Chronophoenix

Chronophoenix is a Thomas Grayson SL from July 2015. At the start of the SL, Thomas Grayson is eighteen-years-old and adjusting to his original time after nine years in other dimensions. Since the events of Blackbird Lost, Thomas has saved Embri Tiber from the meta-hunting Harrison, formed a relationship with Gwen Stacy from another Earth, and had a run-in with alternate versions of himself.

In Blackbird Lost, nine-year-old Thomas Grayson encountered the time traveler David Clinton, also known as Chronos. Chronophoenix reverts the events of Blackbird Lost and adjusts the timeline events after Blackbird Lost so that Prime Earth's Thomas Grayson never left his Earth or was ever displaced in time.

## Prologue

The Graysons are a pretty unconventional family. Not many families can claim the status of being a group of costumed vigilantes where the children begin training as early as seven years old. Nor can many say that the oldest child is half-Tamaranean, half-human and that the youngest fell through a time portal at age nine and aged nine years in the span of three weeks.

Thomas James Grayson had gone from being the youngest “Grayspawn” to being the second oldest by means of a freak incident no one could have predicted. It had been an average night where Thomas had been home alone, which wasn’t a rare occurrence given the family business. There had never been an issue with Thomas staying by himself for a few hours.

David Clinton, under the name Chronos, was a time-traveling thief. With his Chrono-belt, Clinton jumped from era to era, taking artifacts that would not directly affect the time stream. He had arrived in the Richard John Grayson’s home to snatch a Wing-ding, something no one would truly miss. However, Clinton had not foreseen young Thomas’ presence at the time. The Grayson child, true to his brave-although-maybe-foolish nature had engaged the intruder in defense of his home, but unexpectedly fell through Clinton’s exit portal into the “time tunnel,” as he would later describe. Inside the tunnel, Clinton and the boy had been separated, resulting in Clinton escaping and Thomas being marooned on a distant planet in an even more distant time.

Although Thomas made it back home, nine years later for him, he never saw Clinton again. The Grayson has mixed feelings about the time traveler and the result of Clinton's actions. Without his experience time jumping, Thomas would not have found out his heritage and his inherited DNA of Slade Wilson where he could save Embri's life. Without the time discrepancy, Thomas would never have made a relationship with Gwen Stacy, another dimension jumping hero.

But the time portal had ruined Thomas' childhood. It had stopped at age nine, on December 27. Having to grow up under constant life-and-death situations is no way to grow up. He might not always show it, but the experience expectedly mentally scarred him.

## Chronophoenix

### Act I: Ignition

**Then**
"Get off! You're not supposed to be here!" The intruder pushes nine-year-old Thomas' face away.

"Well, you weren't supposed to be in my house!" Thomas yells and strikes "Ralph" in the face

"You little..." The man is cut off by another hit, this time to the neck. "Night <cough> wing doesn't have kids!"

"He has me!" Thomas moves to hit Ralph again, but the man shouts out, "Wait! Stop! Wait, I'll take you back."

"Really?" The youngest Grayson hesitates at the words. They’re no longer in the loft, a space of blurred colors and noises surround them: the time tunnel.

The short hesitation is all the blue and green-clad man needs. "No," he cracks a devious smile and abruptly shoves the boy off him.

Discovering his mistake too late and losing his grip, Thomas Grayson falls away and is almost immediately swept away by some cosmic current.

**Now**

Thomas awakes with a start. He looks to his left where Gwen would sleep next to him, but she’s “out of town” - well, out of dimension. The shadows of the raindrops on the window rest on the pillow, leaving dark dots on the cotton. The eighteen-year-old throws the sheets off and stands up in his darkened room. 12:22 at night.

This is not the first time he’s woken up in the middle of the night. Sometimes it’s the memories of nearly dying during his dimension jumping with Embri. Other times, it’s the nightmares of losing his right arm to the Manhunter machines on Ryut. Other times are like tonight: when he fell through the time portal after an unidentified intruder appeared in his dad’s loft.

