Title: Acceptance (first of The Epilogues series)
Summary: Terry and Matt come to accept the aftermath of Project Batman Beyond. Post-Epilogue
Rating: G
Warning(s): Epilogue spoilers, but everyone should already know what happened by now.
Disclaimer: If Batman Beyond ever starts airing again, you'll know who's responsible. But for now, I do not own Batman Beyond (or anything Batman related for that matter) and I am certainly not affiliated with Warner Bros. in any way, shape, or form.
Author's Note: I started playing with the idea of how Terry would act if he and Dana ever had a daughter. One plot bunny led to another and thus The Epilogues series was born. Enjoy!

It took the younger of the two McGinnis brothers roughly thirty seconds to finally realize the full impact of his brother's words. It then took him another thirty seconds to utter a somewhat coherent word, "Whoa."

Terry couldn't agree more. "Yeah, whoa."

Matt collapsed onto the nearest chair in the study of the Wayne Manor. "So, you mean all this…" he gestured to the spacious room, "…is…?"

"Ours. It's been willed to us for nearly fifteen years already, ever since he found out."

Matt whistled, "Shway." Suddenly doubt clouded his eyes. "Does this mean that Dad—"

"—was—will always be our Dad, just not biologically." Terry quickly interrupted. This had been one of the many thoughts that plagued his mind upon discovering his relation to Bruce. It had tormented him for days that he wasn't really Warren McGinnis's son, but every time he saw Bruce, he knew it didn't make a difference. He loved Warren and had even come to love Bruce sometime ago; Bruce was in no way a replacement and Warren had never been a substitute for Bruce during the first sixteen years of Terry's life. Neither was better nor worse than the other. They both filled the role as a parent in their own way and Terry was grateful for that.

Nowadays, he found himself a little thankful that he had runaway from the late McGinnis on that fateful night. If he had never met Bruce, he never would've become Batman. And if he had never become Batman…he shuddered to think about the kind of person he'd be now. Worse still, Terry only recently realized how cold and empty his life would've been if Bruce hadn't been there. The old man may not be perfect, no matter how he acted at times in the past, but Terry couldn't have asked for a better father.

Matt shut his eyes and let his head fall back with a groan. "This…is just too messed up." He blinked when he felt Terry gently placed a hand on his shoulder, finding himself looking up at his brother's warm blue eyes upside down.

"I know." Terry told him softly, "But we'll make it through this. You know that, right?"

A pause followed.

Then, a small smile stretched on Matt's lips, mirroring the smile on his brother's face. "Yeah, I know."

Author's Note: Please review! Critiques are encouraged and flames will be used to burn my Business homework.