To Westlyking: Here ya go! Hope you enjoy this chapter!


I do not own Batman or any other DC character.


Gotham Ghoul

Chapter II


DoVe

"The more bombers, the less room for doves of peace." –Nikita Khrushchev


A syringe pressed against a drug dealer's neck and the dealer paled at this as it pushed closer and closer to an artery. The Scarecrow grinned at this and tapped his fingers against the shoulder of the dealer, waiting for his response to his question.

"So have you delivered the message yet?" he asked and the dealer gulped, trying to look away from his glowing eyes.

"I assume you did not. Hopefully, you'll deliver it soon or someone could be offered up this new deal." The Scarecrow stated and that caught the dealer's attention before he pushed the syringe into his skin, a large gasp escaping the dealer's mouth. The Scarecrow's grin grew larger as the dealer fell to the ground unconscious and ready to deliver his message to the Red Hood.


Jason handed Tim black coffee as they sat down at a small booth at a coffee shop. Tim breathed in the scent of the coffee and sighed at the content that he could actually drink the substance without needing to throw it back up.

Jason stared at the teen and looked down to his own meal of an Espresso and a Blueberry muffin. He took a bit out of his muffin then groaned at its goodness, earning a glare from Tim. He shrugged at the teen before wiping his mouth using his shelve as a napkin.

"Sorry," he said with a mouthful of muffin, "You can't blame a guy for being hungry."

"I don't mind." He said and took a sip of his coffee, "It's just annoying with acting like a slob."

Jason smirked at this before taking another bite of his muffin.

"I was born this way, kid. Can't blame me for being raised as one too." He stated then pointed slightly to behind him. Tim blinked t this then looked behind him, paling at the sight of Stephanie Brown sipping away at her hot chocolate while reading a book he gave a few years ago. He shot back around towards Jason and hissed, "What should I do? You left her at her apartment!"

Jason took another bite of his muffin and shrugged at this.

"Well, we didn't need her to assume anything since ya know-you almost ate her." He said in a whisper and Tim narrowed his eye at this then Jason stood up. He pulled out his phone and smirked at it, seeing a text.

"I'll be right back. I gotta call back someone." He said and walked away for a moment with his espresso in hand, leaving Tim to face Steph alone as she turned and looked directly at him. He gulped as she got up and walked towards his booth, her eyes narrowed at the sight of him.

"What the hell happened?" she hissed at him and he gently placed down his coffee, staring at its contents swirling around.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Steph." He answered and looked up to her mad blue eyes.

"You know exactly what I mean, Tim!" she exclaimed and slammed her book on the booth, "I got knocked out when Devin…changed and next thing I know I'm at my apartment all covered in bandages with a message saying Devin was arrested and everything is fine. Tim, I know that's a lie! I know you well enough when you're lying to me."

He bite his lip at this and looked around to see if Jason was around anywhere to help him.

"Well, he was apprehended and you're ok so why does it matter about the truth?" he asked and she clenched her fists before she frowned at tis.

"Fine," she said and clutched the book to her chest, "Then I'll find out the truth on my own." She left without another word and he watched her leave with a sway in her hips and a pout on her face.

"I guess that didn't go as planned." Jason said from behind him and he turned to face the former Robin who held his phone out to Tim, "We have to go now. I've got somewhere to be and you'll be my tag along."


Nightwing drummed his fingers against his thigh at the sight of the Venom influenced teen with holes piercing his body from an unknown weapon and his lung pierced on a pole. He narrowed his eyes under his mask and Batman turned to the Bat Family: Dick Grayson, the first Robin now known as Nightwing, Damian Wayne, the current and forth Robin, Barbara Gordon, known as Bat Girl before the Joker paralyzed her and confounded her to a wheelchair is known now as Oracle, Cassandra Cain, the daughter of two villains that was Bat Girl after Barbara was paralyzed but now gave up the title to be Black Bat, Katherine Kane, the army brat before she could expelled for being a lesbian turned into Batwoman, and finally Stephanie Brown, once known as Spoiler spoiling her villain father's crime then took up the mantle of Bat Girl.

"This is what we know," Batman began as Nightwing swirled in his chair and Robin glared at the twenty year old, "The victim is known as Devin Morris, nineteen years old, currently enrolled at Gotham University under the major of Communication. Cause of death: Exsanguination from being pierced with an unknown weapon. The weapon though has a diameter of five inches from the size of the holes."

"So, what you're saying is that the weapon wasn't found at the scene of the crime or anywhere near it." Nightwing said and Batman narrowed his eyes at this, before turning to the computer screen and pulled up some old footage seeing Stephanie Brown and Tim Drake walking with him down an alley before the footage could no longer capture their trail. Everyone turned to Stephanie and she sighed at this, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Look, I got knocked out when he changed into a Venom monster. I tried talking to Tim today but he wouldn't say anything and there was no notable bruise or bandages on him either." She stated and Dick nodded at this, drumming his fingers against his thigh again.