Thomas would sometimes wake up Gwen and just hold onto her until he can fall back asleep, but usually he steps outside and leaves for a couple of hours before returning to bed. Over the past few weeks, he had mastered sneaking out of bed without waking his girlfriend when she stayed over. He would hate to disturb her sleep with something he has now deemed an ordinary occurrence.

His walks sometimes take him to Embri’s door and after the first few times, she wouldn’t have to ask why. She would boil some water and they would just sit in her living room, occasionally talking or reminiscing. They would remember the time before the time portal, when Thomas would ask her over to build pillow forts or to see his latest addition to his Batmobile collection. When Thomas wants to give Embri a break, he would instead show up at his parents’ apartment or his sister Mar’i’s loft if she is in town. Only recently has he taken a habit of going on patrol.

Thomas trades his shirt for his vigilante suit and locks his gauntlets onto his forearms. The smooth red faceplate wraps around his head as it turns into a helmet. The rain bounces off the cool metal surface of the red helmet as he steps into the gray city.

The patrol is fruitless as it usually is, surprisingly, but Thomas is not disappointed in the lack of action. The relative silence has a calming effect on the Grayson. Deciding after thirty minutes that the streets will survive without his watchful eye, he heads back. However, he does not return to his loft immediately, choosing to stop at his parents for a short visit.

Using his own key, Thomas finds that they are not home. Perhaps they went on patrol as well. No matter, he can wait until they get back. It will be good to talk to them. His suit is wet and he moves to the laundry room to shed his dripping armor. He has only removed his helmet when he hears a sound that forms a lump in his throat.

A whooshing noise that reminds him of a turbine but more muffled. Even after nine years, Thomas never forgot the sound. The sound of a time portal opening. The helmet releases a soft click as he returns it to his face. In the living room, a man in a blue and green suit adjusts a large silver belt. It’s /him/.

“Ralph”: the time traveller.

“Okay, this time for sure,” the man says, looking the exact same as Thomas remembers him. “Wingding...where’s a wingding…?”

“Old habits die hard,” Thomas murmurs as he enters the living room where the second-offending intruder stands.

“What?” The man blinks. Thomas can see recognition spark in “Ralph’s” eyes. The Grayson is outfitted in a suit resembling the one from that fateful night: armored red helmet, two Escrima sticks ready to jump to his hands. “Ralph” must have a similar train of thought as he begins to say, “You look just like...How? You were lost in the time stream. I even went seven months in advance. Are you really…?”

“I am that boy,” Thomas confirms, shooting a blunt projectile from his gauntlet at the man’s hand that is reaching for the chronobelt. “I am the child you found in this apartment seven months ago in this time, nine /years/ for me.”

Thomas activates his gauntlets and grasps his Escrima sticks. “I am the boy that you stole a childhood from.”

### Act II: Confrontation

Another solid projectile keeps the man's hand away from the chronobelt. He will not escape again. Thomas Grayson launches himself at the time-travelling intruder, who is responsible for screwing up his life all those years ago.

The man who Thomas had nicknamed "Ralph" uses the silver belt around his waist to enter the time stream and jump to different places and different times. Thomas has gathered that the man is a thief, but not a fighter. Thomas, on the other hand, has trained in combat since he was a small seven year old. Even if those years of experience are disregarded, the Grayson is more emotionally invested in this fight. Thomas will bring this person to justice.

Thomas' strikes are focused on preventing his opponent from accessing the chronobelt. Right escrima stick to left knuckle. Left escrima to chin. Gauntlet extend into shield mode to bat the right arm away. Right fist to neck. Thomas' opponent staggers back, an exhausted wheeze stumbling out of his throat.

"Who are you?" Thomas demands after kicking "Ralph's" hand. "Ralph" is only a supplemental name; Thomas still has no idea who the intruder is. Being some sort of time traveller, the man cannot be found in any database. Thomas checked them all.

The man in blue and green regains his breath to answer: "David...David Clinton."

"You ruined my life." At the moment, Thomas is not thinking of Gwen or saving Embri from the crazed and murderous Harrison or any of the good things that he would not have been able to do if he was a child. As his Grayson-blue eyes blaze at the sight of David Clinton, he can only think of the pain. Stranded on Ryut, losing his arm, torture, nearly dying an innumerable times, not growing up with his family, the nightmares.

