Here's chapter four. Thanks to everyone who's send me such nice reviews.
Please don't stop. This isn't the end, there will be one more chapter, and
then I have to decide if I want to make a series out of it. (Hint: if you
think I should, let me know!!) krtshadow
Chapter 4: Brotherly Conflict
I realized that I'd been thinking for at least ten minutes and the cave was still deadly silent behind me. I heard footsteps on the stairs again, as Cassandra returned, followed by the slower steps of Alfred. I could tell from where the footsteps stopped that they'd halted at the foot of the stairs and joined the rest of the family in waiting for my reaction. I'd so hoped that there would be a valid reason for the years of silence, and although I now had yet another issue that I needed to discuss with my Dad, it was now time to repair my relationship with my real family.
I could imagine that there had been some mighty heated battles over this issue, and it wasn't fair to make them wait any longer. I'd been lonely, but I could at least understand why they had done what they did, and I would have probably made the same decision Bruce had. I felt years of worry roll off my back. The very thought that they were seriously concerned about how I'd react reassured me that they did care about me. He did care.
I turned the chair back around. They were still standing there, watching me. Oracle's face was white with strain. Cass was clutching Alfred's hand, who was looking at me with barely concealed hope on his face. Dick was biting his lip, and Bruce was back in full-fledged Bat mode, with no emotion on his face and his arms crossed in front of him. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Bruce." Everyone was still frozen in place as I opened my eyes and continued, my voice shaking slightly from the strain. "I'm not dealing with the idea that Dad would disown me all that well now; it would have probably killed me a couple of years ago. I'm sorry you had to make a decision like that." I managed a rather shaky smile.
I wanted to say something else, but nothing seemed to come to mind. Anyway, I didn't have a chance since the room erupted. Barbara was cheering, as Alfred submitted to a hug from Cassandra, and I swear I saw Bruce's shoulders slump with relief. Dick was headed towards me for his long awaited back pounding and hug and I had to laugh at the look on his face when I stood up. I guess he wasn't expecting me to be as tall as he was. He threw his arms around me and slammed me on the back. He quietly whispered in my ear, "Thanks, Tim, he's been dreading this for years. He just thought I didn't notice. I was going to have to kick your butt if you hurt him." He pulled back and grinned at me. "Gosh, you grew. What'd they feed you over there?"
I smirked at him, happy to forget about Dad for a while. "Lots, that's all I asked. And what makes you so sure you could kick my butt anymore?" I turned away before he could challenge me right then and there.
I almost ran into Cassandra and Alfred, who was being dragged along protesting all the way. I gathered that he wanted to go upstairs and fix food for everyone, and Cass was totally ignoring his protests. Alfred stuck out his hand for me to shake and then smiled as I totally ignored it and gave him a hug. I was shocked to see that he looked older than I'd remembered. Cass settled for a huge grin and a handshake. She'd definitely grown up over the last couple of years. Of course, seeing her in the Batgirl costume left little to the imagination. Wow was an understatement.
I managed to get through the melee and down the steps to Bruce who was still standing in the center of the room. The room fell silent again as I neared him. He gave me a Bruce smile, which consisted of a slight upward twitch, and I grinned back. "Welcome back, Tim." Like Alfred, he stuck out his hand to shake and I gave him my very best 'you've got to be kidding' look. I gave him a hug and was amazed that he returned it, although very awkwardly. Hmm, maybe he'd softened up a little in his old age. I grinned to myself as I considered the wisdom of sharing this comment. Nah.
I was just so relieved that there had been a reason for them not contacting me, and it hadn't been that I wasn't useful anymore. I was also glad that they seemed to welcome me back. I had been so hurt for the first two years. It had only been in the last couple of months that I considered that there may have been a good reason. I had just wanted to know why, and since I did now, I felt like a fifty pound weight had been taken off my shoulders. I wondered how far this welcome would extend and decided that that could wait for awhile. Deal with one thing at a time.
The next half an hour was full of questions. Cass wanted to know why I'd snuck in, and also how I got though the booby traps. Barbara wanted to know if I wanted an update on all of my superhero friends, and also how I'd managed to hack the computer. Alfred wanted to know if I was hungry, and if I was 'in good health'. Dick just wanted to know if I really thought that I could take him now. Bruce just sat in the chair that I had vacated and watched the proceedings with just the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes. I knew he wanted to ask me about my dad but was waiting for a more opportune moment. We still needed to talk, and we both knew it, but I know I was relieved that the hardest part was over.
