was coming down. The Big Bopper caught him and sent him flying. Slammed him right into the wall. I don't think he's seriously hurt."

"No, just seriously hurting," came the groggy reply.

"I'm not surprised. Still, three-quarters of the way through Zogger? Which setting did you use?"

"Joker."

Barbara whistled. Bruce looked at the training area and his eyebrows shot up. It was a setting he'd only used three times himself, a brutal, demanding program that he'd struggled to beat. And Terry had gotten three-quarters of the way through it, leaving behind a trail of battered equipment. Granted, the boy's smaller size was a distinct advantage in that program, but it was still impressive. Or possibly worrying. Especially since he hadn't been wearing the suit.

Terry struggled into a sitting position with Barbara's help, wincing. She checked him over a little more thoroughly while Bruce tried to look like he wasn't hovering.

"Hey, Commish? DOn't take this wrong, but-"

"Why am I here?"

"Uh, yeah. Not that I'm complaining- you're a lot gentler than Bruce is." Terry tried to smile; it wasn't one of his more successful attempts. Barbara's was a bit better.

"I was going to warn you about a sting going down, but-"

"You- what?"

Bruce couldn't blame Terry for gaping at her. He wanted an explanation, too.

"Look, kid, whatever my personal opinion is, you're gonna be out there, and if you see what looks like a buy in progress you'll try to bust it up. I'm just trying to save all of us a few headaches. I'm not saying I'm going to bring back the Bat-Signal, but I figure I could at least give you an occasional heads-up, okay?"

Terry looked at her. then nodded with a slightly more realistic smile.

"Thanks."

"Sure. But I guess it's a moot point, since I doubt you'll be going out tonight."

"I won't?"

He looked ready to argue. Bruce happened to agree with Barbara- Terry should not try to patrol in the state he was in- so he deliberately twisted one of the boy's earlier complaints.

"Your own rule McGinnis: if you can stand up and walk across the room unassisted, you can patrol."

Terry glared.

"That wasn't a rule," he grumbled, "that was me whining."

Bruce didn't respond verbally, but with a challenging glare of his own. He knew Terry wouldn't have recovered from a Zogger beating that quickly, and sure enough, Terry couldn't even stand up without Barbara's help. She hauled him to the chair by the Batcomputer and shoved him into it, ignoring his protests.

"Shut up, McGinnis. Now, the two of you need to talk, so I'm leaving." She headed up the stairs, but paused partway up to rake the two of them with one last glare. "Don't let your ego get in the way of your common sense."

There was a brief period of silence before Terry asked, "Which one of us was she talking to?"

"Knowing her, probably both of us. Terry-"

"I don't know." Seeing Bruce's raised eyebrow, Terry explained. "You were going to ask what I planned to do now, right? Well, I don't know. I guess I'd better start apartment hunting. Maybe the Clarendon. I can crash at Max's for a few days if I need to."

"Or you could move in here."

Terry gave him a suspicious look.

"Bruce..."

"It's not pity, or charity. You need somewhere to stay. I have more room than I need. It would also make your job easier if you didn't have to commute."

"You've thought about this, haven't you? I mean, before today. Did you think she'd react like that?"

"I knew it was a possibility." Bruce struggled with himself, then forced himself to say the last thing he wanted to say: "Maybe it's not too late. Let her cool down, then try to talk to her again. I can't ask-"

"You didn't," Terry snarled, ice-blue eyes blazing. "You heard what she said- do you think I could just go back there and act like it never happened? Forget it."

The silence was a little more uncomfortable this time. Once again it was Terry who broke it.

"All right. I'll move in- on one condition."

"What's that?" Bruce decided that, Zogger-headache or not, if Terry tried to insist on paying rent...

"I do the cooking."

"Done."

################################

That's it for part one. Next chapter: more old friends, a celebration, an unexpected reunion or two, and we learn what Ra's scheme is.

[Panther]

Ra's was about to learn why one does not plot grandiose schemes of revenge when one has PMS
LOL!!!! :D

And Dana, Max, and Chels had a bet going about Terry telling? Hysterical!!! :p Pity about how his mom took it. :(

I like the Big Bad Zogger, cool concpet, although I'm sure if that was the /best/ way for Terry to handle it.

"That wasn't a rule," he grumbled, "that was me whining."
:D

more story please!

[katfairy]

I'm working on it, I promise. :D

Terry's mom isn't done being a cow yet, either. I figured I'd get the depressing crap out of the way early on so the eventual wackiness could ensue uninhibited by drama.

[ThornSilver]

Impressive, as always. Looking forward to seeing more soon. :cool:

[katfairy]

Ummmm.... what I said was going to happen in this chapter? I lied. It's next chapter. More depressing crap first. I promise, silliness will ensue eventually...

*******************************************

Terry spent the night at the Manor, but was off to school before Bruce got up. It wasn't the first time Terry had stayed over, but before he had always slipped away without leaving a trace. This time he'd left a breakfast of sorts ready- fresh coffee, orange juice, and applesauce muffins still warm from the oven. Bruce was impressed; finding the ingredients in his kitchen couldn't have been easy. He supposed he'd have to do something about that, maybe update the kitchen as well. He'd have to speak to Terry about it; domestic matters had never been his strong suit.

When he returned home from the office that evening he found Dana's car parked out front, trunk open. Terry wasn't wasting any time.

"Hi, Mr. Wayne. Hope you don't mind my being here, but Terry can't fit much on his bike, so..."

"Not at all, Dana. I'm hardly going to insist on Terry becoming a hermit just because he's moved in here."

"Oh, good. I have to admit, I've always wanted to see this place. My grandmother told me it looked like a place she blew up in one of her movies. That was a compliment, by the way."

"Glad to hear it. Was she an actress or in special effects?"

"Kinda both- she was a stuntwoman. I think you might have met her." Dana smiled a little too innocently. "She called herself Roxy Rocket back then."

Bruce stopped in his tracks.

"Roxy? A grandmother? Your grandmother?"

Dana giggled.

"I know, there's no family resemblance. But she is. She used to tell me all sorts of stories about her life as one of your Rogues' Gallery. I kinda wish I could tell her I'm dating Batman- she'd think it was a scream."

"Yes, she probably would. How is she doing? I'm afraid I lost track of her years ago." He wasn't about to tell her he'd never payed all that much attention to Roxy in the first place because she was more a nuisance than a threat.

"She's fine, She's a consultant now and just as wild as ever. I'm wondering if I should tell her about Bloody Mary's latest trick."

Bruce smirked at the nickname and found the mental image of Roxy Rocket taking on Mary McGinnis to be disturbingly appealing. Then the meaning of Dana's remark hit him.

"Latest trick? And why would Roxy-"

"Care? She adores Terry, that's half the reason Dad hates him. The old mother-in-law thing, you know. And the other- I don't have time to say much, but there's a lot Terry hasn't told you that you're going to need to know about if he's going to be living here. It's not that he's hiding it, it's just he doesn't like to talk about it. The most important thing is- watch your back. Terry's, too. You know Terry can be vindictive when he's really mad? Well, he gets it from her, but she's much worse. At least Terry tries to keep it in perspective. She's more the scorched earth type. Like when the divorce was finalized and Terry chose to live with his father- and that's a story all it's own- she made sure Terry didn't get to see Matt at all. He didn't see his own brother from the time he went into Juvy until the night his father died. That's what she's really like- she's just good at hiding it."

