A/N: Anyway this`ll be the last story I post for a while till I can finish all my stories or at least most of them, updates are random. About the story everything is or will be the same young just universe but the time line is just a little shifted here (because I don't understand how losing Dick to become Nightwing, getting Jason, losing Jason and then getting Tim all worked out so smoothly in a short five year period) just doesn't add up to me, but anyway please R and R, and Enjoy! ^^V
Tonight was the night, this was it, and today was going to be the day he might die at the hands of Batman. The twelve year old paced anxiously back and forth in his room holding one arm behind his back and another on his chin in thought.
"No." Tim took a deep breath trying to calm his racing heart, or his racing worries because to tell the truth he was more excited than worried. He locked his legs in place to stop the pacing, Batman wasn't a killer, not even a little, he might try to scare him but he didn't scare easy.
Thought the thought to leave a note for his parents just in case did cross his mind more than once or twice. The Drakes, a small family of three, Jack and Janet Drake, they ran a large family business that ranged far and wide, work was a constant separator in the three`s life and while his parents traveled for work he was often in boarding schools or at home with the maids to watch over him.
He never minded this though because this gave him time to study, and read something he actually liked that being the reason he skipped two grades, but more than that was the absences of his parents gave him more opportunities for his self-proclaimed mission to find out who Batman was.
His need to search for answers was only increased when the second Robin suddenly disappeared five months ago, with passing time the Batman was different and more ruthless, in a head line just a month after Robin`s disappearance Batman turned in the Joker, broken, bruised and bloodied at his hand.
Batman needed to be told what he was doing, and that he was maybe going things a little too far. His point? Batman needed a Robin.
Nothing more nothing less.
So his search was fast tracked and he started looking into everything concerning Batman and finally when he thought he hit a rough patch and no new leads, he found it.
Of course it was Robin who gave him the last bit of information needed, no one else but people close to Dick Grayson would know only he could flip like that without effort at that age. Dick had told him himself that his family were famous for flying without a net and doing a quadruple somersault mid-flight and the first Robin was doing them regularly. The fact that Dick Grayson was now Nightwing was completely obvious after gathering this information.
Obviously Dick couldn't be Batman and neither could Dick`s parents having fallen in an act that involved flying without a net, even if they were alive the circus traveled the world while Batman`s jurisdiction was always going to be Gotham.
So that left only the man who had adopted Dick, Bruce Wayne.
He knew this information wasn't stone set and that it was one bit of information way from being a plain guess.
Tim took one more deep breath before gathering what courage he had and headed out of the window, having done this for a few months just so the maid or parents wouldn't see or hear him leaving.
Tim jumped to last few feet onto the pavement before running to the front of the house and grabbing his bike, and rode down the woods between their two houses. Tim got off his bike around a familiar path, he recognized it even as the sun was slowly going down turning the sky to a dull gray color.
He managed to make it to the fence but instead of hopping in he trailed it to a small security camera and climbed up to it opening the top and switching around a few wires, he never tried this but he`d read about it, hopefully if he was doing it right then the camera would erase the last minute and being connected to the others he`d be able to shut to power down for four seconds on the whole grounds.
Amazing, but that's all he needed knowing Alfred the butler would check the fuse box and that would leave him complete access to the kitchen door.
Tim closed the top of the security camera and looked at the house smiling when the lights flickered off then on just like that. Quickly Tim jumped off knowing Alfred was probably on his way, he had to slow down near the front of the house by the notice his sneakers made on the gravel drive way while he made his way to the side of the house and had to bite the inside of his cheek to stop from smiling again as Alfred opened the door and turned on a flash light to see around to the find the fuse book.
Tim held his breath and run for the door catching it before it closed on him, He slipped inside and tried to ignore the fact he felt like a punk robbing someone.
Suddenly he stopped, the thought dawned on him that, he had no idea what to do next, the idea was to prove Bruce was Batman yet, how could he do that if he had no idea where or if the man might keep his things!
Tim ran a hand threw his hair swallowing, he should of figured this out!
Think Drake Think! He tried to remember what he could about Bruce when he heard the kitchen door open and shut. Tim couldn't help but panic a little and run down the hall into the first open room, Bruce`s study.
"Master Bruce?" Alfred`s voice echoed down the hall and even thought the man was nothing but kind to Tim whenever Dick babysat him here, he was still terrified about being found out in this way, he didn't want to be labeled as a snoop even if that's exactly what he was doing.
Tim back up coming in contact with the grandfather clock. Tim gasped in surprise when it shook and when he thought it was going to tip it opened up into a small cylinder room. Tim raced inside and was about the force the clock back into place when it did it on its own and plunged him into darkness.
Tim swallowed, "uh-oh."
