Disclaimer (etc) in part one and two.

Notes: The sentences that are surrounded by double stars (**) are writing voice overs. There's a scene in here that I tried something a little different with. Hopefully it worked out okay.

Tim found himself staring at the door to his house, completely at a loss about what to do next. He knew he had to face his dad, but hadn't any idea what he could say to him. Realizing standing in the dark was getting him no where; the young teen entered his house.

The first thing he noticed was the lack of light, the next, was the lack of sound. Slowly, he trudged his way further inside and finally came across his dad. Jack Drake sat in the small den staring blankly at the petite fire he'd built. Tim took cautious steps inside and moved beside his dad.

He opened his mouth to speak, but Jack cut him off. "Nice of you to come home. What, were there no crimes to stop? No Batman to follow blindly around?"

Tim closed his eyes, but remained silent. His father, however, did not.

"Have nothing to say for yourself I take it? No words of explanation, no apologies-nothing." Again, his son remained silent and still. "After all you've put this family -me- through you have nothing to say? After how much you've destroyed this-"

Tim finally had enough. He thought he would be able to control himself and listen to his father.

He had been wrong.

"I destroyed this family, dad? I haven't destroyed it any worse than you did. We never even use to be a family when mom was alive. You two would always leave off for some party, in some country, leaving me here by myself. I never saw you two except when there was a party at *our* house and even then you were too busy with guests to even see me."

The young boy moved in front of the fireplace so his father could see him, but he kept his eye contact averted. "When you came back and decided to be a father again, I had already become Robin. I become him because there was nothing else I could do. I had no one, dad. By some twist of fate, mom died and you came home to be my father again. I never thought that that would happen. I thought you and mom would always be off seeing the world.

"The reason I became Robin was because I needed something-I needed someone because I didn't have parents. When you came back and got better and wanted to be my dad again I couldn't give up Robin because I was afraid. I was, at first, afraid that you would fall back into the routine and I would have lost you again. When I found out that you were being truthful and you were going to stay, Robin was as much of me as Tim Drake."

The young teen stopped to face his father. "Robin became a part of me and I couldn't give that up. Without him, I would have been lost. Not only that, but I'm good at what I do. I make a difference out there and I love it. I love knowing that I help people, that I am helping to save a city." Tim looked his dad in the eyes. "I never thought you would like this if you found out, but I also thought that perhaps you could understand."

Jack Drake looked up to his son's pleading eyes. "I'm glad you felt it an appropriate time to tell me that I fail in raising you. I'm happy to know that you felt so little of your mother and I all those years."

"Dad, that's not what I meant!"

"But, it's the truth. We obviously failed you as parents and you found it necessary to go behind our backs. You're right, I don't understand. I don't understand how you can be so selfish that you feel you can put your life in danger without me knowing. How can you be just *so* self-righteous?"

"It's not like that! I don't do it to spite you, I do it because I love it and I make a difference."

Tim's father leveled his gaze on his son. "A difference? Son, you've gone out probably every night for an amazing amount of time and what difference have you seen? Are you still needed? Then I would have to say your 'difference' is nothing."

Tim took a step back like his father had slapped him again. He felt his stomach fall to his knees and his heart stop beating. He never thought his father would embrace Robin with open arms, and perhaps, he was lying when he thought he would understand, but never did he think he dad would cut him down to his face. He couldn't even begin to place into words the hurt he felt at that moment. The idea the his father thought he wasn't making a difference left him strangely numb.

"...never again, but I know that won't happen because you, obviously, do what you want." Tim came back to reality at his father's voice. "This summer I think it would be a good idea if you spent it with your grandmother." The young teen got the gist of what he had missed-his father was practically disowning him. "Through all this, Tim, I want you to understand that I have lost what little trust I had in you and I'm not certain if it will ever be given back."

Jack regarded his son with a cool expression. "I already told you that I thought you were a stranger to me, and that still stands. I don't understand what happened and probably never will."

Tim felt himself get smaller in his father's eyes and knew he had to leave. Without a word, he turned on heel and made his way to his room. Tomorrow, he left for Brentwood and he had something he needed to do.

Dana tried not to listen to the conversation between her husband and his son, but it was terribly hard. She did succeed in not barging in though, and to her, that was something. Finally, she heard Tim leave the room and felt it was time to set her husband straight.

Shoulders back and head high, she entered the room ready to give Jack Drake a piece of her mind.

Upstairs, Tim took out a piece of paper and a pen.

"You, Jack Drake, are a stubborn old fool."

**Dad. I'm sorry.**

"Your son is a miraculous young man. He is brave, strong, smart, beautiful..."

**I'm sorry that you can't understand what being Robin means to me. It's my everything-it's who I am.**

"...everything that, if I had a son of my own, I would want. He is the most amazing human I have ever known and that, I gathered, even before I knew about Robin."

**To me, being Robin, has been my savior. Not only from loneliness, but from myself. I've found that I am somebody, and not just another face in the crowd.**

"With now knowing that he is Robin, I am in awe. He has so much on his plate, yet he does everything we ask, his friends ask, and, I'm assuming, Batman asks. Imagine that responsibility."

