he drank in the sight of the accumulated tokens of his former life. Yearbooks, trophies, photographs, cards…some were in boxes, some were on shelves, and some were perched lovingly in strategic positions throughout the room. All seemed to call to him.

When he looked up, he saw that the door had been pushed open, and his wife standing in the opening, her expression worried.

“Clark?” she asked, taking a step toward him.

Before closing the door, he took one last look at the collected memories of a lifetime, mentally said goodbye, then turned off the light. As Jenny tugged him down the hallway, he left all his emotional baggage behind and turned his attention to the present once and for all.

Finally, after years of resenting Bruce Wayne for his intrusion in his life, Dick could now silently thank him, if only for giving him the opportunity to be a part of this new, wonderful family.

After a while, Jenny’s voice called out from the other room. “Clark?” she said.

“Yes?” both CJ and his dad answered in unison.

CJ raised his eyebrows, looked Clark in the eye, and shook his head. “What about the grandfather thing?” he asked.

“We don’t use the g-word around here,” Clark said, his tone humorous. “Either of them. They imply old age and I sure don’t feel old enough to be a…you know.”

CJ smiled. “Denial is not just a river in Egypt,” he said, and they both chuckled.

“At least being a g-word comes with limited responsibilities. We get all the fun and don’t have to deal with all the rest of it.”