"I didn't think you....I panicked..." The thief makes incomplete excuses. Behind Thomas' red helmet, the Grayson's mouth twists in anger He starts toward Clinton again, declaring, "You won't get away again!"

His two escrima sticks spread Clinton's arms to the side and Thomas brings his weapons to the center to hit his opponent's jaw. On instinct, he kicks Clinton in rapid succession but unintentionally activates the chronobelt. The red center blinks in a frantic frequency as both men look at in panic.

"No, not agai-" Thomas begins to shout as a time portal opens under their feet. The gravity of the gateway makes escaping impossible.

Papers within the loft swirl and flutter for a few seconds after the portal closes with a quiet 'floop.' Then, the loft is silent and still once more.

Thomas' stomach feels like it's going through the spin cycle in a washing machine. It's not just because of the shifting physics of the time stream but the realization of being in the time tunnel yet again. Fear grips him and Thomas tries to dislodge the panic rising to his throat. He was nine the first time this happened and it had taken nine years to return home. If he gets lost again, would it be another nine? Eighteen? What are his chances of even making it back?

"No, not again, not ever," Thomas promises himself, his hands tightening around the arms of David Clinton. "Take me back! Now!"

Clinton struggles against the Grayson's grip and rage. The former is not afraid of the time tunnel; he has the chronobelt and is an experienced time traveller. However, Clinton needs to get away from Thomas to properly escape. They fall through the tunnel like a messy asteroid through space. Twisting, turning, fumbling for control of the chronobelt for their respective goals. Thomas presses the center of the belt and hears a reassuring click. The two start to gravitate in a new direction, heading towards an opening in the tunnel. The gateway is a frozen scene.

And it's a scene Thomas has seen before.

December 27 of last year, a Saturday.

The scene is set in the Grayson loft, not Thomas' appartment for that had not been bought yet. The living room is a mess of loose papers as a time portal rips through space and time in the center of the room. A past version of David Clinton is in the process of escaping through the gateway. A small short child is in mid leap, in pursuit of the intruder. The child's identity is obscured by a Red Hood helmet that the child received from a well-meaning uncle, but Thomas knows exactly who it is.

This is where it began, and for some things, where it ended.

### Act III: Decision

**Then**

Thomas has trouble holding down his ice cream as his small body spins around and a swirl of colors dance before his blue eyes. It's like a terrible, frightening version of going down a water slide. If the water slide had hundreds of loops like a roller coaster, and no end in sight.

The disoriented boy tightly clutches his Escrima sticks as to not lose them and simply because there is nothing else to hold onto. ("Come on, come on.") Thomas rallies himself. He has to get out, has to find an exit.

**Now**

That's his younger self, naively thinking of defending his home and unaware that once he jumps after David Clinton, he will not return home until he is eighteen. After nine years of traumatic hell. Thomas Grayson does not have to relive the memories, he sees it right now. On the other side of the portal.

The David Clinton Thomas is fighting now recovers quicker than Thomas at seeing his past self. He tries to pull away, shouting, "No, let me go!"

The yell snaps Thomas back into action and his elbow connects with Clinton's jaw. Caught in a headlock, Clinton slows into submission. They approach the portal to the scene of the past and a million thoughts rush through Thomas' head in a few mere seconds. This is an opportunity. One he never really considered. Thomas can save himself.

He can stop himself from ever falling through the time portal. Those five years in Ryut, the planet of hell that was massacred by Manhunters. Those three years in an apocalyptic future ravaged by OMAC biomachines. The one year in a parallel universe where he had been so close to home that it had been painful.

But what about Gwen? Correcting the timeline would put them nine years apart. They might not even meet. What would happen to Embri? Thomas' blood transfusion saved her from critical cellular degeneration. Nine-year-old Thomas wouldn't know to do that. What about Harrison? Who would save Embri from the psychotic meta-murderer if not Thomas?

What would happen to him?

