Synopsis: Someone has stolen all the money from the Wayne Foundation Youth Charity Fund. Batman and Red Hood go after the man who did it. While doing research on the thief, Tim is hit by a mysterious beam from an odd weapon sitting on a shelf and is de-aged. Oh boy, what are they going to do with a four-year-old Tim?

Chapter 24: Mistaken Identty

Tim watched the TV screen that had a Disney movie on it while he was waiting for Jason. He closed his eyes for a moment because the music was soothing, and he fell into that half sleep, half awake state where he was totally relaxed. He felt the stroller moving. Jason was probably done shopping at that point, but he didn't think anything of it, Jason would wake him once they got to their next shopping destination. Tim decided it really wasn't that bad after all. It meant he didn't have to walk. The movement of the stroller put him into a deeper sleep. He wasn't aware that he had left the store by another route, and that the person pushing the stroller wasn't Jason.

"Christ Kid! I'm trying to find her!" Jason raced back to the store he had come from. He was racing back and forth, looking down each isle. He was beginning to suspect the woman wasn't even in the store. He was starting to panic. 'Where is my baby brother!'

"Come on Matthew let's get you home," the woman stated. "Now where did I park that car? Was it at this end or the other end? The entrances all look alike to me."

Jason stopped the stroller and noticed that the woman had left her purse at the bottom of it. He picked it up. He usually didn't go through a lady's purse, but maybe if he found out who she was, he could give her a call. 'I don't even go through Sasha's purse.' Jason discovered she left her keys in here. That meant she couldn't drive off the mall's lot, which was a big break for him. There was still a chance he could rever Tim.

"Wwaaaa , . . Waaaaa. I want my Mommy!" Matt cried.

"What's your mom's name?" Jason said, as he continued to look through the woman's purse to find her wallet.

"Oh, darn it where is my purse. Don't tell me I left my purse back at the store. I was sure I put it at the bottom of the stroller. I'm going to have to go all the way back there."

'This kid's crying is irritating, loud, and obnoxious. I hope to the higher gods that my children are not like this,' Jason thought. 'Easy, Jason, the kid's flipping out. I need to hurry and find his mother.' Jason pushed the stroller a bit faster. "Tim! Timmy!" Jason started to call his brother's name.*

Oddly enough that seemed to calm the boy down somewhat. "Mommy . . . I want my Mommy."

"I know kid, I'm doing my best to find her."

"Tim, where are you?" Jason's parental insticts were kicking in. Now he knew how a parent felt who just lost their child. The panic and sinking feeling of dread was almost overwhelming. He had to keep his cool or he would fall apart. Jason's eyes darted to each stroller that pushed passed him.

"Uh" Tim rubbed his eyes as sunlight hit them. Then he realized the kid still had his cube. "Jason, where are we going? The kid's got my Rubic's cube."

"Jason . . . Who's Jason. Is he a friend of yours at daycare?"

'Daycare . . . That's not Jason's voice.' Tim looked behind to see someone else was pusing his stroller. "Hey, you're not my brother. JASON!"

"Oh dear, and you're not Mattew. I must have grabbed the wrong stroller. Calm down sweetie. We'll find your brother."

"JASON!" Tim started to panic. "I WANT JASON!"

'Damn it! It's been twenty minutes. What if she already left! She can't leave, he's got her purse, her keys, not to mention her kid. Oh, for the love of BATMAN WHERE IS HE!' Jason rubbed his temples. "Can you stop your obnoxious crying for ten seconds, please, I'm trying to think."

Tim started crying.

"Oh, baby, there's no need to cry. What's your brother's name."

"J-J-Jason W-W-Wayne . . ."

"You are one of Bruce Wayne's sons?"

"Yeah . . ." At this moment, Tim didn't care if the woman knew the truth. He just wanted Jason, and he truly felt like a lost four-year-old in that moment.

"Well, the society papers didn't say anything about Mr. Wayne having a son your age. Anyway, I know what to do. I'm going to have to find my purse anyway. It's possible it was taken to security. And mayb he might have taken my purse, and Matthew there, since he has my son."