**I've found out that, even if you don't see it, I make a difference. I am Robin and Robin helps people, Robin is a hero. He is somebody that people actually strive to be.**

"Imagine all that he has done, seen and been through. Imagine, if you even can, the things he has been forced to face and things that he has overcome. This city is not an easy place to live in, but he has not only lived here, but he has fought here."

**Robin is not a person, but a symbol. A symbol of hope, strength, and of courage. I am proud to be the carrier of that symbol.**

"I only wished that you could see what your son has done and that you could be proud of him. I am so honored to be considered a friend, and if I'm truly lucky, a step-mother, to him that I am bursting on the inside."

**I hope that, in time, you could understand what Robin means to me and, perhaps, accept the fact that he is a part of who I am**.

"You, as I've said before and will say thirty thousand more times, are a stubborn, stupid old fool if you can't be proud of Tim."

**I only wish that maybe one day you might even be happy with who I am and...**

"If you let that boy leave with the idea that you don't understand or sympathize with him, then you are an idiot."

**...maybe be proud of me because, no matter what you think, I am proud to call you my father.**

"Think about what you'll lose if you don't repair the damage that has been done."

**I am sorry for everything that I have done to hurt you and hope you can forgive me someday.**

"I love you with all my heart, and always will, but you're really going to be pushing it if you don't do something about your son."

**I love you.**

"Go and think about it, and I hope you come to the logical decision based on your heart and not your dense brain."

**Your Son Always- Timothy.**

Tim turned off his small desk light and stared blankly at the ceiling in his room knowing sleep would never come.

Jack sat downstairs staring into the fire trying to make sense of what this day had given him.

Dana slept upstairs, alone, dreaming about a time when the family would be a family again.

All night, Jack had sat, thought, and wondered what he should say to his son, yet he found that he couldn't face him.

It was just impossible.

He watched as the boy packed up his things and loaded them into the cab. He watched as Tim looked back at the house with a gaze of longing. And he watched as the cab drove away.

With a sigh, Jack moved into the kitchen and saw a neatly folded note with Tim's crisp handwriting on it. He opened it and read.

The words and Dana's words, came to him full tilt. ~What had he done?~

Later, he found his wife and gently cried on her shoulder over what he might have lost.

Tim entered his dorm room, ignoring Wesley, and crashed onto his bed. He hoped his father would have talked to him before he left, even just a simple good-bye would have been welcomed, but the young boy got nothing.

He supposed he shouldn't be surprised. As a matter of fact, he wondered if things with his dad would ever be the same again. Sadly, he figured they wouldn't.

"Tough time at home?" His roommate asked with a sneer, not realizing how right he was.

The dark-haired boy just rolled over and closed his eyes. Going out as Robin wasn't going to happen tonight.

The gentle shaking brought Tim to consciousness and he suddenly had the biggest urge to kill his roommate. He opened his eyes and saw Alfred's old, but kind, face looking down at him.

"Terribly sorry to awake you, young sir, but you have a visitor."

~Wonderful. So, is it Bruce to yell at me, Dick to yell, or maybe my dad.~ Tim groaned and sat up.

"Who is it?"

The butler shrugged his shoulders and Tim raised an eyebrow at him. Sighing, he rose, grabbed his robe, and began to pad out of his room while Alfred (as a force of habit) began to straighten his bed.

The young boy turned a corner and saw Dana as she rushed at him. She brought him into a large hug and she spoke into his ear.

"I'm so proud of you." Tears came to his eyes, even as Tim tried to hold them back.

Dana moved away from the lad and Tim could see his father standing a few feet away. "Hello, son."

With that, the young boy ran at his father. He didn't care if any of the guys were around all that mattered was his father had called him 'son'. One word that suddenly meant the world to him. Jack accepted his son into a hug.

"I'm sorry."

Tim shook his head. "I'm sorry, dad. I should have told you."

His father smoothed a hand over his unruly bed hair. "It's okay. Let's go someplace to talk."

And they did so.

They talked about Janet Drake and her death, they talked about Batman and his need for a Robin, they talked about Robin, they talked about cases and past events. Tim found himself opening up with his father more than he ever had. He told him his fear at failing Batman. He told his dad of his problems with friends and family that the Robin suit had brought about. He talked about the Spoiler and Young Justice.

Most of all, though, he opened up and let his father into his life-the life that his dad knew nothing about. For the entire day, father and son talked and found themselves closer.

Jack finally understood his son and even said he'd try to accept the cape and all. That was more than Tim ever hoped for.

By nightfall, Jack and Dana had to leave, but they left knowing that their family was close to being completely healed.

"I'll call you this weekend, son."

His son nodded and walked them towards their car. "Okay." Suddenly, Tim found himself pulled into a hug by his father as Dana go into the car.

"Things will be all right again."

The young boy looked up to his dad. "I know." He smiled.

Tim watched as the car pulled away and waved. Once it was out of view he turned back to his room, but met Alfred in the hallway. The older man gave a small cough and held up a very recognizable green mask.

Tim smiled.

That night-Robin flew.

THE END!

Thanks for reading and reviews would be nice!! BTW-You're probably wondering, hey there's a couple loose ends here. And, if you are thinking that, you would be right-there are. I'm thinking about doing a sequel which deals with more with the Robin side of this situation instead of the Tim Drake, however, no promises. I really thought about putting in a scene with Batman, but didn't know exactly where so that's why there might be a sequel.