He stood there in the dark, heart racing until he got that abnormal sinking feeling into his stomach that only came with an elevator. The doors opened quickly, the only light was a light a little ways down. Tim started to walk into the darkness, taken aback at the size of the cavern as he grabbed hold on a small rail and seeing the drop below, it looked like four floors of pure stone, with a computer on the second lighting the whole floor but only sending streaks of light into the others, and the sound of rushing water further down only made him more wary of the drop.
"What are you doing?"
Tim froze, he`d heard angry before, he`s heard surprise before and now he heard his own fear. Slowly Tim turned around and saw white slits, where they optic lenses? –Stay focused!
"What are you doing here, you have five seconds to answer me." Batman hissed narrowing his eyes even further if it was possible.
Relax Tim, you plan this, you went through this, you have him, not the opposite. And he knows it. You shouldn't be scared this is Bruce, try and see that fake play boy smile he dished out to the press.
Tim bit his lip before trying to picture Bruce, the man he knew, it was very hard, "I figured it out Bruce, I know your Batman."
The man glared down at him before pinching the bridge of his nose and pulling his cowl off, Bruce still look dark and brooding in the cave though, but it the worst part was over right?
"How?" Bruce growled. Tim blinked, "Wait, you're not going to protest, no denying it no 'sorry you got the wrong guy kid'?"
Bruce blinked slowly, "That wouldn't be necessary seeing as you came out of the elevator that leads to the house, what I want to know I how you found out."
Tim shrugged, smiling impishly, "can we just leave it at I`m a genius?"
"No." Bruce said sternly.
Tim sighed, "I wanted to know, and that I guess was enough for me so I looked into it, I saw a clip of Dick when he was Robin doing a quadruple summersault, he told me before that his parents were famous for that, and flying without a net of course, and who took Dick in, you then Robin suddenly appears and I guess it was just a plain…guess." Tim looked up waiting for Bruce to say something.
"Some guess." Bruce said simply.
"You're not mad…right?" Tim asked, usually he was okay at reading people but Bruce was just looking down at him stone faced like a statue.
"No, why would I be? Bruce stated, "that's not guessing Tim, that detective work, you should know there are only two other people on this earth that know who I am and what I do for a living besides you and Alfred," Bruce`s gaze became a more intense as he leaned down face to face with him, "and I don't want that number rising."
"I wasn't going to say anything, not even to… my parents." Tim said blinking at the mention of them.
Bruce stood up to full height gain looking less hostile and more like Bruce than Batman, "So, why are you here?"
Tim looked the man in the eye, "I`ve been looking into Bat- you, what you do how you do it and I guess this was a few months ago but I noticed changes in the way you're fighting now and there not the best options, not the options you would have chosen with Robin."
Bruce`s jaw clenched, "Get to the point."
Tim sighed, "Batman needs Robin Bruce-."
Bruce suddenly turned away and started to walk, Tim followed listening to what the man had to say while trying to keep up, "I don't need anybody, Batman doesn't have room for a partner."
Tim looked up at the man, "Is that why Robin left?"
"What?"
"The second Robin, did you tell him the same thing, is that why he`s not here, why he`s not Robin?" Tim asked, it was one of the things he couldn't figure out, had the boy left, had Bruce kicked him out? Had he decide on his own he was a better hero without Batman?
Bruce suddenly turned on him making Tim take a step back, "What are you really doing here Tim, what do you really want, did you think that the way I fight has anything to do with Robin, and if so then so then what, these people are murderers, and freaks that would kill you in a heartbeat for the mere laughs, why do you care what I do Tim, what did you think I would do when you told me you found me out? Did you think I let you be Robin just because you know me, just because you can break into places unnoticed, did you really come here with the intent of being Robin before days end?!"
"Yes, of course I did!" Tim shot out what fear he had turning into plain defense, "You need someone by you Bruce even if just to keep you from killing someone, I can do this Bruce give me a-."
"Chance." Bruce said he leaned down again looking him directly into the eyes, face so close Tim leaned had to lean back witch only made the man more intimidating, "Never, let me do my Job Tim and you stay out of it, this life isn't for you, and it never will be."
Tim froze he didn't know what to say, what to do.
"Alfred." Bruce growled sharply stepping away from Tim, "Take the boy home, I have work to do."
"Right way sir." Alfred nodded as Bruce headed down a stone stair way to the second floor and getting onto a large black car. Tim hadn't even heard Alfred come into the cave much less down the elevator.
"Come along Master Timothy." Alfred said leading him gently back to the elevator.
"I`m sorry Alfred, I didn't mean t-,"
"No, what you said was correct Master Timothy, but due to…circumstances I doubt Master Bruce will ever endanger a young life in this line of duty." Alfred said sadly, "Come, it`s late, and you should be getting home now."
A/N: Wasn't really sure how to end this chapter but I hope you like it.