A boy dressed in a beat-up red hoodie, blue jeans, and scuffed tennis shoes meandered through the dark streets of Gotham. A camera swung from his neck as he moved silently past all of the late travelers. The sparse streetlights on the corners did little to reveal the boy's dark hair and blue eyes, especially as he kept his head down. Despite this, the boy's eyes were alert and watchful for any movement around him. No one in Gotham would be so dumb as to lose caution. Gotham was a dark city and danger lurked behind every doorway and dark alley. The working girls stood on every other corner, huddling around their small garbage fires to keep warm in the autumn air. A few gave short nods to the boy when they noticed him; he was not an usual sight despite his infrequency in visiting the area.
As the boy came upon his destination, a slightly nicer apartment building for the area with locked doors and barred windows on the first few floors, he slid into the alleyway between it and a closed bakery. Luckily, no one was in the alley and he was able to start his ascent up the building. Firmly gripping the water drains on the outside of the building, he stealthily climbed his way to the fire escape ladder and took the steps the rest of the way to the fifth floor. With practiced ease, he found the window he was looking for to the side of the fire escape, disarmed the alarms, unlatched the window, and slid inside. The apartment was dark but several pairs of eyes lit up in the boy's direction.
"Hello, all." He greeted the cats with familiarity. An orange tabby named Ginger immediately came up and started rubbing himself along the boy's legs, begging for attention. The dark-haired boy huffs a laugh and bends down to pet the cat. He looks up at a black cat that hisses at him. "Hello to you, too, Hunter." Mollified with the eye contact, the cat stalks away instead of biting him. Several other eyes watch as the boy continues into the dark apartment after closing the window behind him and resetting the locks. The boy settles himself on the couch, joined by a few of the more cuddly cats, and lies down to wait, setting his camera on the coffee table and burying himself in his hoodie.
Several hours later, two other figures sneak in through the window of the apartment.
"Kitten!" Selina exclaims as she discovers the boy her couch. He blinks up at her, chasing sleep from his eyes. "How nice to see you again, if I had known our Stray was coming back we would have waited for you." She pulls back her cowl and cat ears from her Catwoman costume as she gives the boy a hug.
"Find anything nice?" he asks.
"When do we not?" replies the taller red-haired boy behind her. "Good to see you Tim. You stayed away much longer than usual." Selina quickly moves out of the way when the older boy drops on the couch and slings an arm around Tim. "How 'ya been, small fry?" Selina disappears to another room to change from her leather thieving clothing into a more comfortable outfit. She also hides the goods away in a safe in her closet at the same time.
Tim leans into the touch for a moment before pulling slightly away. "Good to see you too, Jason. I'm fine."
Jason gives Tim a quick side hug before moving back up. His leather suit squeaked slightly with the movement. "Do you like the new look?" he asks excitedly. "I'm helping Selina out with her jobs. Name's Tiger."
"Finally took Selina up on her offer, then?" Tim huffs a laugh. "Do you live here now too?" Jason shrugs in reply.
"I still do my own thing, but it's safer here than the streets." Tim nods in reply as Jason continues, "You can join us too, you know. Stray seems to suit you well enough for a street name. Lord knows you are quiet enough to make a good cat burglar." Tim huffs another laugh and grabs his camera. Jason heads for his own room as Tim gets up and follows.
"I prefer taking my pictures, but maybe I'll take you up on your offer."
"You mean stalking the Bat and the Bird?" Jason laughs. Tim's face reddens.
"It's not stalking! I prefer to call it following and discretely taking photos of the action from artistic angles."
"If you say so, Kitten." Jason quickly changes as Tim starts up his digital camera.
"Look at the great shots I got tonight!" The boys settle on Jason's bed, Jason now wearing a larger green hoodie and tight black pants. He remained barefoot.
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Several weeks later, Tim was waiting in a strategic location for Batman and Robin to show up on their patrol. Tim had several of the patrol routes memorized and knew which ones they would take each evening. He had been waiting for several hours before he was rewarded with a flash of yellow and red. Moving quickly, he shifts to the edge of the roof he was on, watching for more signs of Robin, the Boy Wonder. Lucky for him, Batman and Robin were engaging some muggers in the alley across the way. The silent photographer quickly snapped some photos of Robin's energetic leaps and turns as he took down some of the muggers. Tim got a few of Batman too as the heroes zip-tied the muggers and called it in. The police would be showing up within the half hour to retrieve the baddies.