That calmed Tim right down. "I should have thought about going to security. My mind it's thinking straight.'

The woman entered the mall, and strolled down one of the main hallways, unaware that Jason was coming in the opposite direction on the opposite side. Neither saw each other because of the crowd. He headed to the security office near one of the larger stores at one end of the mall. It was as if she knew where this place well. Tim mused that the woman must lose her purse a lot to know where the security office was in the mall. Tim observe the woman approaching a security guard.

"Excuse me."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"I need to have someone paged please."

As Jason continued to search the mall, practically thinking about searching every store, he suddenly heard. "Will a Jason Wayne please come to the security Office."

'Oh great, someone probably called the cops, thinking I stole this kid and now I've got to go to the security office. Looks like I'll have a lot of explaining to do.'

As Jason approached the office, the security guard started to question him.

"Excuse me are you . . ."

"JASON!"

"MOMMY!"

"Mathew, oh thank goodness."

"There you are!" Jason was quick to let go of the woman's stroller. He grabbed his bags and went to Tim. He pulled Tim out of the stroller and placed a kiss on his head and then turned to the lady. "Sorry about that."

"Matthew! And you found my purse."

"No problem Ma'am." Jason couldn't help noticing how Tim clung to him, 'He must have been terrified, thinking he'd been kidnapped again. Luckily, it was a case of mistaken Identity.'

The woman grabbed her bags from Jason's stroller and then Jason put his bags on the seat of the correct stroller. "Hey, let's go get something to drink," Jason suggested. 'I'll get him that frap...what ever the hell it is he wants.'

"Maybe it was a good thing I left my purse behind," she commented. "I would not have known he wasn't Matthew until I got home."

"Yeah, I was panicking. I don't ever want to do that again."

"Come on Matthew let's go home."

Tim watched the woman leave with her son, but he was still shaking. 'Thank goodness it wasn't a kidnapping, but I still might not have seen my brothers for a long time.'

Rather than place Tim in the stroller, Jason carried Tim to the Starbucks stand and pulled the stroller behind him. He ordered a Frappuccino, mocha, vente, no coffee, just for him. He got whip cream and fudge on top. He put a straw in it and handed it to him. "There ya go baby bro."

"Thanks," Tim took a sip, and he immedicately calmed after that. "My Rubic's cube. I never got it back."

Jason didn't have the heart to tel Tim that Matthew had broken it. "Tell you want, I'll buy you a new one."

"Can we go home now, so I can try on my new clothes?"

"Sure. I need Jax to try on his clothes as well. I think he's gonna look like a little rocker with those outfits I got him. And I got some for Jaylyn, too. She's going to look like a little diva."

Jason switched out the bags and placed Tim in the stroller so he could enjoy his drink. He then headed to the parking garage near the middle of the mall.

"Um . . . Jason, can I get a hug? Please."

"Sure." Jason stopped the stroller and moved in front. He knelt down, set Tim's drink on the ground, and pulled Tim into a hug. Jason found himself not wanting to let him go. 'I was scared. I thought I was going to lose him. Now I know how Dick must have felt.'

"I panicked," Tim said, sniffling. "I thought I was being kidnapped again. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I was panicking, too," Jason said, rubbing Tim's back.

"I'm just glad you found me. Let's not tell anyone what happened. Dick might not let you take me anywhere or Sammie either."

"It will be our little secret. Come on let's go home."

Jason handed Tim back his drink and he pushed the stroller again, heading out to the garage and to where he parked the car. He watched as Tim started to wiggle around in the stroller. 'Oh no, please oh no, not a sugar high.'

Jason also noticed that Tim was starting to get chatty, and his legs kept kicking up and down. He hurried and placed him into the car seat and strapped him in. Then placed the stroller in the trunk along with the bags of new clothes. He got into the driver's seat, started up the car, and headed back to the manor. Jason was glad they were heading hom. He had enough of an adventure for one day. Nearly losing Tim likt that brought his own kids too mine.

'Skip the clothes. I'm going to head to the zoo and find Sasha and the twins. I just want to see my kids and give them a hug."

Continues with Part 23: Bath Time Goes Wrong