Disclaimer: If I owned Teen Titans, then I'd be rich. I can't even afford a new laptop. So no ownership here. Go away Lawyer-man!

Yeah, been a while since I've done anything here or Bat-related, but TADA! I've got to type up about three more chapters of this one so I decided to start posting so I would finish it faster. Geeze... started writing this years ago! Ah well. Anyway, the entire fic circulates around one phrase from Slade to Robin: That's my boy. Let's see where that takes us, shall we? ;P

Timing wise, I'm not sure if this lands after the series or during, but it is while Slade's alive! Also, this is really psychological so if it gets too weird, sorry. I like to write from the perspective of one person at a time, and their thoughts get very interesting.

That's My Boy

1

Dick jerked up, desperately gasping for air. He'd been running... fighting... No he wasn't. He was in bed the entire time. A nightmare.

His head went into his hands, gripping his hair while trying to regulate his breathing. A nightmare. He'd had hundreds before, this one even, but each time he woke up in a cold sweat. He didn't know what brought this one on...

Actually he did. It was his father's birthday. His biological father's.

The entire day he'd been distracted. The Titans barely noticed though because they had their own drama to deal with. Thankfully it was a slow day and no wacko criminals came out to play, so he was allowed to think about his dad in peace. He even got to see a video clip someone had from the circus of them training. His dad was so proud of him when he pulled off a quad for the first time. He could still remember his voice.

"That's my boy! He'll be the world's greatest acrobat one day! You'll see! Great job Dick!"

Pride and love filled him hearing it again on the vid, making him wistfully longing for the man to come back from the dead and say it once more. He loved making his parents proud, loved making them happy. He wanted nothing more in life than to continue making them smile when he was a kid. He knew they'd be proud of all he'd done as Robin and that they'd support him. He knew they were saying 'that's my son' to the other angels in heaven.

But why did he have that nightmare? Because someone else said the same thing his father did, rather recently.

"That's my boy."

Dick shivered as the voice played in his mind. Slade. Count on him on turning a good memory he wanted to live over and over again into a nightmare inducing comment. He dreamt of his apprenticeship. That horrible time he was forced into working for a madman! He recalled stealing, attacking guards, hurting his friends, betraying that man... and he had said 'that's my boy'.

Bruce never even said it.

The young hero huddled in his bed, holding onto his legs as his insecurities flew around in his mind. Those two men we both alike and different, in every way it mattered. Same skills, same strength, same stubbornness. Different goals, different lifestyle, different tactics. Both were one track minded, but while Slade kept him caged, Bruce gave him choices and let him fly free. Yet Batman never said that phrase, never praised him like that. Slade had. Still did. He had more acknowledgement of his abilities from his mortal enemy than his mentor, the man he'd for a time saw as a second father.

Could it have killed him to say it, just once? Eyes buried in his knees, Dick tried to control his shaking and breathing as the effects of his nightmare left him. In it though, he had enjoyed hurting his friends, and he did it for Slade's praise. Behind that mask was his father, John Grayson. A twisted version who was also Slade. Man he hated nightmares! They kept twisting reality!

The worst part though was when he looked up from his friends' bodies, he saw Batman, yet it wasn't Batman. He was Bruce and John at the same time, and he was disappointed with him. Seeing him turn away from him, not wanting to see his son, that was one blow he did not want to happen, ever. Couldn't his dad ever feel proud of him? Would he? With all he did those few weeks...

"Get it together Grayson," he chided himself lowly. This was all last year, and he explained to Bruce in a short phone call he was undercover and didn't have time to tell him what was happening beforehand. Everything was handled that way, but as punishment for the damages he wasn't getting some equipment for the tower, equal to the cost of the sign damages. Well, at least the Batman wasn't forcing him back to Gotham, and he didn't know everything that had happened to him. Last thing he wanted was an 'I told you so' from him.

He just wanted the man to be proud of him.

"Get it together. You're fine," he reminded himself again. "You're safe. They're safe. You don't need him to protect you anymore. You're fine. You're fine..."