Satisfied with his work for the evening, Tim watched the Dynamic Duo as they grappled away to continue their patrol. Neither knew they had a small shadow on most nights and Tim always wondered if they knew and simply let him continue because he wasn't a threat. On the other hand, Batman was paranoid and would doubtless take away Tim's camera if he ever found out about the boy's hobby. Tim quickly packed up his camera, his flash drive full of photos stashed away in a hidden pocket, and began his journey across the rooftops to Selina's. It was an early night for him, but Tim didn't need to stake out another location further along the route tonight. His photos were wonderful.
On the way to Selina's however, he caught sight of the Batmobile parked in an alleyway. Normally, it wasn't unusual to see the car in various locations because criminals were more likely to hide when they heard the roar of the engine. Tim's eye was caught by movement around the car, though, which was highly usual. Everyone knew better than to mess with the Bat. Peering closer, Tim saw that a brave, or incredibly stupid, kid was jacking the tires off the Batmobile. He had one off and was working on the next. Silently laughing, Tim raised his camera for a photo to show Jason and Selina. Zooming in, his breath caught as he saw who had the audacity to steal from Batman. Jason's freckled face, scrunched up with determination, filled Tim's lens.
Moments later, a dark shadow landed several feet from Jason, who startled and fell back in shock. Jason wasn't cowed though; the red-haired boy quickly got to his feet and glared at Batman. Since Batman was facing away from Tim, the photographer was unable to read the Bat's reaction to the spirited young man. As Tim watched in horror, Batman placed a heavy hand on Jason's shoulder. They had a quick discussion, more of Jason arguing angrily while the Bat seemed to be stoically replying. Then Batman made Jason put the tires back on before dragging the boy into the Batmobile. Frozen in shock, Tim only watched as his hero drove away with his older brother.
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Several days later, Tim visited Selina again, but Jason had not resurfaced. There was no record of him in either the police records or the Child Protection Agency reports. It seemed as if Batman has spirited away Jason. Worried, Tim carefully planned his next moves. Since he knew who the Batman was, the millionaire Bruce Wayne, he could see if he had taken Jason back to Wayne Manor. Bruce had adopted Dick Grayson after his parents' death and maybe he wanted to help Jason in the same way; Jason would never directly tell Batman that he was living with Selina. The street kid was too stubborn to declare dependency or ties to anyone he didn't trust. Selina, however, didn't know who Batman was , flirting with both Bruce Wayne as Selina Kyle and Batman as Catwoman, but it wasn't Tim's place to give away a secret that wasn't his. So, Tim decided he would rescue Jason from the Manor if needed. Hopefully, Selina would be able to distract the Bat in the city so that Tim could get in and out of the Manor without much interference.
Plan decided, Tim spent a day or so staking out the Manor. As he had thought, Bruce, Dick, and the family butler, Alfred, were the only people obviously in the Manor. Alfred did visit a guest bedroom on the third floor several times, delivering meals and cookies, so Tim assumed that was where Jason was being held. The last afternoon of his stakeout, he ran to Selina's early after giving an excuse to his maid Mc Mac about studying with friends. The kindly woman waved him off, only telling him to be careful if he was going to be coming home after dark. Tim smiled and nodded before heading off.
"Kitten," Selina greeted him as he crawled in the window.
"Selina, I know where Jason is," Tim began. "Batman has him and I can get him out." Selina hugged him tightly.
"I want to help." Tim hesitated for a moment and took a deep breath before replying.
"Can you distract Batman in the city for me? Jason is being held at his private residence and I don't feel comfortable giving his secret away." Selina smiled warmly at him.
"Of course, Kitten. How smart you are to figure out his identity!" Selina withdrew from the hug and moved to suit up. She called from her room as she changed, "We may be thieves, but we do have a code of ethics, especially regarding Bats. I understand your reluctance to tell me his identity." She finished changing and came out clad in her Catwoman guise, black leather with zipper partly down, orange goggles on her head. "What do you need?"
"Just a distraction," Tim replied quickly, shifting from foot to foot. "You can decide how and where, I just need him away from home."
"Can do, Kitten." Selina gave a quick kiss to Tim's temple before sliding out the window, Tim following behind. "Let's rescue Jason."
