Bruce was suspicious of Tim's recent behavior. He kept running off by himself once they were out and always wanted to be the lookout. Bruce wanted to trust his son but with Catwoman collecting data all over the city about anything with her new group of teens, and rumors of super-villains getting together, he was worried. Reluctantly he put a bug on Tim's suit praying he wouldn't find anything he wouldn't want to.
Tim landed on the roof of Wayne Enterprises as he had for the last two months. A quick glance around told him that he was alone as he started to look around the city for any disturbances. Tim was only there a few minutes before he heard someone approach turning he saw a familiar outline of Lynx. "Have we met?" Tim said bowing like a gentleman.
"Perhaps," she smiles and offered a curtsy.
"What are we interviewing about tonight?" He asked keeping his eyes on the city as she sat on the ground facing the other way. Tim sat next to her both of them facing different directions and but in a position where they could still see each other.
"Selena is pushing me again."
"Is this the top secret thing again?" Tim asks as Lynx nods slowly.
"All of her planning revolves around this one thing I have to do," Lynx whispered.
"Is it illegal?"
"No," Lynx sniffled; "It's just really twisted and involves a man old enough to be my father. I hate her."
"Does it involve your father?"
"No, but if he knew... I don't know what he'd do this time," she said, "I have this fixed image of him and if I ever met him that image might be shattered."
"Why?" Tim asked looking into her eyes.
"I'd be afraid to disappoint him, not like I already wouldn't, but he might tell me I deserved it and I don't think I could take that. Not from him. He doesn't even know we exist but he's always been the weight against Selena," she said looking at the ground.
"Have you ever contacted him?" Tim pressed.
"God no," she said starting to lookout over the city again; "What would I say? 'Hi I'm your daughter and these are your sons.' Besides I tried once."
"When?"
"About four years ago. I messed up a job on purpose and Selena almost threw me off a building. I told her I was leaving and she told me if I was stupid enough to think I could leave I could try to find someone who would take me in. I knew my contracts were still in full use with Two Face, Joker, Penguin and Poison Ivy but I called my father's house. I figured if anyone would help me he would," she licked her lips, "I shouldn't be talking about this."
"No keep going," Tim urged as she leaned on his knees.
"Well I got through to his house and an older man told me he was at work, so he connected me. The phone rang a couple of times and he picked up but I got disconnected."
"How?"
"Selena, she found me calling. If my brothers hadn't come back... I don't know what would have happened. I was out of the business for two weeks, she got so mad at me, we lost the crown jewels because of me. She still hasn't let me forget it."
Tim took off his glove and touched her face rubbing her cheek. "Why don't you just leave? I know you won't leave without your brothers but if she hits you like that... It's not right Catherine. It's just not right."
Lynx takes off one of her gloves and touches Tim's hand with hers. Tim watches her as she seems to take in everything he wanted to say with that hand. He wanted her, she was perfect to his eyes, he had never felt this way about anyone. It was like she was constantly crying because of what her mother was making her do, he wanted to stop those tears more than anything. Lynx looked up at him with a small bit of hunger in her eyes.
Slowly Tim reached up and removed her mask, she never resisted. She was stunningly beautiful, even more so than Catwoman. Blond hair touched her shoulders forming perfectly around her face, glassy blue eyes looked at him, drawing him in, her skin had just a hint of a natural tan which matched nicely with her pink-red lips and there was a faint blush in her cheeks. Tim was certain that she would be a photographer's dream as he inched closer to her. Her eyes watched as he gently touched his lips with hers, Tim felt as if everything were upside down and then the biggest surprise happened, she kissed back.
He pulled away as she looked back over Gothum again. His breath was caught in his chest as he looked at her. "Perhaps I should call it a night," she suggested.
Tim nodded as she stood up and walked away. "Robin," he heard after he had stood and turned around to see Lynx still standing there, her mask still off.
"Yes?" He asked hopefully.
Lynx ran over to him and pulled his head down to hers kissing him. Tim wrapped an arm around her waist as she kept kissing him, 'god she was wonderful.' She pulled away but her taste still lingered on his lips; "Good night Tim."
