Cycles

acethebatdog2039

Batman Beyond Alternate Universe

Chapter One

Summary: In an alternate universe Terry McGinnis' parents are murdered leaving their son to live on the streets of Gotham City. Seven years later the teenager is found by none other than Bruce Wayne.

It was cold in the alley, then again, everything in Crime Alley was cold, but this winter in Gotham City. It was the worst in over twenty years the teenager sitting against the old movie theater wall felt every bone chilling wind gust. His large black dog moved closer to his master as the wind blew. As children and their parents walked pasted the alley laughing and smiling talking about upcoming Christmas Day, a wave of sadness over came over the teenager. With his eyes closed, he still could still see the death of his parents. So, many years ago, the leading cause of sending him to the streets.

The streets of Gotham are no place for a child, but as a child who had to survive on these streets, this young man knew how to survive. A noise caused the dog's ears to stand up, as he left his master's side to check out the strange sound. The boy heard the sound of a car door closing, and then footsteps, heavy footsteps. The teenager pulled his cold tried body off the icy, grimily alleyway.

Another set of footsteps joined those of the first ones, and angry voices soon follow. The voices left as quickly as they started. "What is it, boy?" the teen asked his friend. The dog did not turn to look at his master, but at the old man in the alley. The old man looked up from what he was doing, laying two white roses on the cold ground. He saw the young man standing at the back of the alley way. The boy looked frozen and hungry.

The dog growled and took off. "No!" The boy's hand out to stop the animal from running away. The dog went around the old man and after the clown behind him. Chasing the clown away, the dog came back to his master. They both could hear the shouts of the clown as the dog took a bite out of the clown. The boy rubbed the dog's ears. The young man started to leave the alley but the old man's voice stopped him.

"Where are you going?" The kid shrugged not saying anything. The dog brushed his head against the teen's leg. "Where are your parents?" Great, the old man thought he was a run away. He brushed some long dirty hair from his face before he answered. "They're dead." That seemed to have struck something inside the old man. There was pause before either one spoke again. "You must be hungry. I owe you for what your dog did." The kid raised an eyebrow. Dinner did sound good. The kid looked the old man over closely. If anything he could take this old guy, he had a cane and everything. What the hell. A free meal was better than freezing his ass off any day.

"Alright," he took a step towards the man the dog right behind him. "But he comes with me." The old guy agreed. When he got closer he held up his hand. "I need a name first, kid." The kid nodded. "Terry. My name is Terry."

"Alright Terry, I'm Bruce." Bruce held out his hand for the kid to shake. Even with the gloves on Terry still could feel the heat from the man's hand. "Let's get you something to eat, kid."

With the driver gone the kid felt out of place in the large house. The dog had found a place to sit and get warm. The old man, no Bruce, had started a fire for him, after the old man made him eat whatever the hell that was. Telling him to sit in the chair in front of the fire, but he wouldn't do it. He was filthy, what he was sitting in that alley shouldn't bring into a home. Not even a home that looked like a museum. "Take that coat off." The old man voice broke through the silence of the house.

He had so many layers on, he had to keep warm. But in the house with the heat and the fire going, he was going to start to overheat soon. He pulled the coat off putting it on the back of a chair. He started to pull the beaten up fingerless gloves off as well. With those gone he pulled one of the long sleeve shirts off. He felt a little better. Terry could finally feel his toes again; his holey boots didn't do much good in the ice and snow out on the streets.

Terry sat where Bruce told him to rubbing his hands together. Bruce threw a blanket around the kid's shoulder before heading towards the kitchen without saying another word. The man came back with a mug of something hot for the boy. Tucked between his shoulder was a phone, he was trying to hold it to his ear while he walked with his cane. "Yes, I understand that. Can you just get down here? I'll pay you double."

Terry frowned taking the mug from the man before he walked away talking to whoever it was. Terry took a drink from the mug, it was tea. The nuns at the one church gave out tea. One of the women always made sure to give him extra when he came in. He hadn't been there in a while. Sister Grace would be worried. Terry made a mental note to head over there when he got a chance. His dog came over to him laying at his feet.

"I still need a name for you, big guy." Terry rubbed his ears. Terry put the mug on the side table as the dog climbed into the chair with him. Bruce came back into the room. "I have a doctor coming to take a look at you." Terry made a face.

Bruce glared. "Look kid, you're a minor and as you said your parents are gone. Someone has to take care of you. So I'm going to make you a deal. You'll stay here for a few days." The made a face again. "You have no idea who I am, do you?" Terry shook his head. "Good. But, you're still staying here." There was no deal; Terry knew there never would be. With that the old man walked out of the room again.