"Then one of us can go check up on him." Nightwing suggested, "None of us besides Steph has seen Tim since he got back from his trip. We could also throw him a welcome back party and check out his place for any evidence that he's hiding from us."

Batman nodded at this approach and Robin scowled at his predecessor's suggestion, thinking he could out smart him.

"That is a good opportunity but he'll know that we are investigating him f we throw a surprise party. Going for a one-to-one approach would ultimately work better for him." Batman said and looked back up to the dead teen, "We'll find out his killer."


Tim spat out the sandwich before he had a chance to swallow it and glared at Jason, stating, "The cheese is like a curd smelling clay and the bread is a bland sponge." Jason chuckled at this before taking away the sandwich and tossed it in the rubbish.

"That's a good description for what you think of a plain grilled cheese sandwich." Jason said and grabbed another sandwich, taking a bite out of it, "The trick is not to eat it; you swallow it whole. You have to pretend to chew it about ten times. If you make chewing sounds while you do it, it will seem more real. Then be sure to throw it up before you start digesting it. Otherwise, it will ruin your health." He swallowed it and placed his remains on plate, facing the teen again.

"One day, kid, once you've practiced, you can eat with your friends and family again." He said and Tim gave a small smile.

"If you say so." Tim replied before Jason dug out something from his pocket, handing it to him, "What's this?"

Jason shuffled through his pocket and dug out a package of Marlboro cigarettes and a lighter. He popped one in his mouth and flickered the lighter on, a flame smothering the end of it. He sighed and answered, "It's something of a snack packaged in a cube."

Tim frowned at this and Jason sighed again before answering, "Listen, kid, you're gonna need to go get some food tonight by ourselves." He paled and opened his mouth it protest then closed it shut at this.

"Where are you going to get the bodies?" Tim asked and Jason then smirked at this, smoke escaping from his nose and mouth at this.

"Oh, don't worry about it kid." He said and pulled out the cigarette before moving to the door, "It's just a short jog to the place."


They both stared at the dead body hanging from the top of an old building and Tim's eyebrows twitched at this, turning to Jason who already started walking towards the entrance of the building. He followed him closely behind him and opened the door, although he almost fell back at the sight of more bodies covered in blood at the bottom of the floor.

"You have the bags, right?" Jason said and Tim slowly nodded at this, pulling it out before Jason lit another cigarette.

"Then let's start bagging these bodies. We don't have all night." He said and opened the bag and both of them started stuffing the dead bodies in the bag.


Elsewhere, Nightwing punched another dealer in the mouth as he dodged another attack from a different one but Robin kicked the one away. He patted the younger boy on the shoulder and grinned at this before casually walking over to one of the dealer's then pressed his foot on the hand of the dealer.

"Now, let me ask you this one more time. Have you ever heard of the name Devin Morris?" he questioned the dealer and pressed on the dealer's hand even harder who groaned in pain.

"No! Who the hell is that?!" he hissed and Nightwing sighed at this before rolling his shoulders and faced Robin.

"I guess that's all for tonight." He said and Robin scowled at this.

"Because you sent so much time digging into other people's stuff." Robin stated and Nightwing shrugged before turning back to the dealer.

"Sorry, pal, guess we'll talk more tomorrow." He said and the dealer opened his mouth to question Nightwing but he delivered a non-fatal wound to the dealer that had knocked him out.


Tim awoke to the sight of his home phone ringing and groaned at the thought of answering some random person asking if he wanted to buy a condo or something like that. He grabbed the phone and picked it up, placing it to his ear.

"Yes?" he asked and waited for a response.

"Hey, kid! Morning, are you gonna be busy tomorrow?" Jason's voice greeted him form the other end and Tim wanted to toss the phone out the window from last night's experience.

"Why?" he groaned and checked his clock to see the blaring numbers of five A.M.

"I managed to get a buddy of mine to help create a new identity for you when ya need it." He replied back and Tim sighed at this, running his fingers through his hair.

"Fine. I don't have any classes today or tomorrow. Where do you want to meet up?" he asked and Jason paused for a moment.

"Do you know where the Iceberg Lounge is?"

Tim blinked at the question but replied back, "Yeah. I've been there both undercover and busting the place up."

Jason chuckled from the other line and answered back, "Can't wait. See ya then sleeping beauty! Remember at five o'clock tomorrow morning! Good night."

He hung up and Tim sighed at this, closing his eyes again hoping he could get a whole day of sleeping without having any nightmares or waking up feeling hungry.


Tim stared at his wrist-watch as the clock turned five and he glanced around to see a shadow shift from an alleyway. He stood tale before Jason walked out from the place, wearing his normal crime fighting outfit.

"Mornin' kid." Jason said and mocked a yawn, earning a glare form the teen. He nudged him forward and he quietly followed him, the darkness clinging to them both.

They passed through different alleyways in twists and turns along with glass shattering and swears erupted from the even darker shadows. Tim winced at this before Jason took an unexpected to a door where graffiti greeted them in multiple colors. He opened it up and Tim's eyes grew wide as he walked in.