Out of all of the questions, I thought it might be fun to deal with Dick's first. I'd have felt really funny just announcing some of the changes I'd made in my life, and this gave me ample room to show off one of the biggest. I interrupted his diatribe about how I'd never been able to take him and never would be able to take him, and remarked with a gleam in my eye that there was only one way to solve this suitably. He took the bait with remarkable ease, and led the way to the practice mat. The others followed and Babs activated a camera and monitor in the gym as we came in. I noticed that Bruce was paying very close attention to us. Hmm, he probably is just as curious as Dick as to whether or not I've gotten any better over the years.
I allowed myself an inward smirk. This was going to pay back years of having to admit that Dick was the best. There was no way that any of them had any suspicion of just how I'd spent my free time while in exile. I'd employed more stealth and trickery in a couple of years than I'd even dreamed was possible before I left the States.
Dick removed his mask and gauntlets and moved to the center of the mat. I shrugged out of my jacket and removed my weapons belt as it went, keeping them hidden in the folds. No use warning Dick that I'd picked up some ninja stuff somewhere. I moved to meet Dick and we began the dance.
I think that Cass was the first to pick up on the fact that I'd learned a few things. She was used to reading body language, and I'd definitely changed dialects. She said nothing, only stiffened slightly and watched me. I studied Dick's form as we circled. As far as I could tell, he hadn't changed it any since we last fought. He was being slightly cautious to begin with, but the same moves were all there. He moved on the balls of his feet, planning his moves to work well with his agility and acrobatics. He studied me as I moved, probably noticing that I was surer on my feet and quite a bit more confidant in my abilities. I was being careful not to show anything else. I waited for him to make the first move.
He obliged with a feint to the right side. I didn't even blink, since it was a very obvious ploy. I even lowered myself so far as to cock a mocking eyebrow in his direction. He grinned back at me and came at me with a strong-arm punch. I blocked with my right forearm and avoided the leg sweep that followed. He came up from that with a full front kick and once again, I was able to avoid easily. His eyes narrowed slightly, I'd have never been able to duck that one three years ago without at least getting tagged.
Before he could totally process what that might mean, I attacked. I somersaulted forward, going head over heals in front of him, coming up to catch him around the waist with my legs before he could move. Using my momentum I flipped him to the ground and continued to roll, landing on my feet as he climbed back to his. Now it was war. I thoroughly enjoyed the look on Dick's face as I blocked everything he threw at me, including a few things that I think he made up on the spur of the moment. After about two minutes of this, I moved through his guard, anticipating his acrobatics to avoid me and took him to the ground. We rolled around for a few seconds and then I pinned him.
From my perch on top of his body, I grinned at him. He was trying a couple of tricks to get away, but I had him and he knew it. "I could make you say it, y'know. But I won't. Yet." In the background I could hear Cass and Babs laughing. I rolled off of him and stuck out a hand to help him to his feet.
He was slightly annoyed that I'd won, but he was grinning anyway. "Ok, Timbo, you've done some practicing somewhere. I'd better start working out." Bruce was watching with a twinkle in his eye. Well, it was actually more of a glimmer, or maybe the light was shining in his eyes. Whatever the case, he didn't look all that surprised that I'd taken Dick. I wondered if he could read styles as well as Cass could, it wouldn't surprise me that he could.
I felt somebody move behind me and I turned instinctively to find Cass in the center of the mat. She beckoned me with two fingers of one hand and did a remarkable imitation of Dick's smirk. Behind me, I heard Dick laugh. "Heck, it might be worth it to see her kick your tail. Alfred, do you have any popcorn? No wait, come back, I was just kidding. Alfred!"
As Dick dragged Alfred away from his kitchen, I looked at Cass. This would be a little more difficult. Who am I trying to fool? This would be a lot more difficult. Still, maybe it was better that the clan learn the depth of my training now. She'd removed her cape, and detached the cowl from her costume. Her belt was carefully coiled up beside her cape. I removed the outer part of my boots, leaving the soft inner toe splits that were better for balance. I also removed my thick reinforced outer shirt, leaving me in a thin muscle shirt. I was going to need the mobility. Plus, it looked like she'd removed her bulletproof undervest, although I didn't even want to think about how she did that and left the costume on. Alfred and Dick returned, Dick apologetically carrying a huge bowl of popcorn.