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Moving quickly, Tim snuck past the Manor's defenses and up into a tree that could reach the second story windows. The Batmobile had left a few minutes earlier, probably Batman and Robin reacting to whatever Selina was up to, if not leaving for their normal patrol of Gotham. Careful of any alarms, Tim worked the window open and slipped inside. Based on his stakeouts, he had to find Jason on the third floor while avoiding Alfred. Silently padding down the halls and listening for any sound of movement, Tim made it to the third floor and stood in front of Jason's door. It sounded like someone was moving inside, so Tim knocked lightly.
"Jason?" he questioned quietly. Tim heard someone come towards the door.
"Tim?" Jason asked in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Rescuing you, of course!" Tim responded as he pick locked the door and opened it. Jason bolted out and swept Tim into a hug. "Let go, Jason!" Tim hissed, "We still have to get out of here."
"Good to see you, Baby Bird," Jason let go and ruffled his hair. Tim rolled his eyes and grabbed the older boy's wrist before pulling him towards the stairs quickly. They were almost to the window Tim had gotten in at when Dick Grayson appeared in front of them. Jason immediately freed his wrist from Tim and stepped between them, half covering Tim from Dick's view defensively.
"Hey, Jay, what's going on?" Dick asked with a confused smile. "Who's that?"
"Out of the way, Dickiebird," Jason snarled, "I'm getting out of here."
"Bruce didn't say you could go yet," Dick responded uncertainly. "He was waiting until he could figure out what to do."
"I don't care what he wants; I won't be a prisoner here."
"It was for your own safety, Jay. The streets aren't safe." Dick seemed to stand firmer and gear up to stop them from leaving the Manor. As usual, Jason threw the first punch. Dick dodged and then the battle was on. Jason swung powerfully and quickly, Dick dodging and leaping to avoid him, but never giving the two of them a clear path to the window. He also didn't directly attack in return. Tim moved to slink along the hallway and stay out of the fight.
"Gentlemen!" a British voice boomed from behind them, back towards the stairs they had come down. "What is going on here?" Both Jason and Dick immediately stopped and looked sheepishly towards the voice. Tim looked and saw the butler, Alfred, approaching at a brisk walk towards with an air of slight disdain at finding them fighting.
"Jason was trying to leave," Dick responded sheepishly. "I was just trying to stop him because Bruce didn't say he could go yet." Alfred reached the two quickly and put a hand on each of the older boys' shoulders, turning to guide them back towards the stairs. Jason crossed his arms and scowled, but let the elderly man direct him. Tim could tell Jason really liked Alfred and wanted his approval. The British man looked to Tim next and the young boy froze where he was against the wall.
"Who are you, young sir?" he asked a bit more gently, but with a guarded look.
"He's my brother, Tim." Jason responded sullenly. "He was trying to bust me out." Tim blushed at being called Jason's brother. They weren't related by blood, but they were very close with each other and Selina. Alfred's look softened and he gave a head tilt towards the stairs.
"This way, Master Tim. I believe we should retire to the kitchen for cookies and wait for Master Bruce to arrive back at the Manor." When Tim made a move to protest, taking a small step forward and opening his mouth, the butler's look got a bit steely and disapproving, causing the smaller boy to nod.
"O-of course, sir." The black-haired child turned and slowly headed for the stairs. His escape plan had failed and now he was going to meet his hero, Batman, in person. Tim started to freak out in his head a bit as he contemplated what was going to happen.
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A mere half hour after Alfred had called Batman to inform him of the events that occurred in his house, the man himself showed up with Selina in tow. Apparently, Selina had protested his departure from her distraction and must have let slip about them being her boys. Tim was heartened by her appearance, and Dick's distraction with circus stories and acrobatic moves had calmed Tim down from being caught during their waiting time. Alfred's delicious chocolate chip cookies had helped as well. The man was a master in the kitchen.
Bruce arrived at the kitchen, finding his ward sitting with Jason and another dark-haired child Alfred had called Tim. Selina slunk past him and gave both her boys a quick hug. Leaving one hand on each of their shoulders, she looked at Bruce a bit challengingly. He only sighed and looked to Alfred, who gave him no information, only a gesture towards the table.
"Please sit down, Selina." She nodded and took a seat across from him, both Jason and Tim on her right. "First things first, how long have you known who I am?"
"I found out tonight," Selina responded honestly, Jason nodding beside her. When Bruce looked to Tim, the youngest boy looked at the table blushing.