They draw closer to the exit portal and Thomas can see his younger self more clearly. Underneath the hand-me-down helmet, Thomas can imagine the young face of innocence and youth that those nine years had scraped away from his own visage. What Thomas went through...he wouldn't wish that on any child, even if it was not himself. ("I'm sorry,") he apologizes to himself, to Embri, to Gwen.

Thomas could save himself from the trauma, the deaths he witnessed, the years at home he lost. Mar'i could help Embri with finding another source; she did that anyways. Harrison would be stopped; that's what heroes are for. Gwen...she would find someone else. Maybe even someone better. Thomas would fade from existence, but he is willing to make that sacrifice...for himself. So his parents could experience his childhood. So Thomas could actually have an opportunity at a childhood.

Thomas would not be able to live with himself if he passed up the opportunity to make things right.

"I'm sorry," he says aloud, even though the only one who could hear him is a barely conscious Clinton and he is definitely not apologizing to him.

Thomas will do the right thing. That's what Graysons do.

**December 27. Last Year. 6:08 PM EST**

"Kyle...? Mar'i? James?" Nine-year-old Thomas' voice asks the loft warily. There had been a weird noise, kind of like a whooshing of a small, muffled turbine. "This isn't funny."

Mom and Dad shouldn't be home. They're out on patrol for another two or three hours. Mar'i lives at her own place and his two older brothers are on training excursions. Thomas just texted Embri to come over so she couldn't have arrived that quickly. So whose footsteps are those?

Thomas leaves his laptop on the bed and trades it for the Red Hood helmet on his dresser. It makes him feel kind of like a knight. "Prepare to meet Blackbird."

Even though he is only nine, Thomas isn't worried about a potential break-in. He's fought real-life thugs before. He's been trained. What could go wrong? As he approaches the living room, the boy hears some fairly frustrated muttering.

"Hmm, always wanted a Nightwing trinket. What won't be missed? A wingding perhaps...huh? What's an action figure doing here?"

"That's mine," Thomas announces, stepping into the room. He tries to adopt a good Batman voice, even though the helmet masks his voice anyways.

"Who...?" The intruder is wearing a blue and green suit with a fancy silver belt; it's not exactly usual robber attire, Thomas notes.

"I'm Blackbird," the boy confidently answers with his hero moniker. "And you're in my house."

"Dammit," the man mutters and Thomas makes a note to chatisize him for language later. "I'm not supposed to meet anybody," the intruder mutters. "No ties to past people. Gotta leave before contamination..."

He thinks he can try to rob them and just run? "Oh, no, you don't! You're not getting away!"

A large portal materializes in an oval-shape doorway as the intruder - Thomas names him "Ralph" - moves his legs to run

Ignoring the risk of any consequences, young Thomas is only thinking of heroism. His sneakers leave the floor as he jumps at "Ralph." As he nears the portal, the boy notices the change in gravitational pool as he is pulled toward the gateway. Blackbird collides with "Ralph" and they start to tumble into the portal.

Then, a third figure arrives from the other side of the portal. Clad in smooth, faceless red helmet, similar to the one the nine-year-old boy is wearing, the new person jumps through the gateway. At first, Thomas thinks it's Uncle Jay somehow, but the helmet, gear, and stance seems different. The unknown Red Hood reaches forward and pulls Thomas off of "Ralph," sending the boy away from the portal and across the hardwood floor, although not too roughly. Thomas watches as the armored gloves off the Not-Uncle-Jason-Red-Hood expand into small shields and smash into Ralph's face.

Through the portal, Thomas sees...what? A second "Ralph?" An identical person is floating on the other side of the portal, attached to Thomas' savior by a cable. The Not-Red-Hood grabs the first Ralph and turns to look at Thomas. Without saying anything, the armored figure jumps back through the portal, holding onto both Ralphs.

Inside the time tunnel, eighteen-year-old Thomas snatches the chronobelt from David Clinton (the one attached by the cable).

"No, don't!" The time-traveling thief screams. "Give that back! Without that, I won't be safe!"