Bruce frowned and would have asked for more information but Terry came out of the manor before he could. That set the tone for the rest of the week; Terry and Dana would bring over a load of stuff and Dana would make an opportunity to speak to Bruce alone while Terry unpacked. Terry pretended not to notice, but Bruce suspected he knew.

By the end of the week Bruce had a clearer picture of Terry's home life and was amazed the boy hadn't become a screaming neurotic. It certainly explained why he always assumed the blame for whatever went wrong; Bloody Mary had almost programmed it into him. It also put a chilling slant on something she had said at Terry's sentencing.

"...maybe some time behind bars will finally impress on him the consequence of making bad choices..."

When he'd first read the trial transcript the comment had struck him as a bit harsh, but he'd chalked it up to a mother trying desperate measures to get through to her son. Now he wondered what "choice" she'd given hm that time.

Friday evening he'd returned a bit late. Terry had gone on patrol, but Dana was waiting for him to tell him of Mrs. McGinnis' stunt of the day. They'd gotten to the McGinnis' place to find Matt in tears; she'd thrown away every last bit of Matt's Batman gear, saying he needed a role model he could be proud of, not a "cheap thug in a Halloween costume".

Bruce was furious- not to mention highly insulted- but at the same time he was a bit relieved. Pulling a stunt like that just before Terry was due to pick up the last of his belongings had to be the expected payback. Now they could relax, and hopefully Terry could put her out of his mind.

Bruce Wayne always opted for quality over quantity, even in his screwups.

********************************************

It was one of those beautiful late May afternoons when nothing could possibly go wrong, which should have been a warning on its own. Unfortunately, Terry failed to realize it and went to pick up Matt as he always did. Monday afternoons had become their time to hang out over the past couple years and Terry had no intention of giving that up. He and his mother could be civil to each other for the few minutes it would take to hand Matt over, he hoped.

It had been a strange week, and one he never wanted to repeat. He'd known something like that had been inevitable, but that hadn't made it less of a shock when it finally did happen. It certainly had made it less painful. He also knew that Bruce was worried about him and that despite what the Old Man claimed, he felt guilty. Bruce, Terry thought with absolutely no sense of irony, had a hyperactive guilt gland.

Of course, there had been some amusing moments, even if he wasn't in the mood to appreciate them. Bruce trying to subtly question him about the kitchen ranked pretty high on the list. Only he would treat home improvement like another case. It had made the transition easier, though; discussing what needed to be done to make the kitchen practical again had distracted them from the awkwardness of realizing they were actually living together. Terry wondered if he hadn't done it deliberately.

The school bell brought him back to his surroundings. Matt would be out in a few minutes and Terry wanted to be sure they didn't miss each other. he stood, getting ready to cross to the school.

"Terry McGinnis?"

"Yeah-"

He didn't get a chance to ask why before the stocky, badly-dressed man drove a fist into Terry's gut. As he doubled over the man shoved him face down onto the sidewalk and wrenched his arm up behind his back. Terry strated to struggle but froze when he felt handcuffs closing painfully tightly around his wrists and heard the familiar words: "You have the right to remain silent..."

...the hell...?

"That look like resisting arrest to you, Burrows?"

"Yeah, Tully. Gotta defend ourselves, don't we?"

For one giddy moment Terry thought he'd slipped into an alternate universe based on bad cop shows. Burrows' next comment almost convinced him.

"We don't like kidnappers, dreg- especially when they go after little kids. I think you need to learn why it's a bad idea around here."

Kidnapping? "Hey, wait a minute-" Terry protested. Burrows- a slightly taller version of his partner- responded by hauling Terry to his feet and slamming him into a wall, again face first. He could feel blood start to seep down his cheek.

"Didn't we say you had the right to remain silent?"

Burrows punctuated to word "silent" with a kidney punch. Terry cried out, which got him spun around and backhanded. His head snapped back, smashing into the wall, almost knocking him out. Burrows caught him as he fell, but only so Tully could get his shots in. Any sound Terry made was answered by a particularly brutal blow until he fianlly suppressed his reactions out of sheer self-preservation. It didn't help.

Suddenly Burrows dropped him.

"Dammit, who let that kid out here?"

Terry forced his eyes open to see Matt staring at them in horror. A teacher came up from behind and picked him up, but as soon as he did Matt went into hysterics. The next thing Terry knew he was being dragged away to the sound of his brother's screams.

The ride to the station was a relief, since they left him alone for the duration. He tried to listen to their conversation to see if he could figure out what the hell was going on, but they spent the whole drive discussing hockey. When they reached the station, they made it very clear that Terry wanted to waive his right to a phone call and hauled him straight onto an interrogation room.

"All right, dreg, what did you want with Matt McGinnis?"

Terry hesitated, wondering if this was a trick, then replied, "He's my brother."

Burrows smashed him across the face, knocking him to the floor.

"Wrong answer, dreg. Mrs. McGinnis says he's an only child."

Terry didn't react to the blow; his mind froze up, focussing on one thing: Mrs. McGinnis says he's an only child....

Tully hauled him to his feet. He knew he was being asked more questions, but he couldn't seem to hear them. Tully drew back a fist; at the same time Terry was dimly aware of the door swinging open.

He was on the floor again, even though Tully hadn't finished swinging. Instead the officer had dropped him and was now yelling at whoever had entered the room. Someone with gentle hands was behind him unlocking the cuffs. Unfortunately the rush of pain as the circulation in his hands got kick-started was the last thing he needed. Instinctively stifling a sigh, he passed out.

********************************************

Not the end of the chapter, but I have to go off-line for a while. I'll post the rest tonight.

[katfairy]

Okay, here's the rest.

*************************************************

Even at 81 Bruce was intimidating. As he stormed into the police station, people took one look at his face and scurried out of his way. He made it to the captain's office without a single challenge. Barbara was waiting for him outside it looking as angry as he did.

"Dr. Randall's looking him over. She wants us to wait out here until she's done. Bruce, I know an apology is worthless-"

"You have nothing to apologize for unless you try to protect them- and I know you won't."

"Damn right I won't. They'll be lucky if I settle for just firing them. Captain Juarez tells me there have been complaints about them before, but they could never prove anything. That won't be a problem this time- too many witnesses and most of them willing to testify. I just hope Terry will press charges. Well, even if he doesn't we still have enough to hang them. The desk sergeant says he was barely conscious when those two brought him in, they literally twisted his arm to keep him from calling anyone, and they completely ignored his civil rights, proper procedure, and anything resembling human decency. And it gets worse."

"How?"

"They picked Terry up outside of Matt's school. Poor kid was in hysterics- he thought they'd killed Terry."

"Damn that woman," Bruce growled. Barbara agreed.

"I can get her for filing a false report, but that's about it. She's going to get away with this and there isn't a damn thing we can do about without hurting Matt, too. -Good God, what are those three doing here?"

Bruce turned to see Dana, Chelsea, and Max walking toward them, spoiling for a fight. He was glad to see them for Terry's sake.

"Where is he?" they chorused.

"With the doctor. How did you find out?"

"Howard's cousin's girlfriend is a file clerk here," Max explained. "She saw Terry get dragged in and called Howard, Howard called me, and I got the unholy trinity together. How is he?"

"He'll live. Nothing seems to be broken. Other than that, you'll have to wait too."

"What happened?" Chelsea asked. "I mean, other than Terry's mom being a malevolent sow- we guessed that already."

Barbara smirked, then frowned again and glanced at Bruce, who nodded.

