Hello beautiful people!

Time to update! Yay, new chapter! ^^

Anywho, this chapter takes place about a week or so after "Damian's Burden" and is the last chapter in what I like to call the "Introduction" arc. Which, clearly, is Rachel's meeting all of the Batboys. After this, the chapters will probably start to get really random. They'll all still be in the same universe. And don't worry, at some point, the Batgirls and Bruce will all make appearances at some point. Along with possible guest hero appearances, such as the Super family. But it depends. *shrugs* We'll see what happens.

So, without further adue, chapter 4!

Disclaimer: What is this stupidity?

ONWARD!

Timothy Drake was frustrated.

And a little hurt. He had just learned that something important had been kept from him. Part of it was because Bruce had kept a secret from him, which in and of itself wasn't that surprising. But the other part was because Dick had kept the secret from him as well. Tim didn't think Dick was even capable of keeping something like this from him, but then again, it was time like this that he had to remind himself that Dick had been trained by the Bat as well and the he was the one who now wore the cowl.

Still, the knowledge made his chest tighten a little. He felt almost…betrayed. Which, logically, didn't make much sense because no one can ever know all of the Bat's secrets, and he should feel privileged to know as much as he did.

Perhaps he was just being childish, upset that he wasn't told. Or was it because he couldn't find any information? All of the files he found were so heavily encrypted, it would take him months to crack. Bruce really didn't want anyone to know about this.

Or maybe it was because of how he found out about all of this in the first place.

*x*x*

He had been visiting Titan's Tower when it happened.

Tim was working in his lab, busily typing away on his computer, when Superboy had walked – err, floated – into the room.

"Hey, Kon," he said, not looking away from what he was doing.

Kon sighed. "I will never understand how you do that."

Tim gave him an almost laugh. "It's a Bat thing."

Kon rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "About that…"

This time, Tim did look up. Kon looked nervous, shifting his weight from foot to foot where he stood, expression a strange combination of guilt, confusion, and curiosity. Tim frowned. "What's wrong, Kon?"

The super clone took a deep breath. "Well…" he started slowly, apparently trying to choose the right words, "I think I found out something I wasn't supposed to." Tim raised an eyebrow. "A Bat kind of something."

Tim blinked. "Okay…" he said carefully. Not really sure where his friend was going with this.

Kon noted his friend's confusion and rushed on to explain. "Well I was at the Fortress and when I was there I overheard Clark talking to Dick and he sounded really upset and guilty and Dick sounded like he was dying and the Clark said that 'Rachel is gone' and I didn't even know there was a girl staying at the Fortress and then Dick said 'You lost my sister?' and Clark started apologizing and Dick got reeeeeeally quiet and it was kinda scary cause when he stared talking again, he sounded just like Batman, the original one, and I almost peed myself, that's how bad it was, and it's been eating at me ever since cause it's kinda my fault too, cause I was at the Fortress and if we lost Dick's sister, that means we lost your sister and I feel really bad, even though I really don't know anything about her and I don't think anyone has told you and I just wanted to say sorry and please don't kill me!"

Kon's words came out in a rush that gave Bart a run for his money. As soon as he was done, Kon had closed his eyes and curled in on himself, waiting for Tim's reaction.

But Tim just sat there, frozen, blue eyes wide in shock. "Sister?" he asked, so softly that if Kon didn't have supper hearing, he wouldn't have heard it.

Said clone peaked through his eyelashes and, upon seeing Tim's shock, slowly uncurled from his defensive stance and approached him. "Tim…?"

Tim's eyes suddenly snapped to his, narrowing. Kon stared right back, knowing that something was going on and his friend needed him. "Kon what do you mean 'sister'?"

And it was then that Kon realized that maybe Tim knew just as much as he did, or in this case, less. So he slowed down and told the story from the beginning, leaving nothing out and including any and all details he remembered, knowing that Tim would ask for them.