When the old man came back the dog and teenager had fallen to sleep. They both we're use to keeping each other warm at night. The dog with no name looked up at Bruce and the two new people, both women. "Terry?" The dog yawned as Bruce's hand came to give Terry a quick shake. The kid's eyes snapped open. "Terry, this is Barbara Gordon and Doctor Sandra Thompkins. Just talked to these ladies for a bit then I'll let you go back to sleep." The kid nodded. The dog climbed off of him going to lie in front of the fire.

The woman with the glasses, Barbara Gordon, smiled at him. "Terry, can you tell me how old you are?" The doctor asked him to sit up straight so she could start her exam. "I'm fifteen." Doctor Thompkins listened to his heart. "How long have you lived on the streets, Terry?" Gordon was taking notes. Terry was starting to get nervous. "…Since I was eight." The doctor patted his shoulder lightly. Gordon nodded at his answer. "What happened to your parents, honey?" Terry wondered if they were feeling sorry for him, if they thought his parents were druggies or something. "They were murdered when we were leaving a movie theater."

All the adults stopped what they were doing. "A movie theater," Bruce asked. Terry nodded. "We were seeing The Grey Ghost Strikes." Bruce swallowed hard. "I wanted to see it for a while, so Dad came home from work and picked Mom and I up for a movie night." He was trying to hide the tears in his eyes. Barbara took his hand. "It wasn't your fault, Terry." She patted his hand softly. The doctor took over and checked the boy out more as Barbara and Bruce stepped aside to have a quick talk.

"I think I have an idea on who he is," Barbara crossing her arms over her chest. "There was a case seven years ago where a couple was gunned down in a parking lot across the street from a theater. The couple's eight year old son was never found. A few people thought the killer took the child. But, Bruce, you may have found him." They both turned to watch the doctor look over the fifteen year old.

The doctor left the house with orders to bring the teenager first thing tomorrow morning. It seemed the young man had some crackling in his lungs. She even looked over the dog for the teenager. The dog seemed to be in better health than the teenager. Barbara hung around to talk to Terry for a little longer. She was trying to get some more information about his parents out of him. Barbara thought that the teenager would be a bit hazy about some of the information from all those nights ago. The young man gave her as many details as he could from that night.

With Barbara finally gone around ten Bruce showed the boy where he would be sleeping and staying. The dog followed behind the teenager. "Does he have a name?" Bruce asked as the dog looked up at him. "Not yet. He found me. I think someone used him as a fighting dog. He doesn't like other dogs." Terry patted his head.

When Bruce went to check on the teenager the next morning he found the boy sleeping on the floor with the dog. Bruce frowned, looks like the boy wasn't use to sleeping in a bed. "Hey Terry?" Bruce turned the light on. There was a grumble as the kid sat up. He ran a hand over his messy hair. "What time is it," the kid asked.

"Time for you get up and shower. We're heading to the doctor soon." Bruce put some clothes on the bed. Terry was small compared to most boys his age. Some of Tim and Dick's old clothes would have to do for now. "You have your own bathroom. While you're on the shower I'll start breakfast."

Terry was sure whatever the old man could whip up was better than not eating at all. Terry picked himself off the bedroom floor as Bruce let himself out of the room. A shower, a simple thing to others, but it was a luxury to him. It took him longer to figure out how to work the shower then it did for him to take the shower.

The dog followed behind him as he came downstairs to the kitchen. Bruce was standing there with a few glasses and bowls sitting on the island. Terry sat down at the island with the dog sitting at his feet. Bruce pushed one of the bowls in front of him along with a glass of orange juice. "After you eat, we'll head out to the doctor." The teenager ate from the bowl but avoid the glass of juice. "Can I ask you something?" Terry asked as he swallowed the food.

The old man nodded drinking from his coffee mug. "Why? Why do you care?" Bruce put the cup down on the island. "Because, I understand what it's like to be that kid. That kid who had lost everything he cared about." Terry ate the rest of his breakfast without saying much. Bruce said nothing about the still full glass of orange juice. "Do you think I could borrow a belt?" Terry stood up the pants that Bruce brought him, that at one point were Tim's, hung low on his hips.

Now with a belt that Bruce was sure was his when he was a teenager, they were off to the doctor. Bruce could see the nervousness from the teen. "You seemed to like her last night." Terry nodded. He didn't like that they had to leave his dog back at the house. The dog didn't seem happy either. The mutt howled as his master left the house. Bruce held back a teasing comment about his home being in one piece when they came back.

The office of Doctor Sandra Thompkins was neat and welcoming, something that Bruce found a bit comforting. Sandra smiled at them as they stepped into her office, "Hello you two." Terry gave her a small wave. "Sandra." She really did have great-aunt's smile. For some odd reason, Bruce wasn't sure of; Terry stepped closer to the older man. "It's alright Terry. I just want to do some blood tests and get some x-rays." The boy bit his lip but nodded.

