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Batman Before	By : Jessy8 Category: DC Verse Cartoons > Batman Beyond Views: 8886 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Batman Beyond, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Batman Before
- 2-ch 2
- 3-chapter 3
- 4-ch 4
- 5-chapter 5
- 6-chapter 6
- 7-chapter 7
- 8-ch 8
- 9-ch9
- 10-ch 10
- 11-ch 11
- 12-Chapter 12
- 13-Chapter 13
- 14-Chapter 14
- 15-Final
- 12
- 13
- 14
Batman Before
Chapter 13
By Wildfire
Terry had stripped out of the suit and ran back into the mansion. The earthquake had made it slightly crooked, but thankfully it was still standing. “Alfred?” He dashed up the stairs. “Alfred?!”
“Master Terry, stop your shrieking. Are you alright, young master?” The elderly man stood in the entrance of the kitchen, drying his hands. “I’ve made tea, if you’d like some.”
Terry sagged forward, a large sigh of relief leaving his mouth. He leaned on the stair railing. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Yes, I am, but you don’t seem to be. Are you alright, Master Terry?” Alfred moved up the stairs and gently put a hand on Terry’s back. Terry grimaced and gripped the railing harder.
Alfred frowned, pulling up Terry’s shirt to reveal the black and blue bruise. “How did this happen?”
“I fell,” he answered, and technically that was true. He had fallen, from a very high height. Luckily, Alfred didn’t push it. He didn’t see how they couldn’t know, though it seemed obvious to him.
“Come, why don’t you just sit down and have a nice cup of hot tea?” He gently led Terry down the stairs into the kitchen. “Don’t suppose you’ll tell me where you were?”
“Does it matter?” He sighed as he sat at the table. Was this earthquake supposed to happen? He sighed again. Bruce would have warned him if that were true, so that must mean the timeline was starting to fall. He had to get out of here. He had to get home before someone was killed from this. Though, according to Barbara, they’d just go back into the original timeline. Dick wouldn’t remember him. Maybe it was time to just tell them? No, that’d be bad. Bruce would never understand he was old alone and bitter, and Dick would kill Bruce for endangering another kid.
“Well, of course it matters, but if you’re not ready to say, then how about you drink some hot tea?” Alfred had used a battery-powered hotplate to heat the water. He poured the cup and put it in front of Terry.
“Is everyone else okay?” Terry asked as an afterthought. He hadn’t thought to ask that, as he knew they weren’t in the house; however, his brain had realized he wasn’t supposed to know they weren’t in. Wow, that seemed oddly confusing right now. Was Dick okay?
“They’re out right now, trying to help people who might have gotten trapped, but I’m sure they’re fine.” Terry nodded. Alfred was good at this lying thing; he just stated it so simply. But then again, it probably wasn’t a lie. If they were alright, they would be helping people get out of the rubble.
He nodded slightly. “Okay. Tell Dick to come see me when he gets in, please.” He stood, heading up the stairs again, noticing some were out of place but overall everything seemed pretty steady. He got to his bed and collapsed onto it. He slightly wondered if Alfred had said anything before he’d left, since he hadn’t listened after he had said they were out. He just knew that he was tired and hurting. He also knew when he woke up he’d hurt more, but right now all he wanted was to rest. And as soon as his eyes closed, he drifted off to sleep.
&^BB&^
Dick pulled off his mask, tossing it onto the table. “This was some night. I didn’t know Gotham was on a fault line.” He poured some water before sitting down. “Alfred and Terry okay?”
Bruce pulled out of his costume. “Alfred’s fine, but Terry came in with a badly bruised back. He crashed as soon as he got to bed. Barbara went home, and Tim’s already in bed.”
“So I’m thinking this new Batman can’t be all bad. He did save the two of them.” Dick pulled on a white shirt.
Bruce gave him a dirty look. “He still isn’t necessarily good, either. We have to find him still.”
Dick nodded. “You’re obsessed, and the only reason you want to find him is the fact that he’s trying to take over your turf and take over your name.” He rubbed his shoulder slightly. “I’m going to go check on Terry.” He quickly headed up the stairs. He stopped by to say hi to Alfred before quietly heading into Terry’s room. He smiled as he watched the boy sleep. Dick moved silently to the bed, gently pulling the covers down and ever so carefully raised Terry’s shirt. He grimaced as the black bruise. It wasn’t a pretty sight.
Was Terry going to see whoever it was that was abusing him? This wasn’t the first time Terry had come home with bruises, but he had never said anything before. There had been no reason to demand an answer, but now that he saw his back he knew he needed to. With the earthquake, he was sure Terry would blame the bruise on that, which was possible but not all that likely.
Terry blinked awake, turning his head to look at Dick, and smiled. “Hey, babe.”
Dick smiled back at him. “How you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Are you okay? Alfred said you went out to help people. Did you save anyone?”
“Yeah, I think did. Everyone seems to be okay.” He leaned forward, gently kissing the younger boy. “I was worried about you.” He lay beside him, putting an arm gently around the tired boy. “Go back to sleep.”