Well, let's see if my training was as good as I thought it was.
Chapter 4: Brotherly Conflict
I realized that I'd been thinking for at least ten minutes and the cave was still deadly silent behind me. I heard footsteps on the stairs again, as Cassandra returned, followed by the slower steps of Alfred. I could tell from where the footsteps stopped that they'd halted at the foot of the stairs and joined the rest of the family in waiting for my reaction. I'd so hoped that there would be a valid reason for the years of silence, and although I now had yet another issue that I needed to discuss with my Dad, it was now time to repair my relationship with my real family.
I could imagine that there had been some mighty heated battles over this issue, and it wasn't fair to make them wait any longer. I'd been lonely, but I could at least understand why they had done what they did, and I would have probably made the same decision Bruce had. I felt years of worry roll off my back. The very thought that they were seriously concerned about how I'd react reassured me that they did care about me. He did care.
I turned the chair back around. They were still standing there, watching me. Oracle's face was white with strain. Cass was clutching Alfred's hand, who was looking at me with barely concealed hope on his face. Dick was biting his lip, and Bruce was back in full-fledged Bat mode, with no emotion on his face and his arms crossed in front of him. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Bruce." Everyone was still frozen in place as I opened my eyes and continued, my voice shaking slightly from the strain. "I'm not dealing with the idea that Dad would disown me all that well now; it would have probably killed me a couple of years ago. I'm sorry you had to make a decision like that." I managed a rather shaky smile.
I wanted to say something else, but nothing seemed to come to mind. Anyway, I didn't have a chance since the room erupted. Barbara was cheering, as Alfred submitted to a hug from Cassandra, and I swear I saw Bruce's shoulders slump with relief. Dick was headed towards me for his long awaited back pounding and hug and I had to laugh at the look on his face when I stood up. I guess he wasn't expecting me to be as tall as he was. He threw his arms around me and slammed me on the back. He quietly whispered in my ear, "Thanks, Tim, he's been dreading this for years. He just thought I didn't notice. I was going to have to kick your butt if you hurt him." He pulled back and grinned at me. "Gosh, you grew. What'd they feed you over there?"
I smirked at him, happy to forget about Dad for a while. "Lots, that's all I asked. And what makes you so sure you could kick my butt anymore?" I turned away before he could challenge me right then and there.
I almost ran into Cassandra and Alfred, who was being dragged along protesting all the way. I gathered that he wanted to go upstairs and fix food for everyone, and Cass was totally ignoring his protests. Alfred stuck out his hand for me to shake and then smiled as I totally ignored it and gave him a hug. I was shocked to see that he looked older than I'd remembered. Cass settled for a huge grin and a handshake. She'd definitely grown up over the last couple of years. Of course, seeing her in the Batgirl costume left little to the imagination. Wow was an understatement.
I managed to get through the melee and down the steps to Bruce who was still standing in the center of the room. The room fell silent again as I neared him. He gave me a Bruce smile, which consisted of a slight upward twitch, and I grinned back. "Welcome back, Tim." Like Alfred, he stuck out his hand to shake and I gave him my very best 'you've got to be kidding' look. I gave him a hug and was amazed that he returned it, although very awkwardly. Hmm, maybe he'd softened up a little in his old age. I grinned to myself as I considered the wisdom of sharing this comment. Nah.
I was just so relieved that there had been a reason for them not contacting me, and it hadn't been that I wasn't useful anymore. I was also glad that they seemed to welcome me back. I had been so hurt for the first two years. It had only been in the last couple of months that I considered that there may have been a good reason. I had just wanted to know why, and since I did now, I felt like a fifty pound weight had been taken off my shoulders. I wondered how far this welcome would extend and decided that that could wait for awhile. Deal with one thing at a time.
The next half an hour was full of questions. Cass wanted to know why I'd snuck in, and also how I got though the booby traps. Barbara wanted to know if I wanted an update on all of my superhero friends, and also how I'd managed to hack the computer. Alfred wanted to know if I was hungry, and if I was 'in good health'. Dick just wanted to know if I really thought that I could take him now. Bruce just sat in the chair that I had vacated and watched the proceedings with just the faintest hint of amusement in his eyes. I knew he wanted to ask me about my dad but was waiting for a more opportune moment. We still needed to talk, and we both knew it, but I know I was relieved that the hardest part was over.