"As near as we can figure, Mrs. McGinnis called last night to report someone stalking Matt. She described Teery, even gave his name, and said he was claiming to be Matt's brother but that Matt was an only child."

"Max and Chelsea gasped; Dana's eyes narrowed.

"She specifically asked for Burrows and Tully, supposedly because of their reputations for solving cases."

"Shyeah, right," Max muttered.

"And when they arrested Terry-"

"They beat the crap out of him," Chelsea finished. "What are you going to do about it?"

"There's going to be a full investigation and they will be fired. I can't promise more than that."

The girls exchanged a worrying look but didn't say anything. There was a brief silence, broken by the doctor stepping out to meet them.

"He'll live," she said echoing Barbara's earlier statement, "assuming he doesn't do anything stupid. No concussion, nothing broken, nothing dislocated. An impressive collection of abrasions and bruises, including bruised ribs. Is anyone here family?"

Everyone looked at Bruce.

"You're a relative?"

"....Not exactly."

"Right now you're the closest he's got," Barbara said.

"Good enough for me," The doctor sighed, handing Bruce a small bottle of pills. "Make sure he takes one of these tonight and stays in bed tomorrow. He'll be feeling them more then, believe me. If he looks like he's in pain, make sure he takes one no matter how much he argues. There's enough there for three days at maximum safe dosage. You look sensible enough to call for help if complications occur, which they shouldn't. That takes care of his physical condition. What worries me is his mental condition: he hasn't said a word since he woke up. It's like he's withdrawn inside himself, not that I blame him."

"That's how he reacted when his father died," Dana said. "It's one of the few times Bloody Mary acted like a human being- oh! You don't think-?"

Max nodded.

"They told him. He was already pretty messed up because of last week, and now he gets beat up by cops and told his own mother was behind it and denied knowing him? That's gotta cause some issues."

"More like a subscription," Chelsea agreed.

"You could be right. Of course, I'm not a psychologist, but it does sound plausible. Does the boy have a counselor or a therapist? Someone professional he can talk to?"

There was another brief silence.

"He's... been to a few," Bruce admitted.

I know of at least three," Barbara said with a wince. "Ira Billings, Doctor Stanton over at the youth center, and Toria Stratton. I was there for the arrests."

"Arrests? Plural? -Wait. Ira Billings... isn't that Spellbinder's real name?"

"He was a counselor at Terry's school. Tried to use the kid to rob Wayne Manor, but Batman put a stop to that. Stanton was Payback's father, and Stratton- I don't know where to begin explaining her, but McGinnis was lucky to survive that one."

"Don't forget Dr. Padgett," Dana said. "He was Billings' replacement. He hit on me, Blade, Chelsea, Terry-"

"He never mentioned that," Bruce said a little too quietly.

"Probably didn't want to worry you. Besides, we handled it. The lot of us went to Nakamura and complained. Padgett got fired and lost his license. He said he'd get us all, but never actually did anything."

Randall was gaping by this point.

"Has he had any positive experience with therapists?"

I think he liked Dr. Minai," CHelsea mused. "She was the counselor he had to see after he got out of Juvy."

"Why did he stop seeing her?"

"She was killed by a drunk driver."

"I'm picking up on a theme here. This kid has no luck."

"Can we see him now?" Bruce asked trying unsuccessfully not to sound impatient.

"All right, but for God's sake be gentle with him."

Bruce didn't dignify that with a reply. Instead, he entered the captain's office, took a look at Terry, and froze. It wasn't the bruises or the raw-looking scrape on his cheek; Bruce had patched up much worse than that. What stopped him was the utter lack of expression on Terry's face contrasted with the bleak look in his eyes. Once again Bruce felt an overwhelming urge to smack Mary McGinnis across the room. The policewoman who had been waiting with Terry slipped out of the room to speak with Barbara. Bruce approached Terry slowly, wondering what to say, finally settling on the basics.

"Terry, we're taking you home."

Terry looked at him for a few seconds, then nodded carefully. As he stood up the girls swarmed around him to make sure he could stay on his feet. Barbara waited for them at the door.

"I have some business to take care of before I can leave, but I want to tell you I'm sorry this happened, Terry. There is no excuse for this, and I want you to at least think about pressing charges. I'll get your statement as soon as you feel up to it, all right?"

Terry nodded again and they left, with Barbara escorting them to the front door. Just as they reached it, they met Mary McGinnis coming in. The girls immediately closed ranks around Terry; Bruce and Barbara stepped in front of him.

"You're actually letting him go after what he did? Matt is deeply traumatized by Terry's actions- he'll have nightmares for months!"

Bruce heard the girls gasp and saw Mrs. McGinnis take a step back, but it was Barbara's grabbing his arm that made him realize he'd been about to strike the much younger woman.

"Bruce, losing your temper is not going to help terry. And as for you, Mrs. McGinnis, I think we need to talk. There's a little matter of false charges-"

"I was only trying to protect Matt."

"At Terry's expense."

"Terry made his choice. I still have a chance to make Matt a son I can be proud of."

Barbara decked her.

***********************************************

The worst is over, I promise. Next chapter: fallout, old friends, the celebration and Ra's' plan. This time for sure! :D

[ThornSilver]

More! More! More!
I love your interpretation of characters.
Though, poor Terry.

[katfairy]

New chapter, and it's a long one.

*************************************************

Bruce sat in his study, brooding. He kept thinking there was something he could have done if he'd just known. He thought he'd been worried about Terry before, but now he was almost frightened. Terry still hadn't spoken. In fact, he barely reacted to anything. He just silently did whatever anyone told him to. He'd even taken the painkillers without arguing; usually he was worse than Bruce in that respect.

Ace was with Terry at the moment. The big dog had been acting strangely for the past week, even slipping up to the boy's side and just sitting and looking at him. He'd met them at the door when they brought Terry home and had stayed by him, guarding him.

"Hey, Old Man."

Bruce looked up, shocked.

"Tim, what are you doing here?"

Tim ignored the question for a moment as he turned on another lamp.

"Just 'cause you like spending all your time in caves," he muttered, then cleared his throat. "Barbara stopped by as I was leaving the hospital- I know, that was supposed to be tomorrow, but they let me go tonight instead. Anyway, I could tell something was bugging her so I nagged her until she told me. Actually had to make a cheap shot about recent object lessons on the consequences of not communicating."

Bruce winced. He couldn't blame Tim for being bitter; if he hadn't been so pigheaded about cutting people out of his life to protect them he could have spared Tim and everyone else years of pain.

"I'm sorry, Bruce, I shouldn't have said that," Tim said, pulling up a chair and settling in. "The thing is, she did tell me and if I know you, you've been sitting here brooding over what you might have been able to do to fix it. Well, guess what? There isn't a thing you could have done. Sometimes life just sucks, you know. And sometimes all you can do is watch someone's life fall apart and just be there to pick up the pieces. I bet you're thinking about hauling him out of the suit, aren't you."

"Yes. Not permanently, just until I'm convinced he isn't suicidal."

"Bruce, you're too smart to make the same mistake twice. You have to let him keep going. I haven't known him that long but I can tell it's almost as important to him as it is to you. Trust me, Bruce, he needs it."

"Like you did?"

Tim was silent for a moment, then sighed.

"No. I hate to admit it, but you were right, even if you did it for the wrong reasons. I couldn't have gone back to being Robin. But Terry's not like me- for one thing, he hasn't had a dead clown using his skull as an au pair suite. He didn't get into this for the same reason, and he didn't stay with it for the same reason. This isn't fun and games to him."