Terry snuggled into the man a bit before his eyes drifted shut. It was still odd to think about the fact that he was sleeping with another male. As messed up as it seemed, it didn’t seem wrong... just odd.
&^BB&^
“He’s the fraud,” Bruce declared.
Dick slammed his fist onto the metal table. “You don’t know that! You’re assuming! But you don’t know!” He angrily paced around the bat cave, growling slightly.
“Why? ‘Cause you don’t want him to be? He’s always gone when the fraud is out. His back is bruised, and that’s an impact bruise.”
“So what? You’re going to call the cops on him from an assumption?! You going to have him locked up in Arkham?!” Dick grabbed the nearest thing he could find, chucking it at Bruce.
Bruce sidestepped, watching the measly pen fly past him. “Unfortunately, it’s not a crime to impersonate Batman. While I think it should be, it’s not. I can’t have him arrested for it.”
Dick looked up, surprised. “So… you’re just going to let him be?”
“No, we still don’t know what he wants. He hasn’t contacted his associate in some time, least not through the bat computer. He’s bound to do it again soon.”
“We tried to monitor the bat cave before. He’s outsmarted us every time, and still managed to get down here.”
Bruce nodded. “But we didn’t know it was him. Now we do.”
“You don’t know that for sure. It could be an odd coincidence.” Dick sighed. He was more willing to accept it was Terry now that he knew Bruce wasn’t going to go after him. Though, it still gave him a lump in his throat. He wondered if Terry had just been using him the whole time, if Terry didn’t even give a shit that Dick was… liking him.
Bruce watched Dick with a slight smile. He had always known Dick was bi, but he had honestly thought he’d end up with a girl. Nonetheless, though, he was glad Dick found someone he could relate to, he only hoped that Terry didn’t turn out to be another Catwoman. He’d hate to see Dick go through that. If nothing else, he was glad Terry came into their lives for the simple fact that it got Dick home. They had left on such bad terms that he had honestly wondered if they’d ever make up. Now -- he pauses to look at the young man -- well, now things were at least normal again. Dick and him would never be perfect with each other, but he was at least home.
“Master Bruce?”
Bruce looked up at the intercom and pushed the button. “Yeah, Alfred?”
“Master Terry is no longer in his room, nor in the house.”
“Thank you, Alfred.” Bruce let the intercom button go and went back to the computer. “I put in some more cameras, since he seemed to know where they all were before.”
“He’s going out already? His back isn’t healed yet.”
Bruce smirked. “Never stops a superhero... nor a super-villain.” He started clicking through the cameras. It had been two days from the massive earthquake, and once he saw the bruise on Terry’s back he just knew. He hadn’t brought it up, though, as there was so much clean-up that needed to be done. Terry had also been healing from his fall as well. Dick wasn’t ready to face facts yet. He probably wasn’t ready now, either, but it needed to be said nonetheless.
Dick shrugged. “Doesn’t seem your cameras picked up on him. Maybe he still is in the house.”
Bruce nodded. “Maybe... or maybe he’s below.” He switched to the entrance of the cave, noting that it still looked normal. He turned a switch, making it heat-censored. Sure enough, a figure was just sneaking in. “Suppose we should leave....” He smiled slightly.
Dick sighed, annoyed that Bruce was right yet again but also slightly relived to know where the boy was.
Bruce shut the computer down and both men moved into the shadows. “Alfred, please open and close the bat door,” he said softly into the intercom.
*&BB*&
Terry stayed in the shadows until he heard the door shut from upstairs. He counted to a hundred before moving out. Bruce always said people would wait for a minute then give up; he always did this just to be safe.
He moved to the computer, checking it over for any triggers or alarms Bruce might have put on it. Finding none, he quickly set to work hooking the suit up. He paused before pushing the ‘Send’ button. He hated this part with a passion, and hoped that he would not pass out this time. He would stay awake. He would.... He pushed the button.
Shit!
He went down to one knee as the shock ran through his body. He panted harshly, gathering his breath. Ha! He didn’t pass out!
“Terry!”
Terry’s head jerked up. “Hey, old man. I get to talk to you, huh? I was starting to think I’d never see you again.”
“Are you alright?” The voice was gruff, but Terry could hear the underlined voice of worry. The picture was fuzzed out, as always, but if he squinted he could almost make the man out.
“Yeah, I think the line’s falling, though. There was a large earthquake a few days ago.”
There was silence on the other side for a while. “Tim tracked down your kidnapper.”
“Tim? Tim did that?”
“Just ’cause he’s out of shape doesn’t mean his skills are any less sharp. He’s always been good at tracking and finding the criminals.”
Terry chuckles slightly. “I suppose. Guess the boredom with working on satellites turns me off.”
“Hmm. You ever heard the saying, ‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover,’ kid?”
“Yeah, I learned that the last time I fought him. How are his girls?”
“Terry, get back on the subject. The man is insane, but he’s a definite genius. I’d say he’s almost another Bain.”
“I don’t remember ever being kidnapped. I just woke up here, with a cat.”
“Leave the cat behind. We should have you home soon, since I made a deal with him. He’s building you a return machine.”
“Since when do you make deals?”
“You’d be surprised how many deals I made in my time. As long as they’re willing to serve their time, it makes no difference to me if they want to continue their research.”