While waiting for Terry to finish up with the x-rays Bruce made a phone call to Barbara. "I was right, Bruce." He didn't even get a hello. "Terrence Lucas McGinnis went missing seven years ago after the death of his parents, Warren and Mary McGinnis. They were killed as the family left the Creed Movie Theater. The neighbor reported him missing two days later. The kid has no other family. Father's parents died shortly before the murders and the mother's father died before Terry was born, her mother and her brother were killed in a car accident when Mary McGinnis was a teenager."

Bruce shook his head. This poor kid couldn't get a break. Bruce rubbed his forehead. "I took the liberty of sending foster papers to your lawyer's office." Bruce nodded even with Barbara unable to see him. "Thank you, Barbara." She must have read his mind. "I called Tim. I know you guys haven't talked in a while but Tim has a teenage boy about Terry's age. He's going to bring some clothes by the manor for you." There was a soft chuckle on her end of the phone. "Poor kid is wearing clothes that are older than he is." She really could read his mind.

Bruce went into exam room after getting off the phone with Barbara. The teenager was sitting on the table missing his shirt; Sandra was listening to the kid's lungs again. "Ah Bruce, I have good news and bad news." Terry's face was red. "Good news is he's in pretty good shape for a kid who has lived for seven years. Bad news sounds like he has early onset tuberculosis." The doctor handed the boy his shirt back. "That's not uncommon with the homeless. Also got the files from Terry's doctor from his parents were alive. He's behind in his booster shots. I'm going to start him on an antibiotic that he needs to take twice a day and some cough medicine. Once he's done with the antibiotic we'll start on getting him caught up with his boosters." Bruce watched Terry rubbing his arm where they drew blood.

Sandra handed Bruce information and Terry's prescriptions telling him to call her if the boy started coughing up bloody sputum. "Come on, kiddo." Terry hopped off the table. "Keep him wrapped up in a coat, Bruce." Sandra shot him a glare. She left the room leaving them there alone. "You need a haircut, kid." Terry pushed some of his hair away from his face. "I like it."

The lawyer was waiting for them when they came back to the doctor's. "Mister Wayne," the middle age man said. "I was going to go into the house, but there's a rather large dog in there." Terry blushed looking away. "That would be Terry's dog. He's rather unsure of people he doesn't know, Jeremy." At that moment Bruce wasn't sure if he was still talking about the dog or the teenager who was all but hiding behind him. Jeremy Stillson chuckled; he was youngest of the Stillson lawyers who worked for Wayne Enterprises. "Nice to meet you Terry, call me Jeremy." The teenager nodded.

"Come on in Jeremy. We'll get started on the paperwork." Bruce opened the door the dog ran out to his master. "Paperwork?" Terry rubbed the dog's ears. "Bruce is filling to be your foster parent." The teenager turned a deep shade of red. He made a small noise at the back of his throat. "If that's what you want, Terry," Bruce ignored the lawyer focusing on the young man in front of him. The dog leaned into Terry his black wet nose pressing into the boy's hand.

"Well it's either you file as my foster parent or I get sent to a group home or something." The boy was smarter than any of them gave him credit for. The kid nodded. "I think I'd rather stay here, Bruce." Bruce nodded. "Alright, then that's what we'll do."

With the lawyer gone with signed papers in hand they were back in the kitchen. Bruce threw the dog a piece of bread. "He needs a name," the old man commented. Terry sat on a kitchen island stool with his chin resting on his folded arms watching the old man and the dog. "I haven't found something that fits him." The dog seemed to have loved this treat sitting at Bruce's feet waiting for more. Bruce tossed him around piece of bread; the dog was going to hate them tomorrow as it was his turn to head to the doctor. "I think I have a good name for him if you want to hear it." The dog's tail thumped against the hardwood floor. Terry shrugged, "Anything is better than 'Hey you, Mutt.'" The dog turned to look at the teenager at the comment. "What you thinking?"

"Had an old friend called Ace, she had a rough childhood, a bit like yours. Wonderful girl." The dog looked back at the man with the food. "What happened to her?" Terry blew at his hair to get it out of his eyes. "Her life was cut short but some power hungry people who wanted to play God."

"Ace," Terry said. "Ace," he said a little louder. The dog looked at him before looking back at Bruce. "We'll work on it, buddy. I like it. It suits him. I think someone beat him, he doesn't like when people shout." Bruce could understand that. "Well, he doesn't have to worry about that again." Bruce rubbed the dog's ears.

A/N: Thanks to my friend Cookie for doing some beta reading for me. Thanks girl. -Ace