"I know. He once told me that being Batman was a chance to feel like a worthwile human being again."

"And if you take that away from him now..."

"I'll convince him his mother was right. I have thought about this, Tim, and I didn't say I'd made a decision yet. Everything you've said so far has been right, but I can't decide until I see how he's doing when he wakes up."

"You really have changed, haven't you?"

"...Possibly."

Tim chuckled. They sat quietly for a while, then Tim asked, "Terry's a high school senior, isn't he?"

"Yes."

"When's Graduation?"

"Three weeks."

"Well, I'll see you in three weeks then and you can meet the kids. You've already met Ginnie."

"Yes. I liked her."

"Me, too. Look, I'm serious about the Graduation thing. That kid deserves better and if his own family won't support him, we'll just help him build a new one. Seems to me he's made a good start already."

He grinned again and left. Bruce was still worried, but felt a bit easier. With Tim firmly on Terry's side and Barbara's protective instincts aroused, however reluctantly, the boy stood a chance of getting through this with minimal danger of Bruce messing him up further as he had Dick and Tim. Reassured, he went to check on Terry one last time before seeking his own bed.

**********************************************

The next morning he made sure to get up early. Feeling a little ridiculous about sneaking around his own house, he crept to the kitchen and brewed a pot of tea. Terry wasn't much of a tea drinker, but Bruce had been raised by an Englishman; whenever an emotional scene was inevitable, you made tea.

On reaching Terry's room he found him in the grips of a nightmare, curled into a ball with his arms wrapped protectively around his head. The only sound to be heard was his rapid, shallow breathing. Bruce shoved the tea tray on top of a dresser and hurried to his side. Bracing himself for the expected reaction, he grabbed Terry's shoulder and shook it.

I wonder if he'll swing for the eyes or the nose.

"Terry, wake up."

Terry woke swinging, as predicted. Bruce found himself on the floor, his cheek aching.

That's going to bruise.

"Ohmygod- Bruce!"

Terry's face was a study in horrified guilt. He tried to get out of bed to help, but just sitting up had him gasping in pain and nearly collapsing.

"I'm all right," Bruce grumbled, picking himself up. "At least you didn't give me a bloody nose like Dick did."

"Dick...?"

"Twice."

"Oh."

Terry didn't exactly look relieved, but he did relax a bit.

"Same thing?"

"Same thing." Bruce hesitated before admitting, "I gave Alfred a black eye once, too."

"You're kidding."

It's a natural instinct. You wake up disoriented and in pain, someone's grabbing you, and you swing. Especially if you're waking up from a nightmare."

By now Bruce had regained his feet and poured the tea. He set the cups down on the bedside table and made sure Terry was as comfortable as possible before handing him a cup and sitting in the chair next to the bed.

"I'm still sorry I hit you."

"I've had worse. Unfortunately, nightmares are one of the side effects of our line of work. But I have a feeling you had them before you started this. Juvy?"

Terry looked away.

"You never talk about it."

"No. I don't." Terry shot him an expressionless glance. "But I have a feeling you probably know more about what happened there than I do."

It was Bruce's turn to fall silent for a while.

"Are you angry I investigated you?"

"I was, for at least ten minutes. Then I figured that only an idiot would hand over that suit to a teenager without doing some serious checking first."

"How did you find out?"

"Believe it or not, from you. A comment you made about a kid I met in Juvy. I knew I hadn't told you I knew him, so... Anyway, the Commish warned me later that you would have, and Superman told me about the protocols. He told me you'd probably developed a set for me. Have you?"

"...Yes."

"Good."

That was not the reaction Bruce had expected, and he said so.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking to die, but I'm not stupid, either. I know that suit makes me very dangerous. If I ever lost it, things would get pretty ugly before someone could stop me. Running into the Brain Trust and old Razzy just made me worry more. I mean, if I started going nuts on my own you'd spot it in plenty of time to stop me. But someone taking over my body? That was good for a few weeks worth of nightmares. Then Superstarfish told me as we were heading into the Watchtower that first time; said you probably had a long list of ways to take me out. I think he was trying to throw me off-balance, maybe make me paranoid about you. Didn't work. It was actually a load off my mind. I don't want to be unstoppable. -Is it a long list?"

"Not as long as it used to be. I haven't updated it in a while."

"Might want to fix that. It may sound wierd, but I feel a whole lot safer knowing there's someone I can trust to stop me if it's really necessary. Does that make sense?"

"It does to me."

"Good. I think."

Bruce raised an eyebrow. Terry still looked like hell, but the fact that the boy was ragging on him again was a good sign. At that moment he decided not to ground Terry, but there were still a few questions he wanted answered.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Terry snorted.

"What was I supposed to say? 'Yeah, I'd love to be Batman, but you should know my mom's a psycho hose-beast and I'm one seriously screwed-up kid'? I'm sure that would have gone over well. I just didn't want to take the chance. I didn't want to mess this up too."

"It wouldn't have changed my mind, though I might have handled thngs a bit differently." Like getting you out of there a long time ago, for starters.

Terry shifted position a bit, trying and failing not to react to the pain. Bruce frowned and reached for the painkillers he'd slipped into his pocket. On seeing the bottle, Terry frowned back. A short non-verbal tug-of-war ensued. Naturally, Bruce won. Terry grumbled but took the pill. Bruce reloaded the tray and started to leave so Terry could rest; a quiet comment stopped him.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"You want a list?"

Terry almost smiled, then his eyes slowly drifted closed. Bruce waited until he was sure he was asleep, then left. As soon as the old man was gone, Ace jumped back up on the bed. He sniffed Terry, whined, then lay down and settled into a light doze with one thought on his mind.

I protect my humans.

*************************************************

The next few weeks were as busy as the last few had been, though for different reasons. The investigation into Burrows and Tully's actions proceeded with alacrity; not only had Terry agreed to press charges, but the knowledge that the CEO of Wayne-Powers and the Commissioner of Police had expressed a personal interest in the case had spurred on the efforts of Internal Affairs. Mrs. McGinnis, to Terry's surprise, stayed out of it. He couldn't help wondering what the Commish had said to her.

After another full day's rest, Terry had started patrolling again. Before long, even the villains were noticing a change. He spoke only when he had to, and never laughed. Only Spellbinder had the nerve to ask why. The most popular theory was that the Joker was responsible, but opinions were divided as to how. Mad Stan sent a card by way of the Commissioner: "Sincere condolences on your recent loss." Terry hadn't known how to react to that.

Dana, Chelsea, and Max had enough sense not to try to cheer him up. Instead, they continued as though nothing had changed, with the slight exception that Dana no longer even pretended to get mad when he was called away. To Bruce's relief, she said flat out that it would take an Armageddon-lever disaster to get her to suit up. To Bruce's surprise, she also said she had every intention of helping in other ways. She'd alway planned on becoming a doctor but hadn't been sure which kind. Knowing her boyfriend routinely threw himself into life-threatening situations had made her look more closely at emergency medicine; she'd been fascinated. Bruce couldn't deny that having a budding ER surgeon on their side would be useful, but he hadn't agreed yet. Chelsea had said she be willing to out on a suit if needed; if not, she'd help any way she could. She hadn't forgotten how terry had risked his life to help her at Wheeler's Ranch and was determined to repay him. Bruce couldn't argue with that either, but again hadn't accepted her offer. Max... was Max.