Just as the words leave Clinton's mouth, the cable goes slack as the one Clinton fades from existence. Thomas has just affected the timestream. When he stopped Clinton from escaping on December 27, the other Clinton ceased to exist. Thomas feels a cold chill wash over him and realizes the same thing will happen to him now that he has prevented his younger self from falling into the portal.

But his work isn't finished. Not yet.

Testing a theory, Thomas wraps the acquired chronobelt around his own waist and the cold sensation fades. The belt can stabilize him. "Wow, this is confusing."

The remaining David Clinton starts to stir and Thomas quickly takes Clinton's version of the chronobelt and flings it into the time tunnel, where David can't touch it. With a decisive punch, Thomas renders Clinton unconscious again. He can't bring himself to kill him and Clinton's crimes can't be explained at home. Or whatever new version of home there is.

But there can be another sort of punishment, a place where Clinton can't hurt anyone with the time stream again.

Using the chronobelt, Thomas opens a portal to sixteenth century England. With a shove, David Clinton tumbles through the wormhole and onto rainy streets, almost a thousand years into the past.

Sealing the portal, Thomas Grayson looks at the time stream. A bright light begins to spread from the distance. The ripple effect, Thomas realizes. Preventing young Thomas from falling into the time portal won't leave recent history unaltered. The last seven months would be fairly different for those who interacted with Thomas, who would now be a little boy instead of a time displaced young adult.

"I hope it's good change."

### Act IV: Conclusion

The cold, tingling sensation fully envelopes eighteen-year-old Thomas Grayson's body. The chronobelt around his waist flickers as he floats through the time stream. It's like lying back on those Lazy River rides at amusement parks.

<*You're surprisingly chipper for someone who is going to phase out of existence in exactly sixteen point eight-seven minutes,*> a familiar voice telepathically comments. Thomas turns his head to look at a dinner-plate-sized spider resting on his left shoulder. Eight eyes regard him in an expression that he would guess is the arachnid equivalent of a curious look.

"Spim," Thomas greets the blue, omnidimensional spider. He never really questioned what exactly Spim is. Some sort of entity or deity that had control of space and time. It's confusing really, and given the circumstances, not exactly worth the effort of contemplating.

<*Hurtful.*> Oh, right. Spim can read minds, too.

Thomas had deactivated his red helmet into a portable face plate and his face only holds calmness. "What're you doing here?"

<*My daily soap opera is on but I figured why not watch you fade from existence during the commercial break?*> Thomas hardly knows if Spim is serious or not. He doesn't ask.

<*So why'd you do it? You practically killed yourself.*>

"I saved myself," Thomas corrects. He speaks out loud even though he could technically 'think at' Spim. It just seems more natural. "He - I mean me - will have a better life."

<*You don't know that. Little do you know but you could get hit by a car the very next day. Maybe a Nissan or one of those nice Camaros.>* Thomas hopes Spim jokes.

"That's true. But I don't think so," Thomas shrugs but the azure arachnid is not dislodged. "I just have a feeling. I want him, me, to have a chance. That's all we get in life after all, right?"

<*Not even with a side of fries.*>

The time tunnel feels much more peaceful now, compared to . Less sounds, a softer flow of images throughout the time continuum. Thomas and the spider float in silence for a moment before the human asks, "Do you think I made the right choice?"

<*Meh*> is Spim's helpful reply. Thomas frowns and the spider adds, <You made a good choice. Good might not always equal 'right' or 'best' but you made a good choice.>

"Thanks," Thomas says and, in a way, he feels a bit better. "Hey, Spim? I have two requests."

<*I may be blue but I'm not a genie.*> But Spim indicates for Thomas to continue.

"You probably know the first one."

<*Ah, yes, make sure Saturday cartoons are recorded, right? Or did you mean the one about your mother? DNA manipulation is a piece of cake. Barbara Gordon will be your - as in the little boy you in the main time continuum- real, biological mother, not Rose Wilson. Though I'm not exactly sure what difference it will make.*>

"It makes all the difference," Thomas smiles his thanks. "And my second request. Gwen....My Gwen...can you make sure she...she is..."