Terry smiled. “Like Freeze?”
“Yes, Freeze was someone I made a deal with.”
Terry sighed. “How’s my mom? You know I’m still doing your work! You better be paying me still....”
“I’ve been giving your money to your mother,” Bruce confirmed. “She doesn’t want anything to do with me, though. She blames me for your death. Bringing you back is going to be difficult the longer you’re gone.”
“So bring me back!”
“Terry, we’re working as fast as we can. You should probably move out of the manor, though. They need to get back to their old lives again so you don’t affect them. And don’t let anyone see you as Batman anymore. I’m sure it’s driving--”
Terry interrupted with a grunt. “You should see it. I never thought I’d see such a proud man in such a frenzy,” he laughed, teasing. “Though, I think I get now why you were so skeptical about giving me the name. You know if it means that much I could have gone by a different name.”
“No, the suit was made for Batman. I wouldn’t have made if you had another name.”
“So you considered it?” Terry smirked. This man was still surprising him after all this time. “Hey… um, when did Tim--?”
“No. You let it be, Terry.”
“I know, but--”
“Terry! You will not get involved with the Joker! Do I make myself clear?”
“Come on, old man! I beat him once! I know his weakness. And then--”
“Terry, let... it... be. Whatever the Joker has planed is not for you to go against.”
Terry sighed. “I’ll contact you when I can.”
“Terry, is Dick still being overly friendly to you?”
Terry went bright red and was glad he was wearing the bat mask. “Um, you could say that.”
Silence came through on the other side again. Terry fidgeted nervously. “Break it off,” came the cold reply.
“Break what--?”
“Just break it off! Terry, do you understand what will happen if you return but they’re still too affected by you? Why don’t I just tell you. The line will remain trying to support them. They’ll go through hell as their world tears itself apart until the line starts taking from our line to try and stay alive, making our line start to fall. They’ll clash, sending both lines into chaos until each person you affected is gone. But by then, who knows if our line is strong enough to stay on it’s own? By you affecting them, you could be the end of both lines. Understand? Break it off.”
Terry sighed. “Fine. I’ll move out, I’ll break it off, and I’ll leave the Joker alone. Happy?”
“Good, there’s some cash under the fifth stair up; the panel on the side has the release. It’s never checked, so it won’t make a difference.”
Terry nodded slowly. “Alright. I’ll contact you again soon.”
“It’ll work out, Terry.”
“Yeah, I got it, old man.” He shut the connection off. He stayed there for a moment, leaning over the computer as he thought. He slowly straightened, undoing the cords. He wasn’t sure if he should just leave now, or.... He couldn’t leave before Christmas; it wasn’t that far off. He wanted to give Dick his gift. He cleaned everything up before leaving quickly. If he were fast, maybe they’d never even notice he was gone. He quickly left the same way he came out.
*&*&BB*&*&
Dick stood motionless, staring ahead. “You understand that?”
“No, but I’ll get to the bottom of it. Though one thing’s for sure: Terry won’t be living with us much longer.”
“They kept talking about lines. Do they mean family lines?”
“That’s what I was thinking. Being gay means the line stops. However, he talked as if it was much more serious than just a family line. How just him affecting all of us will destroy our world.... Seems a bit intense to think I’ll be ruined from meeting the boy.”
“Sounds like a form of manipulation. Keep him thinking he’ll hurt others by being near them would keep him near that old guy.” Dick grumbled. “You think that might be who beat the crap out of him?”
“Probably, but all of this still doesn’t explain how they know so much about us. You don’t even know about that savings, yet he did. They also talked about him being kidnapped, getting him home.”
“Bruce, it’s all manipulation. This psycho raises this kid, training him to be this Bat, convincing him that if he’s around someone to long it’ll destroy their line. Whether that’s a family line or something else, who knows, but it means a lot to Terry! Then they have someone kidnap him, bring him here, helping them get what they need on us the last bit of information, then they just happen to rescue him and bring him home! The bastard is manipulating him!”
“Dick, calm down. You’re making a lot of assumptions right now. We don’t know the whole story yet. For all we know, the old man may be looking out for the kid’s well being.”
“That creepy old man is only looking out for himself!”
Bruce grinned slightly. “How can you be sure of that?” Damn, it was amusing watching the younger man get so upset over the kid.
“Well, I think it was pretty obvious! I’m a good judge of character, and I know that man was just pure evil! Lowest of the lows! We need to get Terry away from him!”
“Terry is an armed enemy right now, and you will regard him like one!”
A slight scowl came to Dick’s lips. “Fine, but I’m not treating him badly. It’s apparent that the kid has no control over what’s happening, and I refuse to take it out on him!”
Bruce nodded. “Good to hear. However, it sounds like he may not be staying with us to much longer, anyway.”
“You think he’ll stay for Christmas?” the longhaired man asked. And he had found the perfect gift for him, too. “Maybe I should give him his gift early.”
A tiny chuckle left Bruce’s mouth. “Why don’t you find out if he’s on our side first? After all, you don’t want to spend all your money on a bad guy.”
- 12
- 13
- 14
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Batman Before