The three girls had taken up martial arts training as well, each independently coming to Bruce and asking for a recommendation. He'd been reluctant at first but after some thought had decided it couldn't hurt to have them capable of defending themselves. It didn't mean they would be joining Terry on patrol (and they never would if he had anything to say about it). Either way, Dana was now studying jiu jitsu, Chelsea kung fu, and Max tae kwon do.

Remodelling the kitchen was easier than Bruce thought. Terry, however, pointed out that it had been well-organized to begin with; only the components needed upgrading.

Bruce still worried about Terry. Even out of the cowl he never laughed and his smiles, although becoming more frequent as time passed, were still too rare and a far cry from his old incandescent grin. Bruce knew the boy was hurting, even grieving, and that he would recover in time, but he still worried.

Finally, the last day of school came.

*************************************************

"So, how does it feel to be a responsible adult?"

Terry responded in the only appropriate manner- he blew a raspberry. Bruce smiled slightly.

"Seriously, though, ask me when I am one. That's still a few year's off. But how does it feel to be out of high school? ... There aren't words to describe it. Start with 'free' and work from there."

"Odd choice of words for someone still facing college, then grad school."

"They aren't Hamilton Hill High."

There was a decided edge to Terry's voice. Bruce looked at him.

"Something you'd like to tell me?"

"Let's just say it'll be nice being somewhere I'm not one of the usual suspects."

"I see."

And he did. There was always someone who didn't want to let Terry forget his record. He'd never told the boy about the little talk he'd had with Principal Nakamura just after Terry had started working for him. Nakamura had tried to convince him to fire Terry, calling him irresponsible, untrustworthy, hopelessly violent, and in general making him out ot be an irredeemable punk. He'd even tried to hint that Terry had staged the Jokerz attack in order to get on Bruce's good side, and wasn't it an interesting coincidence that his father was killed by Jokerz that same night... By the time Bruce was done with him, Nakamura had been afraid for his job.

"What happened?"

"Mr. Trevelyan's mutant slug disappeared."

"... His what?"

"It's a sculpture. It's supposed to represent the nobility of the soul striving to overcome all obstacles. It looks like a mutant slug. About a foot high, made of metal. He keeps it on his desk. It wasn't there this morning and he just happened to remember that I frequently eyed it- his exact words. Of course, I eyed it; it's butt-ugly! So while the other seniors get to enjoy the start of their last day, I got to sit in Nakamura's office while they searched my stuff. And to cap it all off, the slug just happened to show up in his supply closet. He was so apologetic, of course. The new janitor must have put it in there by accident, he said. And such a pity it had to happen on my last day of school."

"Interesting coincidence."

"Yeah, just like the coincidence of pointing out his new car to max just as Chuckles and his band walked by."

"Terry!"

Bruce was honestly shocked, but only for a second. Trevelyan had been harassing Terry for as long as Bruce had known him; Terry had every reason to want a bit of payback. Also, Chuckles and his band wer unusual for Jokerz. They didn't go in for senseless destruction; they preferred redecoration. They had some very original ideas, even by Bruce's standards.

"Uh, Terry, didn't you tell me trevelyan called the Jokerz uncreative?"

"Yep. 'The most woefully uncreative gang ever to hit Gotham'. Day before yesterday."

"Do I want to know?"

In answer, Terry dug his camera out of his backpack and linked it to the computer.

"I pointed it out just before lunch. When we came out at the ned of the day..."

He hit a button. Bruce's jaw dropped as he gazed at the result of Terry's no-so-innocent remark.

"Amazing what you can do with hot glue, wire hangers, and a few few dozen yards of fake fur, isn't it?"

"McGinnis..."

"Yes?"

"A giant pink bunny slipper?"

"I'd call that pretty creative."

"You did make sure you had an alibi."

"The unholy trinity between classes, and I made sure I was early to the two I had left. And I'm not sorry."

"Under the circumstances I wouldn't expect you to be. As long as you don't make a habit of it."

"Be a nice trick if I could."

"Good point."

Bruce took a last look at the renovated car, then turned and looked at Terry again.

"I should have asked you this before- what are your plans for after Graduation?"

"Well, I've been thinking of taking a year off to train. Up to now we've had to squeeze it in where we could and I've been doing okay. That's not good enough. It's time to get serious and I can't do that and juggle a full course load. Plenty of kids take a year off for all sorts of reasons, so it's not like I'm doing anything unusual."

Bruce studied him for a moment, then nodded.

"One year. What did you have in mind?"

"See, there's the problem- I can't exactly leave Gotham and there's only so much I can do on simulations."

"True. I know a few people who might be willing to take on a new student, even if it means relocating for a while. And we need to work on your detective skills as well."

Terry rolled his eyes in agreement.

"I still can't believe I missed that flower last night."

"I wasn't thinking of that. Anyone can miss a clue if they're sufficiently distracted."

"You caught it."

"I wasn't the one being shot at."

"There is that."

They looked at each other for a moment, then Bruce almost smiled.

"You may have that full course load after all.

********************************************

Not the end of the chapter; I just have to go away for a while.

[katfairy]

I'm back. Just for the record, terry's reaction to the bruised ribs is based on personal experience. There's a reason i don't play lacrosse any more... :rolleyes:

***********************************************

Graduation day dawned bright and clear. Terry awoke in full panic mode. Bruce always found this amusing; the boy hadn't been this bad since the eggbaby incident. Terry was positively dithering. Ace, showing either extreme cowardice or extreme good sense, spent most of the day hiding under the dining room table.

"Ohmygod, I never unpacked my suit! It's all wrinkled! An iron! I need an iron! Where- I'm asking the wrong person!"

Bruce kept a straight face with the ease of long practice and surreptitiously placed the iron in plain sight in the one place Terry hadn't checked- the laundry room. He didn't bother restraining his grin when a loud groan told him the iron had been noticed.

Despite Terry's best efforts, he was ready in plenty of time. Bruce, not sure he wanted Terry behind the wheel of anything more advanced than a go-kart at the moment, insisted on driving. As soon as he put Terry in the much calmer hands of Dana and Chelsea, he sought his seat in the bleachers. Thanks to the good weather, they were able to hold the ceremony on the football field as planned.

Tim and Ginnie were already there, along with a man and a woman Bruce didn't know. He assumed they were Tim's kids, although they bore little resemblance to their parents. The younger woman was a hair under six feet tall with short butter-blond curls, a slim athletic figure, aristocratic features, and impish green eyes. Tim had said she was pursuing a Masters in marine biology. The younger man was a giant, standing a good six inches taller than Bruce. He looked like the blacksmith he was, with broad shoulders and muscles obvious even through his suit. His long, thick dark hair was caught back in a pewter clasp that Bruce suspected was his own work; his calm grey eyes surveyed the scene without indicating he noticed the stares he was attracting.

"Bruce!" Tim called, waving. Once he'd joined them, Tim made the introductions. "You've met Ginnie, of course, but these are my kids. Angelin and Random. Before you decide you're too polite too ask, no, that's not what we named him."

"Not their fault everyone decided to name their kid Eric that year," Random said as quietly as he could- which was very with his booming basso profundo. Angelin laughed.

"Big Eric, Little Eric, Medium Eric, Eric the Red, and one decided to shorten it to Ric. One day the teacher asked 'Eric" to do something and when asked which she meant, she said, "oh, that random Eric over there." and it stuck."