Batman was early to the meeting. He was at the watchtower, waiting for other Leaguers to appear and give their reports. If there was anything Earth shattering or something that required more than one of them, they'd cover it soon. Gotham had been quite quiet and frankly he was bored. With no one to train with, he had too much free time between crime waves. He needed something to keep his mind away from the lonely house and caverns he owned back in Gotham. Something these people could bring up would be welcomed in compare.

"Batman."

He jerked his swivel chair about, just in time to see Dr. Fate appear in a puff of smoke. The dark knight scowled at the lord of order. Wasn't he JSA? Why was he here? In space? He wasn't about to question how he got there; magic explanations were a headache. "Dr. Fate."

"I bring you a warning."

That only made him scowl more. "Shouldn't you wait for the rest before predicting the end of the world?"

"It is not the end of the world I bring tidings of. Not yet at least." Fate's eyes bore into him, nearly sending shivers up his audience's spine. "One you care for is in great danger. Chaos wants him and will use any means possible to obtain him."

"Who?" Batman nearly leapt from his seat, standing to face the older hero. His heart was in his throat. He didn't want to lose anyone ever again. He already lost too much.

"If the darkness takes him," Nabu continued, "he will be a puppet, designed to rip apart order. You cannot let that happen."

"Who? Who are your enemies after?" He growled. Why did this guy have to be so cryptic?

"Not one of mine. One of his." Light started to surround the mystic once again, calling him away. "All will be decided in a fortnight. Be there, act upon the instincts you hide, and a bright future will continue. Fail, and all will be lost."

"Give me a name dammit!" Batman stepped to the man, demanding answers. Popping up to give him some cryptic message, only to vanish without any... This was why he hated dealing with magic. "Who's in danger?!"

"Your light. The one who is your light. Protect him from the darkness, and give him light once more."

"GIVE ME A STRAIGHT ANSWER!" He lunged forward, trying to grab him and force answers out of the tin can, but he was gone before he could make contact. "DAMMIT!"

"Uh, Batman?" Flash's voice from the doorway made him jerk his head about quickly. The speedster and Lantern next to him were looking at him oddly. "Is everything alright?"

"Someone's gone too many nights on coffee alone," Jordan murmured behind his friend, earning a dark glare from the knight.

Tightening his lips, Batman ignored their looks and returned to his seat. He calmed his heartbeat while mulling over what Fate had said to him. That lord of order wouldn't have come to him over nothing. Someone in his life was in danger. Male. Someone important to him personally. That person had enemies, some that could be influenced by the lords of chaos (crazy metaphysical beings and their needs to meddle with reality... why couldn't they just leave them alone?!). Someone who he called his 'light'. Someone he could protect. That left a pretty short list.

As the others came in, he couldn't bring himself to focus on everything they said and did. He had to know who was in danger. Alfred? Dick? Jim? Lucius? He was pretty sure Clark was fine (not that he'd ever admit he cared for the alien). So would Barry and Hal. Arthur and J'onn could handle themselves too. That left only those he associated with in Gotham. Did Lucius have enemies? None Fate would intervene with he was certain.

That left three possibilities. Alfred Pennyworth, Jim Gordon, Dick Grayson. Two weeks. He had to keep an eye open on each of them if he could. Dick would be fine with his friends, he was pretty sure of that. Not that he would accept protection anyway. Alfred would be easy to watch out for, but he was pretty certain that man could handle himself. Practically a saint. And Jim... Maybe he was the target. He wasn't a spring chicken anymore.

Then again this was Fate he was dealing with. A 'fortnight' to a lord of order could mean a lot of things. He had other things to focus on. The mission came first, and he had to listen to Superman's run in with Aries. Wonder Woman's problems were becoming everyone's, again.

A/N: Ominous enough? Heh heh... let's see how much Daddybats can figure out before things go to hell. There's more Teen Titans in this one than my other TT fics, but it's also short. Like I said, maybe three more chapters and I'm done typing. I'm starting Chap. 12 right now. If you have ideas on Chapter titles, please tell me. I'm running blanks.

Updates will be as frequent as comments and inspiration. TTFN!