Different types of outfits and masks of different styles, colors, and facial styles greeted them as they entered although the interior looked like it needed some fixing up with a couple of holes in the ceiling and a terrible odor coming from one corner.

"Tes! Are you here?" Jason called and they both walked around, trying to find the person called Tes. Suddenly someone tapped Tim's shoulder and he shot around, facing a man with tattoos of Latin words and crosses running down from his face to his shoulders. The man's dyed green hair was pulled back in a ponytail and a lip piercing puffed out from pouting at the sight of the Tim. He stood a little taller than Tim but was shorter than Jason's six two.

"Good morning." He stated and took a bow at this. Tim raised an eyebrow at this and Jason chuckled a little at this, placing a hand on Tim's shoulder.

"Kid, this is Tes. He'll be making your outfit." Jason explained and Tim scanned the man up and down in doubt of trusting the man.

"Hello, I am Tes." He restated and Tim glanced back at Jan then back to Tes.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Tim." He said and Tes then started circling around them, scanning Tim up and down.

"So he's the little birdie you've been hiding." Tes muttered under his breath and stopped at this, looking to Jason again, "I've heard you've been busy but I would have never guessed that it was because of a kid."

Jason shrugged at this then Tes pulled out a piece of a paper ruler for measurements. Tim opened his mouth to complain but even without seeing Jason's eyes he could tell he wanted him quiet. He pulled away and then Tes started taking measurements, wrapping the ruler around his head and traveled with it through his body.

"Are you fine with any type of material?" Tes asked and Tim nodded at this as he measured his neck.

"Is there a certain style you want?" he asked again and Tim shrugged at as Tes then measured his shoulders and chest.

He sighed and pulled away from him, taking out a sketch book to do a couple of doodles for ideas.

"I'll call you when I finish it. It shouldn't take too long since I have many materials here." Tes stated and Jason nodded at this.

"Ok. See you later, Tes." Jason said and started to leave with Tim on his tail who looked back and wasn't shocked to see the man already gone within the shadows of the establishment.


"So how exactly do you know that guy?" Tim asked and Jason sighed, his mask shining from the sunlight now piercing the skies.

"Old friend of mine before the whole resurrection thing happened." He told him and Tim nodded at this, "Also, your friends, the doves as I also call 'em, have been going around trying to figure out what happened to the kid you totaled."

Tim gulped at this and glanced down at the ground, thinking about what exactly happened.

"So, instead of Red Robin or Tim Drake, they need to think it's someone else. That's another reason why the costume is being put to use." Jason began and sat down in the corner of the alleyway, taking off his helmet. He pulled out a package of cigarettes and stuck one in his mouth, flipping a lighter open and lit up the joint.

"God damn Bats." He muttered under his breath and Tim sighed at this, running his finger through his hair as he thought about Jason's words on his family.

"Red Hood, correct?"

The teen turned and faced a man with glazed over eyes and some salvia dribbled down his chin. He raised an eyebrow at this and Jason sighed at this, smoke escaping his lips. He stood up and grabbed his helmet at the sight of the man. The man licked his lips, as if he were dying of thirst, and his clothes barely held onto his body.

"Yeah? That's my name." Jason said and took out his cigarette, tapping the butt of it where ash fell out. The man twitched and Tim gripped the shelves of his sweat-shirt tight, his instincts telling him a major fight was just about to happen.

"Y-y-you…" the man stuttered and licked his lips, "N-n-n-need m-m-m-message. Message about warning. Warning…warning…"

Jason sighed and dropped his cigarette, killing it with the heel of his boot. He placed his helmet back on and grinned from underneath it, the blood rushing around throughout his body.

"For-for-for…" the man said then bite at his nails, gnawing now at his skin. His eyes rolled wildly around and Tim's nose twitched at the scent of blood. His eye grew large and quickly went to cover up his nose from catching any other scent.

"STAY OUT!" the man screamed then charged at Jason but before another say was mentioned, a gunshot echoed the alleyway and blood exploded on the ground. Tim's eye grew wide at the sight of the dead man and turned to Jason who held the smoking pistol and didn't even act out to stop it.

"Let's go. Someone will report they heard a gunshot and we don't need to be here for Cops or Doves to swop in and question us." Jason said and placed the gun back in the holster he carried. He started walking away and turned to Tim who just stared at the dead man's brains splattered against his shoes. He sighed and swore under his breath.

"Kid, are you hungry by any chance?" Jason asked and Tim shook his head no, looking up to Red Hood.

"No…" he began then stalked away from the body, his emotions in turmoil from either to stay and arrest Jason, finish the cleanup job, or walk away from the scene of a crime he witnessed. He took a deep breath and Jason grinned wide from under his helmet, placing a hand on Tim's shoulder.

"I'm fine." He said, and continued walking away, "I'm fine. I'm fine." He repeated to himself and Jason as if he were trying to convince himself he really was fine with everything when he actually wasn't.