Bruce chuckled rustily, then raised an eyebrow.

"Big Eric?"

"At the time he was bigger than me."

"I see."

"Too much for my comfort, usually," Barbara said from behind him. Bruce turned to find her with her husband and three kids; someone he couldn't quite see stood behind them.

Strictly speaking, BJ Gordon wasn't Sam Young's child. Barbara and Dick had made one final effort to make their relationship work, but Dick had refused to leave Bludhaven and Barbara wouldn't leave Gotham. When she learned she was pregnant, she told Dick but refused his offer of marriage. Bruce had offered too out of a sense of duty and had gotten a half-hour rant for his pains. BJ was in his early 30's now and was upholding the family tradition, but in his own way. He was a deputy in Ecfield County in upstate Gotham and was being groomed to take over for the Sheriff when he retired in a few years. He was a handsome man with wavy auburn hair and his mother's clear blue eyes. The twins, Molly and Judith, were Sam's kids. Like their brother, they'd left the city but had headed further north. Both now lived in northern New England, within an hour's drive of each other. Judith, a deputy like her brother, had an apartment in Norway; Molly, a potter, lived with her girlfriend Trista on a farm in Middle Intervale. Trista hadn't come; her allergies went insane in the warmer climate. The twins were identical, combining their parents' best features, but it was easy to tell them apart: Judith kept her hair much shorter than her artistic sister.

"Hello, Bruce."

Bruce froze. That was the last voice he'd expected to hear.

"Hello, Dick."

The two eyed each other warily. Barbara caught them at it an stepped forward, looking exasperated.

"All right, you two, here's the deal- you will both act like civilized human beings for the duration or I'll arrest you for disturbing the peace and I'll make sure you're put in the same holding cell. Do I make myself clear?"

She wasn't bluffing.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Very well."

She glared at them again, then turned back to Ginnie, who was snickering. Bruce cleared his throat and tried to make innocuous conversation.

"So, Dick-"

"Barbara told me. She's been keeping me updated for year, whether I asked or not. When she said Tim was coming and bringing his kids and had talked her into gathering hers, I just... I don't know. I had to see for myself, I guess. She'll never admit it, but she likes the kid. He must really be something."

"He is. First time I saw him he was facing a gang of Jokerz singlehanded. He actually tried to keep me out of it."

Dick grinned.

"Wish I could have seen his face when you started swinging."

"It was... memorable."

"I'll bet. Have the same old rumors- never mind, I see they have. Some things never change."

"Unfortunately."

They subsided into awkward silence. Bruce looked around, frowned, and checked his watch.

"There's something I need to take care of."

"Bruce! I don't believe- not now!"

"Not that. And there's no better time. I should be back before it starts. Save me a seat."

He headed for the exit, leaving Dick thunderstruck.

**********************************************

He got back just in time and was greeted with whole-hearted approval once they realized what he'd been up to. They took their seats as a group seconds before the music for the graduates' entrance started.

The ceremony itslef was quite traditional- which is to say, mind-numbingly dull. Dick slipped a pack of cards out of his pocket and started a round of poker with Tim, Ginnie, Sam, and BJ. Bruce ignored them as well as the person behind him who asked her companion why they hadn't thought of that. The only point of interest, other than Terry's receiving his diploma (which garnered a louder cheer than he'd expected; his double-take was a classic), was the Valedictorian's speech. Max had put a lot of work into it; several of her comments sounded innocent enough to the general audience but had the Bat-family and their associates struggling to keep straight faces.

At about the point Dick muttered something about being caught in a time loop, it was over. Bruce led them to where he had arranged to meet Terry and wasn't surprised that he was waiting for them with Max and Chelsea. To say he was stunned at seeing the whole array of Drakes and Gordon-Youngs was an understatement of near-mythic proportions. The Drakes he'd already met and liked, he and BJ hit it off immediately, and Molly seemed to approve. Judith was reserving judgement until she knew him better, but congratulated him anyway. Then Dick stepped forward.

It was obvious Terry recognized him. The two eyed each other as warily as Dick and Bruce had earlier. Dick spoke first, poker-faced.

"So, you're the kid who thinks he can take my place."

"So you're the guy who left a place to be taken," Terry shot back. Dick laughed and slapped him on the back.

"No respect for your elders- I like that! You must give Bruce cat-fits twenty times a day."

"I do not!" Terry looked offended. "I keep it down to ten."

Dick laughed again and Terry gave a slight grin, which faded as he caught sight of Bruce and the person standing next to him.

"Matty?" The little boy ran up to him; Terry dropped to his knees and caught him in a bear hug. "Oh my God, Matty, I don't believe it!"

He held his little brother for a few minutes, then looked up at Bruce with shining eyes.

"I don't know how you did it, but thanks."

Bruce heard sniffling next to him. Without even looking he passed his handkerchief to Max. The others pretended not to notice while they eavesdropped shamelessly.

"I thought they killed you!"

"I'm okay, Matt. I've been worried about you; you shouldn't have had to see that."

"I thought cops were supposed to be good guys."

Barbara, Dick, BJ, and Judith winced.

"They're supposed to be, but every group has a few jerks, right?"

I guess... Did Commissioner Gordon really belt Mom?"

Dick and Tim stared at Barbara, who ignored them. Sam caught their eyes and nodded, hiding a grin.

"Yeah, she did, but she's kinda embarrassed about it, so let's change the subject."

"Are you mad at me? Is that why you left?"

"NO!!! No. Matt, it had nothing to do with you, I swear. Mom and I just had an argument over my career choice, that's all. Mr. Wayne's been training me for a job she doesn't like, but I do. I've been trying to see you..." Terry trailed off, obviously not wanting to tell Matt their mother was going to great lenghts to keep them apart. After a few seconds, he reached up and took the tassle off his mortarboard. "Here. I want you to have this. This way, you'l know I haven't forgotten you, even if I can't see you too often. Just... don't let Mom know you have it, okay?"

"Okay."

Matt would have said more, but he and the entire group were distracted by a loud "WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The voice was familiar, especially to the older members of the group. They looked at each other in stunned disbelief.

"Nope. Uh-uh. Not happening," Dick said.

"It's impossible," Barbara gasped.

"Here we go again," Tim sighed.

Bruce said nothing; he stood there and watched as a figure bounced across the courtyard on a pogo stick.

"Boingy! Boingy! Boingy!" she cried.

It was Harley Quinn. In full costume. Looking no older than Angelin.

************************************************

Next chapter- the end! My gods, I might actually finish a story!

[katfairy]

Here it is- the final chapter.

***********************************************

"Uh, Bruce, I know I've been a bit off lately, but-"

"No, McGinnis, you're not hallucinating." But I wish I was.

Looking around he could tell Dick, Tim and Barbara were thinking the same thing. Terry stepped protectively in front of Matt; Judith did the same to a slightly annoyed Molly. BJ and Angelin slid into fighting stances. Random appear placidly curious; Bruce had gotten the impression it took a great deal to faze him.

Meanwhile Harley had bounced right up to the group. On the last bounce she leapt up onto the handlebars of the pogo stick and vaulted off before it had a chance to become unbalanced. There was scattered applause, especially after she stuck the landing.

"Mary Lou Retton, eatcher heart out," she said smugly, then chirped, "Hiya, Brucie! I was gonna kiss you but you're kinda old and scary-looking now."

"Age does have some benefits after all."

"Yeah- hey..... -Ooooo! Cutie!"