When he was done, Tim leaned forward, elbows up on the computer console, fingers laced together in front of his mouth. "Thank you for telling me, Kon," was Tim's soft reply after a long moment of silence.

Kon frowned a little, forehead creased with worry at how distant Tim was being. "Sure thing, man. Anytime."

It was then Tim decided to hack into the Batcave's computer. He needed to know more about this Rachel. He only found one file on her, but it was huge. It was also so heavily encrypted that he wouldn't get any information in a reasonable amount of time.

So that left one option.

*x*x*

Tim knocked on the front door to Wayne Manor and stood back, waiting for Alfred to answer. Moments later, Tim came face to face with the old butler.

"Master Timothy," he said, tone slightly scolding after quickly getting over his shock of seeing the third Wayne boy standing on the porch, "This is your home. There is no need for you to knock."

Tim smiled, though it was not entirely genuine. "Sorry Alfred," he said as he stepped through the door, "Is Dick here? I need to talk to him."

No sooner had the words left his mouth, when Dick appeared.

"Tim!" he said, a giant smile on his face as he scooped up the younger man into a crushing embrace. "It's good to see you! What are you doing here? Last I heard, you were with the Titans."

Tim untangled himself from Dick's arms and noticed from the corner of his eye Alfred leaving two of them alone to talk. "I came to talk to you," he said.

Dick eyebrows rose to his hairline. "Oh?"

Tim crossed his arms over his chest, his expression carefully blank. "Why didn't you ever tell me about Rachel?"

Tim watched as Dick seemed to freeze, how his eyes widened in shock and how his mouth went slack. Tim inwardly smirked at his surprise, but suddenly Dick's entire demeanor changed. His eyes narrowed and his back straightened and Tim knew immediately that he was dealing with the Bat. Though the reaction was unexpected, he refused to back down.

"How did you find out?" Dick asked. And Tim was surprised that it was still Dick's voice, soft and gentle, and not the dark, intimidating growl that matched his body language.

So Tim told him. Dick looked at him for a long moment before sighing. And just like that, the shadows were gone.

"It's not that we didn't trust you, Timmy," Dick said, his bright blue eyes tired, "It wasn't anything like that. We just wanted to protect her."

"Protect her?" Tim asked, managing to keep his voice clam and level, "No one even knows she exists!"

Dick just shook his head. "It's a long story, Tim. One that I don't like telling." It was then that Tim notice the haunted look in his eyes as he relived something from long ago. It made him stop. "But you're right," Dick continued, "You have a right to know. I'll give you the access codes to her file; it explains everything." Suddenly Dick paused, his solemn expression changing as his lips tugged into a slight smile and a chuckle escaped him. "In the meantime," he said, smile widening, "I think we've kept her waiting long enough."

Tim blinked, confused, but followed Dick when he led him to one of the many sitting rooms. Dick gestured for him to go in. "She's been wanting to meet you for a long time, little brother."

With that, Dick smiled and left, leaving him standing in front of the door. Cautiously, he entered to room. At first, it appeared as if no one was in it. But then he heard a soft chuckle come from the center of the room. Slowly, he walked around the couch.

On the floor, lying on her stomach, was a woman. She looked to be around Dick's age, or a few years older, but the way she held herself screamed child. She wore a pair of jeans and a dark purple t-shirt. Her feet were in the air, kicking back and forth as she swung her legs to and fro. Crisp white bandages covered her feet and Tim found himself wondering what happened. In front of her, was a small ball of light gray fluff. A kitten, lightly pawing at the slender fingers being dangled above its head. The smile on her face and the giggles escaping her lips made her seem young, much younger than she was.

So this was Rachel.

"Hello, Red Bird."

The soft, innocent voice snapped him from his thoughts and it took him a moment to realize where it had come from and who it was addressing.

Rachel had turned to him, smile growing wider, hazel eyes bright.

Tim gave her a small, polite smile. "Hello," he said, "You must be Rachel."

