The Devil's Sister
A/N: To honor Batman's 80th Birthday, veryone is getting a treat today . . . TWO PARTS . . . Enjoy!
Two weeks later, after Tim and Samantha come back from a brief honeymoon, Tim and Dick go shopping for Christmas when both are kidnapped and taken to Chicago where they meet the devil's sister, Victoria Devlin.
Part 26: A Court Order Cannot Be Denied
A few minutes ago
"I want that boy," the man in the limo stated. "You have your warrant now do your duty!"
"It's the middle of the night," one officer stated.
"That warrant states he must be removed immediately," the man said. 'I worked it so there won't be any interference. The judge will rule in my favor, or there will be consequences. Even so, I still have to wait a week until Timothy is finally mine,' the man said within his own thoughts then spoke to the officer. "Do your duty!"
"Very well, but Mr. Wayne won't be happy about it."
"Mr. Wayne has no legal right to him," a second man said. "I will go with you to make sure the warrant is served properly. My client has petitioned for his adoption."
"What about his wife and kids? It was in all the papers."
"I don't care about them," the man stated. "We can easily find someone to get it annulled. Besides, without any legal proof that he's married, they don't have any claim on him either."
The officer sighed then approached the house with one of the men by his side.
"You know what has to be done."
Now
The two men waited in the small parlor just off the entry way. Alfred Pennyworth approached them after showing his charge the warrant.
"Mr. Wayne will be down shortly."
"We have to take the boy," one of the men stated. "We thought you went upstairs to get him."
"Now?" Alfred asked. "It's the middle of the night."
"He has to be removed immediately. That's what the warrant said."
Bruce came up behind Alfred. "You're not taking him."
"The warrant states the boy must be removed and placed in custody of GCPS until the court date."
"When is this so called court date?" Bruce demanded. "Surely he can stay here until then."
"The warrant is specific," the officer stated, "You can't go against the warrant."
"This is ridiculous," Alfred groused. "The boy has a family. That court order has to be a fake."
"It's not, Alfred," Bruce said. "It's the same family judge who dealt with Jason's case some years before. He requires hard evidence, and since Tim's records have been destroyed, we have no proof of his formal adoption."
"This is insane, Master Bruce. There were thousands of records. Master Timothy cannot be the only one affected."
"No, luckily, the Wayne Foundation keeps its own records on such matters. I'll be opening them to the police during their investigation."
The man from the limo who stood by the officer approached Mr. Wayne. "What is taking so long. It cannot take fifteen minutes to serve a warrant and to take the boy. I want him now."
Bruce's eyes narrowed. "Timothy is with his brothers. He just became an Uncle. He'll need clothes for the trip."
"You are allowing this?" Alfred said with an astounded look on his face.
"We have no choice, Alfred. But I will be filing a formal complaint."
"Legally, you have no right to him at all, so any formal complaint would be useless."
"Not if there's proof that he still has a living relative," Bruce countered.
"I doubt you'll find anything. His background was thoroughly checked. Mr. and Mrs. Drake didn't have any other relatives."
"Why you pompous piece of . . . " Bruce started to approach the man with balled fists.
"Easy, Master Bruce. You do not want to add assault charges."
Bruce halted before things got out of hand. "You're right, Alfred. Who are you and who is your client?"
"My card," the man handed Bruce his business card.
"You're a lawyer?"
"I am representing the person who has petitioned for Timothy Drake's adoption. That name is confidential until the court date specified in the warrant. I'm also here to see that the warrant is carried out."
Bruce sighed. "I'll get Timothy. Wait here."
"Master Bruce, you can't."
"I have no choice Alfred. I've been through this before. If I don't follow what the warrant indicates. I could be arrested for contempt or even kidnapping."
Bruce went upstairs, taking the warrant with him. He didn't want to spoil this precious moment. Tim had returned to the nursery and was taking pictures of the new family.
"I called Jim Gordon," Tim said. "He was asleep, but was excited to hear the news. He'll be here in about thirty minutes."
"Thanks Timmy," Dick said. "He has a right to hold his new grandchild."
Dick was really bonding with his daughter, while Barbara seemed happy, but her smile looked forced. Something was up with her, but there was no time to find out. They had a bigger problem.
"Dick, Tim," Bruce called and waved them over.
Dick carried Haley with him.
"I think you better hand Haley over to Barbara. I need to speak with both of you alone."
"What is it?" Tim asked after taking his last photo.
Dick placed Haley in Bab's arms. "Bruce, you look like someone had rained on your parade."
"Let's talk in Tim's room."
"Why my room?" Tim questioned.
Bruce didn't say a word. He led both Tim and Dick into Tim's room and then handed Dick the warrant to him. Dick looked over the contents.
"You're kidding me," Dick said. "Is this for real?"
"Very much so."
"What's for real?" Tim questioned.
Dick handed the warrant to Tim then turned his back, running his hand through his hair. He didn't want Tim to see just how angry this made him. Tim read the contents.
"No," Tim started to hyperventilate. "It's him. He must escaped somehow."
"Who?"
"Nathan Devlin. He came to me, in the room I was placed in. It was more of a cell then a room. He showed me about the records, but I thought he was bluffing. I knew you had copies."
"For the court they have to be originals," Bruce said.
"There's got to be a way to stop this," Tim said. "What about my marriage, doesn't that take precedence?"
"No, because you're still considered a minor."
"He really did it, it wasn't a bluff. He's going to get my estate, the money that my parents left for me. That's what he wants."
"We're going to fight this, Tim."
"But the court date is set for the 24th, that's Christmas Eve. That's less than a week away."
"We'll get a continuance. We'll find a way," Bruce said, trying to keep as calm as possible. Dick hadn't said a word since he learned the news.
"Dick?" Tim went to stand by his brother, then Dick suddenly spun around and hugged him.
"I'm not going to lose you, Tim," Dick said. "We'll fight this."
"You'll need to pack a few things for a week."
"What are we going to tell Sammie?" Tim asked.
"I'll tell her," Bruce said, "In the meantime, there is an officer and a lawyer waiting for you downstairs."
"I'll pack my things." Tim went over to his closet, opened it, and pulled out a suitcase and placed it on the bed. "Tell them I'll be down in a moment."
Dick and Bruce left Tim alone to pack.
"There's got to be a way to fight this," Dick stated.
"We'll find a way," Bruce said, trying to reassure Dick.
"What about Tanner, we have to tell him."
"Tanner is staying at Tim's apartment in Gotham pending the investigation against Victoria Devlin. Turns out he's old enough. It was safer for him to stay there then in Chicago since he received death threats. No one knows he's there. I'll be escorting him to Chicago."
"When is the court date?" Dick asked.
"The same time as the adoption hearing."
"Talk about the worst timing ever," Dick said.
Ten minutes later, Tim came down the stairs carrying his suitcase. "You'll tell Sammie, right?"
"Yes, Tim."
"O să te întorci, frate," Dick said in Romani.
Alfred frowned as he saw the injustice of it all.
All three watched in silence as Tim was led away to the limo.
Continues with Part 27