And before Terry could escape she flung her arms around his neck and jumped up; he caught her instinctively. As soon as she was securely in his arms, she kissed him. Thoroughly. His muffled squawk was almost drowned out by Max's and Chelsea's giggles. Tim looked over at Bruce.

"Should we help him?"

Bruce thought about it.

"...No. After all, part of growing up is learning how to handle awkward situations."

The look in Terry's eye promised retribution. He was clearly trying to figure out how to dislodge Harley without dropping her and having no luck. Finally she broke it off herself and looked over her shoulder at Bruce.

"You sure know how to pick 'em, Brucie! He's the best looking one so far!"

"Hey!" Dick and Tim exclaimed. Terry's lips thinned; that was the only warning he gave before opening his arms and letting Harley fall. She yelped, glaring up at him.

"You did that on purpose," she accused. "Don't you know how to treat a lady?"

"Yes, he does," Dana said coolly, appearing from the crowd and gluing herself to Terry's side. The glare she shot Harley said very clearly, back off, sister, he's mine.

"Dana, what- oh. You. Of course."

Dana's father shoved through the crowd followed by Mrs. Tan, Roxy, and Roxy's husband. Roxy had aged, of course, but was still recognizable. She caught Bruce's eye, jerked a thumb toward Mr. Tan, and made a face.

"Who's the jerk," Tim muttered.

"Aaron Tan. Dana's father."

"Ouch. And tell me that isn't-"

"It is."

"My brain hurts."

Dana was trying not to let things get even more out of hand.

"Daddy, don't start. This is a celebration, remember?"

"You're right, princess, I'm sorry. This is a day to be with your friends- and family."

Terry looked like he'd been sucker-punched; everyone around him- including Harley- shot Mr. Tan glares of varying intensity. Random slipped up behind him and cleared his throat, making the older man jump.

"I'm sorry, was I looming? I try not to, but sometimes I just can't help it. Now, you were saying something?"

"I- YEEOOWWW!!! You little-"

Matt had taken advantage of Random's distraction to walk up to Mr. Tan and kick him in the ankle, hard. Dick, Tim, and BJ snickered; Roxy applauded.

"Hey! I'm making a grand entrance here!"

"Sorry, Harl," Roxy said. "My son-in-law is an idiot. If he opens his mouth again you have my permission to sew his lips together with baling twine."

"Mother..."

"Oh, all right, she can use fishline."

"Gaffer tape," Angelin suggested.

"Anyway, I came here to make an announcement." She stood up straight, put her left hand over her heart, and raised her right. "Everyone listening? Good. I, Harley Quinn, do hereby renounce the Joker and all his works. I am also retiring from the villain biz. My girls and I are dedicating our lives to making this city a fun place to live again."

"Oh God."

"We're doomed."

"Big time."

"No, he works out of- ow!"

Harley cleared her throat; everyone shut up.

"I also want to apologize to Batman when I see him. Right now, though, I have to apologize to Mr. Wayne for the times we shot at him, threw him off buildings- well, a building, anyway- poisoned him- oh, no, wait, that was someone else and it didn't work anyway 'cause she dropped the mug before she drank anything. Never mind. Anyhoo, I'd apologize for last month too, but I didn't know about it 'til afterwards."

"Last month? Miss Quinn, are you referring to the attack on the Wayne-Powers reception?"

Several people stifled curses as they spotted the press starting to gather.

"Nah, I- well, okay, that too- but I meant when Mr. J went up to stately Wayne Manor to bump off Brucie."

"Why did the Joker go after Bruce Wayne?"

"I dunno. See, the thing you gotta remember is- Puddin' was nuts. He was a malevolent psychopath. I think it was his old thing about the Ace Chemical plant. Wayne-Powers owns the land it was on, so Mr. J would have transferred his hatred for the old owners onto Brucie, holding him responsible for the accident, yadda yadda yadda. Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm Lauren Texada from W-"

"Yeahsurefine, pleased t' meetcha, go 'way. This is a private party- invitation only."

"But-"

"Scram, sister."

Harley produced a small remote from her sleeve. The reporters disappeared along with a large portion of the crowd. The remaining people tensed, each trying to figure out the best way of getting the remote without setting off whatever it controlled. Harley glared at them.

"Geez, I said I was reformed," she grumbled. "Now I'm gonna finish this. No more interruptions, okay? Great. ......... Where was I?"

"Apologizing," Dick sighed.

"Thanks, Dickie- that is you, right? Of course it is, I'd know that great butt anywhere. -Awww, yer blushing, that's so cute." Noticing Dick's glare, she cleared her throat once again and continued. "Apologizing. Right. Well, I figured just saying I'm sorry wasn't gonna cut it. Talk's cheap, right? And I oughta know. So I decided I had to do something to prove myself, but what? Then I said to myself, 'Self, who was the second greates thorn in Brucie's side' Then I- ah, heck, I'll just show ya."

She hit the remote. Seconds later a hovervan with a large giftwrapped package suspended underneath appeared from behind the buildings, heading straight for them. Terry, seeing this, handed Matt off to Random and got to Bruce's side quickly. The package was deposited right at their feet; the side door of the van slid open and one of the Dee Dees poked her head out.

"Geez, Nana Harley, what took you so long?"

Bruce and Terry stared at each other.

"Nana-"

"-Harley?"

"I should've known," they chorused. Now Dick and Tim stared.

"Okay, that was just creepy," they chorused, then shared a double-take.

"Never mind," the Dee Dee said, grinning. "Ready?"

Harley had been detaching some of the cables; she took one last look at the package and nodded.

"Ready! Better take a couple of steps back, you two."

They did, with more haste than dignity. This was, after all, Harley Quinn they were dealing with. The van rose, taking the lid of the package with it. The sides fell away revealing-

"Ra's?" Bruce gasped, incredulous.

It was, in fact, Ra's al Ghul- hogtied, wrapped in satin ribbons in various paste hues, and a giant fluffy pink bow on 'his' head. Tim, Dick, and Barbara were all struggling to keep straight faces. Roxy, on the other hand, ws grinning like an idiot. Even Terry's lips were twitching. They all avoided each other's gaze as long as they could, but finally Dick and Terry locked eyes. They both exploded into laughter. Tim and Roxy followed suit, and after a few seconds Barbara joined them. Max frowned, confused at first; Bruce could tell when she figured it out by the sudden cackling. Bruce himself couldn't resist a slight smile.

When the laughter died down a bit, Tim looked at Bruce and nodded. Bruce was still a bit leery, but thought that if Tim was all right with it, he'd take the chance. And although he'd never admit it, at the moment he was feeling decidedly grateful to her; she gotten Terry laughing again. He stepped forward and held out his hand. Harley blinked, then took it.

"Apology accepted, Miss Quinn. Just don't let it happen again."

Ignoring the implicit threat in his tone, she threw herself into his arms, squealing, and kissed him as thoroughly as she had Terry.

He wasn't feeling that grateful, even if she was a good kisser- I did not just think that!- so he grabbed her shoulders and forced her away from him. A few people in the crowd booed. Harley pouted. And Ra's managed to work his mouth free from his lilac satin gag.

"Ungrateful wench! I give you your youth back and this is how you repay me?"

Harley whirled on him.