She nodded and rolled over, carefully lifting herself onto the couch, making sure her feet didn't touch the ground. She reached down and scooped up the kitten before patting the space next to her. Tim accepted the invitation and the two of them sat on the couch facing each other.

"Nemo has been looking forward to meeting the Red Bird," she said, smile still in place, "He is an interesting boy. So curious, so bright. And for the longest time, so innocent. And stubborn" She laughed softly, as if it was a joke that only she was in on. When it stopped, she gave him a sad look. "The Rad Bird is mad at the Bird and the Bat for keeping Nemo a secret from them."

Being the genius he was, it wasn't that hard for Tim to figure out who she was talking about. He was, however, surprised by her accusation. "What makes you say that?" he asked, voice even.

Rachel ran her fingers through the fur of the creature sitting in her lap. The kitten arched into her touch and purred. "When the Clone spoke of Nemo's disappearance, the Red Bird felt surprised and angry and…betrayed." When Tim opened his mouth, whether to confirm or deny, he wasn't sure, she added, "The Red Bird cannot hide anything from me. No one can."

She stated it as if were fact. Tim closed his mouth. They looked at each other for a while, silently analyzing. Tim noticed that Rachel's eyes seemed to cloud over and she frowned, worry creasing her brow. And then it was gone and her eyes focused on him again.

"Does Nemo frighten the Red Bird?" she asked softly, her voice and expression solemn.

Tim blinked, startled by the question. "What? Why would you ask that?"

Rachel shook her head, looking at the kitten in her lap as it tried to crawl up her stomach. "It is why the Bat and the Bird didn't want anyone to know about Nemo. People are scared of her. Because she is different. Because she knows things. Things she shouldn't." She sighed and looked up at him forlornly. "The Bat and the Bird didn't want Nemo to have to feel that rejection. They also didn't want anyone to find out about her abilities and try to use them for personal gain. They didn't want her to become a tool."

Tim frowned. "Rachel, you are a person. You shouldn't let anyone try to tell you otherwise."

Rachel smiled at him and Tim was surprised how warm the simple action made him feel. She shifted closer to him and reached out, cupping his cheek in her hand. Tim's eyes searched hers. "It really is very nice to meet the Red Bird," she said, pausing for a moment before adding in a whisper, "Nemo knows he can find the Bat."

Tim stared as she pulled back. "You…you don't think he's dead?" he asked, the 'like everyone else' hanging in the air between them.

She smirked. "Who said anything about death? Nemo's little brother should know better than that."

Tim found himself smiling. "Of course."

Rachel laughed and Tim found himself chuckling under his breath with her. He stopped when Rachel turned to the door, smiling. Tim followed her eyes and almost frowned when he saw Damian standing in the doorway, arms crossed over his chest.

Damian glared at him. "Drake," he said before turning to Rachel. "Pennyworth has set out Wings food."

Tim blinked. That was it? No yelling? No sarcastic comments?

Rachel took the kitten in her hands and kissed its head before handing it to Damian. "Okay. Be good," she said, tapping a pale fingertip against Wings's nose. She smiled up at Damian. "Keep him out of trouble, Baby Bird."

Damian scoffed. "Tt. Don't give me orders."

But he cradled the kitten close to his chest anyway, his scowl softening ever so slightly when Rachel reached up to ruffle his hair. He paid no mind to Tim as he walked out of the room.

"Whoa," Tim said after a moment. "He's…human."

Rachel giggled. "Yes."

"How did you do that?" Tim asked.

"Just talk to him," Rachel said, smiling softly, "All of the Birds have more in common than they would care to admit. But boys will be boys. And Batboys are quite stubborn."

Tim stared for a moment before a smirk broke out on his face. "It's a family thing."

Rachel threw her head back and laughed.

Tim laughed with her.

Yay! Yet another chapter complete! *pats self on back* Way to be accomplished! :D

Please review!

~ Elri