<*Yes.*>

"Thank you." Thomas' lips curl again in a smile. "You're surprisingly....compliant today. No offense."

<"I figured since you're going to poof in a bit, you won't even know if I did it or not......But I did.">

Thomas Grayson nods and turns his attention to the scenes in the time tunnel and finds a pleasant surprise. There's a young boy, playing with one of his brothers and their father in a secret bunker in Gotham. The boys are showing off acrobatic tricks that bring a shine of pride to their father's eyes....

In another scene, a curious eight year old sneaks into the city streets, looking for adventure. He meets a seventeen-year-old girl with gentle red hair and a face full of freckles. Her brow, while concerned, is lighter back then, not yet burdened with trials and pain. A treasured smile shows as she asks if the boy is playing hooky from school....

A dark-haired boy, looking like a younger version of his father, curls up next to his mother as the glow of a laptop screen illuminates her face. He's had a nightmare but it's the presence of his parent, not the light, that reassures him of his safety....

The red-headed teenager from the streets reaches the Grayson loft to babysit the boy, although he insists that he babysits her. The boy playfully keeps the door shut as he interrogates the applicant. The teenager who would become the boy's best friend is eventually admitted entrance under the reasoning that robots don't wear hats....

It's a broken night in Gotham during an extremely tumultuous month. Scarecrow bombs burn the city and the explosive booms shake the foundations of Wayne Tower. In the residential floors, a brave boy sits vigilant over a comatose ginger. The latter had risked her own health in a mass healing of the wounded on the streets. The former had directly disobeyed his father's orders and had snuck back to Gotham from New York to check on his friends...

A ginger-haired boy knocks on the door of the Grayson loft. He has a special delivery, from Robin to Nightwing. Instead of the intended recipient, his son answers the door and the two children spend the next fifteen minutes deciphering if the other is in the know....

It's November 11th. The Justice League Watchtower is filled with family and friends for a boy's ninth birthday. His father planned it and the boy thanks him with an extra big hug. An iconic Kryptonian in red and blue generously wraps his cape around the awestruck birthday boy....

There's the boy grinning from ear to ear as he runs through his babysitter/babysittee's loft, hyped on ice cream and other sweets. The magical goth girl responsible for the supply of sugar watches in amusement as the redhead and a friendly police officer chase him around the living room....

It's Thanksgiving at the Grayson household. The father has just set a delicious turkey on the table and the mother calls for her three sons to stop running in circles around the couch and to sit their butts down at the table. The boy's eighteen-year-old half-sister seconds the directive as she starts to serve dishes to everyone....

The night is slightly chilly as the boy goes on his first patrol with his mother. He had been previously grounded by his father for sneaking around once too many times but Mom overrules that. When is mother is uncharacteristically captured by gangster thugs, the boy utilizes his training to take on the group and aid his mother in incapacitating a drug and arms shipment....

It's Christmas and the boy grins at not only his presents but his family and friends around him. His babysitter/babysittee shakes her head as he tries to cram five gingerbread men into his mouth....

Thomas sees Harrison, the crazed, meta-hating psychopath, enter the red head's room, intent on killing the healer. This event does not change after the time ripple. After sending David Clinton to the past, Thomas had used the chronobelt to jump to that day. He had once said that if he had to kill Harrison again to stop the rampage, he would. And Thomas did. However, the Grayson keeps his helmet on, not revealing to Embri or police officer Cragen his identity. Let them think her savior is Uncle Jay or some other red helmeted hero. However, something unexpected happened during this version of the fight. Harrison had damaged the chronobelt in his frenzy before Thomas ended him. The Grayson was able to return to the time stream but the damaged device is now unable to stabilize his existence.

Thomas couldn't stop Kace Lovelorr's death. The belt didn't have enough power, but he got to see her hopeful smile one last time in a scene from the past. "I'm sorry," he whispers an apology as he passes by that portal. The scenes shift and Thomas starts to see events from the old timeline, before he affected them by preventing his younger self from falling into the time portal.