Out of all of the questions, I thought it might be fun to deal with Dick's first. I'd have felt really funny just announcing some of the changes I'd made in my life, and this gave me ample room to show off one of the biggest. I interrupted his diatribe about how I'd never been able to take him and never would be able to take him, and remarked with a gleam in my eye that there was only one way to solve this suitably. He took the bait with remarkable ease, and led the way to the practice mat. The others followed and Babs activated a camera and monitor in the gym as we came in. I noticed that Bruce was paying very close attention to us. Hmm, he probably is just as curious as Dick as to whether or not I've gotten any better over the years.
I allowed myself an inward smirk. This was going to pay back years of having to admit that Dick was the best. There was no way that any of them had any suspicion of just how I'd spent my free time while in exile. I'd employed more stealth and trickery in a couple of years than I'd even dreamed was possible before I left the States.
Dick removed his mask and gauntlets and moved to the center of the mat. I shrugged out of my jacket and removed my weapons belt as it went, keeping them hidden in the folds. No use warning Dick that I'd picked up some ninja stuff somewhere. I moved to meet Dick and we began the dance.
I think that Cass was the first to pick up on the fact that I'd learned a few things. She was used to reading body language, and I'd definitely changed dialects. She said nothing, only stiffened slightly and watched me. I studied Dick's form as we circled. As far as I could tell, he hadn't changed it any since we last fought. He was being slightly cautious to begin with, but the same moves were all there. He moved on the balls of his feet, planning his moves to work well with his agility and acrobatics. He studied me as I moved, probably noticing that I was surer on my feet and quite a bit more confidant in my abilities. I was being careful not to show anything else. I waited for him to make the first move.
He obliged with a feint to the right side. I didn't even blink, since it was a very obvious ploy. I even lowered myself so far as to cock a mocking eyebrow in his direction. He grinned back at me and came at me with a strong-arm punch. I blocked with my right forearm and avoided the leg sweep that followed. He came up from that with a full front kick and once again, I was able to avoid easily. His eyes narrowed slightly, I'd have never been able to duck that one three years ago without at least getting tagged.
Before he could totally process what that might mean, I attacked. I somersaulted forward, going head over heals in front of him, coming up to catch him around the waist with my legs before he could move. Using my momentum I flipped him to the ground and continued to roll, landing on my feet as he climbed back to his. Now it was war. I thoroughly enjoyed the look on Dick's face as I blocked everything he threw at me, including a few things that I think he made up on the spur of the moment. After about two minutes of this, I moved through his guard, anticipating his acrobatics to avoid me and took him to the ground. We rolled around for a few seconds and then I pinned him.
From my perch on top of his body, I grinned at him. He was trying a couple of tricks to get away, but I had him and he knew it. "I could make you say it, y'know. But I won't. Yet." In the background I could hear Cass and Babs laughing. I rolled off of him and stuck out a hand to help him to his feet.
He was slightly annoyed that I'd won, but he was grinning anyway. "Ok, Timbo, you've done some practicing somewhere. I'd better start working out." Bruce was watching with a twinkle in his eye. Well, it was actually more of a glimmer, or maybe the light was shining in his eyes. Whatever the case, he didn't look all that surprised that I'd taken Dick. I wondered if he could read styles as well as Cass could, it wouldn't surprise me that he could.
I felt somebody move behind me and I turned instinctively to find Cass in the center of the mat. She beckoned me with two fingers of one hand and did a remarkable imitation of Dick's smirk. Behind me, I heard Dick laugh. "Heck, it might be worth it to see her kick your tail. Alfred, do you have any popcorn? No wait, come back, I was just kidding. Alfred!"
As Dick dragged Alfred away from his kitchen, I looked at Cass. This would be a little more difficult. Who am I trying to fool? This would be a lot more difficult. Still, maybe it was better that the clan learn the depth of my training now. She'd removed her cape, and detached the cowl from her costume. Her belt was carefully coiled up beside her cape. I removed the outer part of my boots, leaving the soft inner toe splits that were better for balance. I also removed my thick reinforced outer shirt, leaving me in a thin muscle shirt. I was going to need the mobility. Plus, it looked like she'd removed her bulletproof undervest, although I didn't even want to think about how she did that and left the costume on. Alfred and Dick returned, Dick apologetically carrying a huge bowl of popcorn.
Well, let's see if my training was as good as I thought it was.