"Listen, Dr. Frank N. Furter, I didn't ask you to do this! You just waltzed into my home, kidnapped me, and threw me in that slime pit of yours over and over! And you didn't do it because you thought I deserved a second chance or wanted me as your new partner! Oh, no, you just did it to screw with Batman! Well, guess what, sweetcheeks, I ain't playin'. I'm through being at the beck and call of some whack job with a master plan, I'm through playin' second fiddle to guys with half my brains, and I'm beyond through with the whole world-domination, murder-spree, poison-whoever-annoys-you crap! That's all, that's the end, that's IT! And I sure as hell ain't takin' orders from a guy who thinks women are only useful for producing heirs but isn't above stealing his own daughter's body just so he can live a bit longer!"

Cheers, applause, and a few "You go, girl!"s greeted this tirade. Bruce nodded approvingly, at least at the last part.

"How dare-"

"SHUT UP, RA'S!!! I listened to you yammer for three weeks, so you can listen to me now! Besides, you're a pretentious twit and that whole Veronica Lake/hair-falling-'seductively'-over-one-eye thing has been over for a hundred years!"

"I think I'm in love," Terry gasped, cracking up again.

"Thanks, cutie, yer sweet. Now, Ra's, here's the deal- I turn you over to the Commish, 'cause I'm one of the good guys now. From now on, me, Pammy, and the girls are gonna be nice, honest, respectable thieves, just like Catwoman used to be. We call ourselves The Sisterhood and we're sorta rob the rich, give to the poor types. 'Course, we're gonna keep half the take; girl's gotta eat, y'know. But the other half'll go to some worthy causes in the forms of anonymous donations. Real do-gooder types, that's us. Now aren't you sorry you messed with this dumb blonde? Bye!"

The Dee Dee dropped a rope; Harley grabbed it and was gone before anyone could grab her.

***********************************************

Dick, Tim, and Barbara joined Bruce and Terry on the terrace of Wayne Manor, ready for some comparative peace and quiet.

"Harley reformed? How likely is that?" Dick asked.

"She means it," Tim responded quietly. "She's really going to try going... well, relatively straight."

"Maybe, but if 'Pammy' is who I think she is, "straight' may not be the best choice of words."

Terry bounced a bit of scone of Dick's head. Barbara rolled her eyes.

"Bad, Grayson- and I thought she'd died years ago."

So did I," Bruce said.

"Maybe she went underground," Terry suggested innocently. This time Dick bounced a bit of scone of his head while Bruce and Barbara glared.

"We need to figure out how much of a threat this is. We could have a very serious problem on our hands."

Each of them mulled over the prospect of Harley Quinn becoming a major threat.

"Nah."

"I can't see it."

"It could happen- right after I put on my old Robin suit."

"Now my brain hurts."

"It does seem unlikely at the moment," Bruce conceded, "however, she does know who we are and thanks to the Lazarus Pit she's now younger, more agile, and possibly stronger than any of us except Terry."

"That's true," Barbara mused. "She could decide to reveal our secrets, or blackmail us."

"Not really her style," Tim pointed out. "Remember the Pulaski case?"

"I don't," Terry said, "but I don't think she's planning on blowing our covers any time soon."

"No offense, McGinnis, but you only just met her," Dick shot back. "What makes you so sure?"

"Her apology. She stood there in front of a huge crowd and clearly stated that she wanted to apologize to Batman when she saw him, but was apologizing to Bruce first. Then when the press showed up she gave them a believable story, and it even happened to be true. I did some checking- Wayne-Powers does own that property."

"You may have a point," Dick nodded. "But... trusting Harley Quinn?"

"Who said anything about trusting her? I just don't think she'll tell." Terry snickered. "Sorry. I just keep remembering the look on Ra's' face."

"Oh, yeah. That's gonna give me warm fuzzies for months. And Bruce, I still can't believe you said that!"

"It's true."

"Did I miss something?" Tim cocked his head.

"Not really."

Terry snickered again.

"Just after you went to talk to Mrs. Drake, Ra's started yapping again. Bruce told him to shut jup and that Harley had him pegged. Then he said, and I quote: 'Oh, and by the way, Ra's, pastels really don't suit you."

Tim gaped. Bruce calmly poured himself another cup of tea.

"Then we agree that Quinn isn't much of a threat just now," he said. "Terry and I will continue to monitor the situation. If it looks like it's about to change we'll have to deal with it, but for now I think keeping an eye on this...Sisterhood will be enough. Agreed?"

They agreed. After a little more conversation Dick, Tim, and Barbara left. Terry cleaned up then headed to the Batcave.

"Not so fast, young man."

Terry whirled, startled by yet another unexpected voice.

"Superman? Geez, who isn't showing up today?"

"Stalker sends his best wishes," Bruce said from the door to the study.

"What scares me is you might not be kidding."

"What worries me is that I'm not. But that's beside the point. I've asked Superman to patrol for you tonight."

"Huh?"

"I assume you had some sort of plans with Dana if you finished in time."

"Uh, yeah... sorta. Nothing definite."

"Good. You have reservations at 9 at Waterstone's, the Bentley has a full tank, and you may need this."

He handed the stunned young man a credit card. Terry's mouth opened and closed a few times but no sound came out.

"You may want to call and tell her so she can have a chance to get properly dressed."

"Oh! Yeah! Thanks!"

Terry turned toward the stairs.

"Oh, and Terry-"

He turned back. Bruce smiled slightly.

"Happy Graduation."

And there was that incandescent grin, and then Terry was gone. Clark chuckled, shaking his head.

"That was a nice thing to do. You could ruin your reputation."

"He deserves it."

"I know. I was watching this afternoon, by the way. Who'd have thought it'd be harley Quinn who snapped him out of his funk? But I'm glad. The boy could use some adversaries that don't want him dead for a change."

"True. They'll keep him on his toes, anyway."

"They'll do that, all right. Well, I'll talk to you after patrol," Clark said as he left. Bruce waited until Terry came back downstairs, wearing a fresh shirt and tie with his suit.

"Do I have to give you 'The Talk'?"

Terry laughed.

"No, Dad, I know it."

He was opening the door when he hesitated and turned around, his expression serious again.

"Bruce- thanks. For everything."

He left. Bruce, knowing he couldn't be seen let a gentle smile spread across his face.

************************************************

That's the end of the first Sisterhood story. I left some plot threads dangling- some of those were even deliberate. :p More stories are scheduled for the future, but I think I'd better work on Beyond Knightfall first.

[Catgirl]

I loved this story! I need more sisterhood. And I loved the Roxy/Dana connection, OMIGOD and a Babs/Dick kid, I am forever in your debt for that.

[Energeezer]

Lol. That was just too funny. Too bad Bloody Mary is a bit psychotic though... I always did like Harley.

[Blaster144]

Post again Soon.

Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. :evil:

Post again Soon.

Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. :evil:

Post again Soon.

Please. Please. Please. Please. Please. :evil:

I could used the really scary level instead...... :p

[Blaster144]

So when are you going to post the rest of this? And if you already have, where is it?

[BeastBoyWonder]

Dick and Babs have a kid? That's like every fanboy's wet dream! :p Take your time... this is highly amusing, and the tone of the story is not only very refreshing but also quite appropriate for the spirit of the holidays! I mean, once all of the craziness dies down. No, wait, on second thought, keep the crazy. Its fun :D

[Blaster144]

I'm going out on a limb and say that 'fairy needs to get the second part of this series posted. I can't be the only one looking forward to it!
I don't care if its just a paragraph to start with. I'm willing to offer my services as a beta if it will help. Just get the second part up. Please post the next part soon! I have a very scary begging level and am not afraid to use it! :p