He sees a young, dark-haired eighteen year old walk the streets to find a fear-stricken blond boy. With an assuring smile, the young man befriends the boy and finds a safe home at St. Aden's Orphanage. The blond would slowly make progress and befriend a fellow orphan and a dark-haired Wayne...

February 2nd. He sees an eighteen-year-old, who had traveled through a number of dimension, find someone who has just as much experience under her belt. What starts out as a playful patrol turns to flirting and his first kiss. He sees the sparkling ocean blue eyes meet his memories of light laughter fills his mind....

The next image is Valentine's Day, where the young man, with the aid of a supernatural friend, covers the young woman's entire apartment in chocolate. Beautiful blonde hair tickles his lips and he kisses the top of her head. A relationship between two people from different universes. What are the odds?....

Despite his negative history with dimension traveling, the time-displaced young man accompanies his best friend through a portal to a post-apocalyptic world. The rescue mission to save the redhead's aunt would lead to an innumerable amount of life-threatening situations, but a nine-year-old had made a promise to always be there for the redhead....

The general analogy is that time moves like a river. Always in constant motion. It will stay to its course. Metaphorical rocks that obstruct and affect the flow of events are usually only pebbles that are soon swept away under the current. Some contamination may pose as a boulder, but eventually, the river of time will resume its course.

The cold chill starts from his toes and sends a shiver to the tips of his ears. Spim is gone. Thomas isn't sure when the supernatural creature left. The chronobelt's light flickers then fades.

"I love you, Gwen Stacy. Mom. Dad. Embri..." Names fall from his mouth until he's covered every single friend and family member. There's no living thing around him now, but he doesn't feel alone.

He had made things right, Thomas tells himself. He had set time straight. No one would ever know what he did here, but maybe they will know a Thomas Grayson. Maybe not as the boy who disappeared and became a man. Maybe not as the dimensional traveling Grayson.

But maybe as a good son, brother, friend. An admirable boy and a respectable man eventually, worthy of his name and heritage. Fit to be the legacy among a family of heroes.

Blue eyes blink twice as one last image shines in the time tunnel. It's alright. All will be well. Thomas knows that as the final image rests his nerves. It's something he had always wanted, since he was a child. His father in a fine, smooth suit, not the Nightwing, Batman, or Robin suit, but with a jacket and tie. His mother in a beautiful white dress. Both in a pristine pose as they stand in front of family and friends. Right before the image passes, he spies a new glimpse of red hair. Nice. And there's also a little boy, a wide grin reaching his bright blues. That's how it's supposed to be.

Thomas James Grayson smiles and closes his eyes as the cold feeling fades to an enveloping warmth.

He's sure it's going to be a great wedding.

Epilogue

Thomas Grayson opens his eyes.

The light colored blades of the ceiling fan slowly spin peacefully, their faint breeze hardly noticeable. The whir of air conditioning sends a small rumble in the air vents and light filters through half-closed blinds. Sounds of a busy city in the late morning leak from outside as he hears the general grind of traffic and passing pedestrians.

His short black hair brushes against the white pillowcase with a soft scraping noise. Licking his dry lips, eighteen-year-old Thomas moves his legs slightly under light blankets and sheets. Moving a sleep-stiffen neck, he looks at his creased maroon t-shirt and feels the soft hem of his pajama pants move against his ankles. Thomas turns his head to the right and his brows furrow at the nightstand. It's not the pristine silver belt with a softly glowing red center that sits atop furnished wood. It's that he's never seen this nightstand before.

This is not his bed.

This is not his room.

The time tunnel. David Clinton. The portal. Recent memories flood his thoughts and images flash in his mind. He had altered the past, his personal history. He shouldn't be in existence.

"Where am I?" Is he in existence? Is this heaven? Or something else?

*<You can thank me later,>* Thomas recognizes the telepathic voice but the spider is nowhere in sight.

The young man sits up in bed and looks frantically around. This doesn't seem like Gotham. The air, the sounds, the feel. Where is he?

Thomas hears the door creak and his head whips around for the source. He sees a flash of blue eyes and a peek of golden hair and Thomas Grayson knows where.

He's right where he needs to be.

'''