"Since I was nine…." Came the small response. Alfred and Dick's eyes widened in surprise as Bruce gave the boy, Tim, a discerning look. Finding no lie, he continued.
"Who have you told?"
"No one." Bruce stared the boy down, who was starting to blush and wring his hands uncomfortably. "It wasn't my secret to share," Tim explained. "I just kinda figured it out based on Dick's quadruple somersault when I was taking pictures of Batman and Robin."
"We Cats have honor Bruce," Selena interrupted. Tim gave her a grateful look as Bruce's gaze went back to her. Apparently, he chose to ignore Tim's stalking habits for the moment.
"So, what now, Selina? What do you want?" Bruce asked a bit forcefully.
"I want my boy, Jason, back." She responded with a sly grin.
"Your boy was living on the streets. He was stealing the tires off the Batmobile when I found him." Bruce responded. "That's not how you take care of 'your boy' or at least not teaching him right."
"And teaching yours to parade around in scaly green panties to fight crime is any better?" Selena deadpanned.
"That's different." Bruce stated. The two stared each other down for a minute or two.
"B, just tell them what you were planning," Dick interrupted with a quick tug on Bruce's sleeve. "It might clear some things up." Alfred coughed and nodded his approval. Bruce swiped a hand across his face as Selina waited expectantly.
"I…That is…I was planning on adopting Jason since his mother OD'ed a few months ago."
"What?" both Jason and Tim exclaimed in surprise. Selina just nodded slowly.
"I suppose that works. As long as that is what Jason wants." The two younger boys both stared at their mother figure in shock. "Jason is my pseudo son, along with Tim, but I am too independent to be there for them all the time." She didn't mention that the two only stopped by occasionally rather than living with her permanently. Selina and Jason did not know about Tim's own parents, either. Selina turned to Jason. "Did you enjoy your time here? Beyond being locked up for a few days?" she asked softly. Jason blinked at her, still surprised.
"Y…yea, I guess. The food is good and Dickiebird isn't so bad really." Dick grinned and moved across the table to hug Jason tightly. Jason leaned away, dodging the hug attack.
"You are always welcome at my place, Kitten. I think Bruce would be more stable a home for you and it would be good for you. You could even go back to school." Jason seemed to brighten at that.
"It would be required," Bruce interjected.
"But what about Tim? Baby bird is my little brother." Bruce shifted a bit.
"I can see what I can do for him," Bruce responded a bit hesitantly. They all turned to look at Tim.
"You can't help me," he responded quickly, "I have parents." Tim didn't know what Selina and Jason assumed, but they both looked at him with sad eyes. Tim finally raised his head to meet Bruce's eyes assertively. He knew there was no way he could leave his home.
"Tim Drake?" Bruce asked in surprise, recognizing the small boy despite his rougher clothes. "From Drake Industries, son of Jack and Janet Drake?" Tim nodded, blushing a little.
"Nice to see you again, Mr Wayne sir." All eyes were on him, Dick, Selina, and Jason in shock. The Drakes were an upstanding rich family; they lived next door to Wayne Manor.
"I suppose I should call your parents, in this case," Bruce began.
"They're in the Maldives, sir. You won't be able to reach them; they never stay at the hotel they leave the contact number for." Tim interrupted, looking at the table again. "Ms Mac takes care of me during the day."
"Tim, you're only twelve. They can't leave you alone all the time like that."
"I can take care of myself. Have since I was five," Tim protested. Apparently, it was the wrong thing to say, as the tension in the room increased as everyone frowned at Tim. Jason had clenched his fists and was muttering angrily. Selina had reached over to give Tim a hug. Alfred decided it was time to redirect the conversation and led them into lighter topics.
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In the end, Jason decided to stay with Bruce and visit Selina every couple of nights. Tim would stay home like usual, but Bruce would get him an "apprenticeship" so that Tim could hang out with Jason and Dick during the daytime after school and sometimes into the night. Dick eventually left to become a cop in Bludhaven and Nightwing at night. Jason became Robin. Tim continued to train and learn while managing the technical support at the Batcomputer in the Batcave when Batman and Jason/Robin would patrol Gotham city. It worked better than anyone had hoped; Selina got more space, Jason was able to go back to school and study literature, Tim was able to join his hero, and Dick got two "little brothers." Alfred was simply happy to see the Manor liven up; Bruce certainly needed a bit more light in his life and the boys helped keep Batman in control of his own personal demons.