Gradually he let his hand around her waist drop as she put her mask back and started to walk away; "Lynx?" Tim called after her.
"Yes?"
"Think about what I said, you deserve more than being beat for wanting to talk to your father. Your brothers to, you don't have to do this any more. Selena may say it's not true but you do have options," he said.
"Thank you Robin," she smiled, "I'll think about it."
Tim went back to the cave thinking everything was fine, but when he got there all three of his partners were standing in front of the bat computer. "I can explain that C on the math test..."
"Check your suit," Bruce said coldly his eyes narrowed as Tim pulled out his suit from the backpack he always carried. Under the cape covered by a black pocket he found Bruce's bug. Tim's emotions raged as Barbara stepped forward; "Tim we did it because we were worried. We never expected..."
"Explain," Dick commanded.
"I don't need to explain anything to you," Tim retorted.
Dick walked straight up to Tim and got into his face, "You better explain because by protecting that... Criminal you put all of us in jeopardy. And personally I'd like to know why my life's being risked. Do you like her Tim? Is that all this is? Some little romp with the wrong side?"
"Back off Dick. You have no clue what's going on," Tim spoke calmly balling his hands into fists.
"What is this Tim? Are you risking our lives for a booty call?" Dick demanded.
Tim couldn't take it any more he hit Dick squarely in the jaw sending him sprawling three feet to the ground. He lost no time and jumped on top of Dick punching as many times as he could. Bruce was out of his chair and pulled Tim off of Dick; he really didn't blame Tim, Dick had taken it to far. Bruce nodded to Barbara to get Dick out of here and soon they were gone.
Bruce stared down at Tim who was sitting in the computer chair. "Tell me everything," Bruce stated.
Tim talked Bruce through everything except for the most important fact that he had figured out. "I know who their father is too," he said running his fingers through his hair.
"She told you?"
"I pieced it together."
"Who?"
"Someone who lives in Gothum, someone whose image would be tainted if the public found out he had triplet criminals for children, someone whose identity could kill them in the circles they work in," Tim urged.
"What are you saying?" Bruce asked looking at the computer.
"I think you know exactly what I'm saying," Tim said standing and taking an envelop out of his bag; "She gave me this lock of her hair. Let me know if I'm right." Tim threw it on the keyboard then left the cave.
With shaky hands Bruce took out a piece of hair and ran a DNA match search on it. Selena came up as the mother, of course, and Bruce clicked a button to see the father. The computer screen's picture seemed foreign to him, his image never looked so strange and so good at the same time. 'God,' he thought, 'I have a daughter. I have a daughter and two sons.'
(A/N: DUM, DUM, DUM... Ok sorry. Back to the story.)
Tim landed on top of the Wayne building again but this time Lynx was already there. He walked over to where she was sitting; "Catherine?"
She wiped tears away and looked at him; "Don't call me that any more."
"Why?"
Lynx stood up and looked at him; "Selena's deals went through, she's leaving and we've been sold. Two million each, I guess I'm suppose to be proud. I can't see you any more Tim."
"Catherine..."
"I told you Robin," she added, "Don't call me that any more. It's Lynx, it's going to be Lynx for the next 15 years."
"Catherine," Tim said hastily, "I know who your father is."
Her head shot up like a rocket; "Please Tim, please don't tell him. Selena will kill me, contracts or no contracts, she'll kill me. The politics in the whole thing, for him, for us. This is one of those secrets that ruins people," Lynx begged. Just then from behind the pair comes the tall dark figure, his expression was unreadable.
Lynx stared at Tim; "I'm dead."
Tim pushed Lynx toward the Dark Knight; "Here's your chance."
"What am I suppose to say?" Lynx whispered.
"What ever you want," Tim said.
Lynx looked up at the Dark Knight then looked at the ground. Bruce stepped forward and unmasked her; a bruise over her right eye bloomed black and blue. "What happened?" He asked.
"Oh," she said touching the bruise; "I got out of line. It was my fault, besides I bruise easily."
"I doubt that," he says, "do your brothers know that your coming to see Robin?"
"Anthony does."
Bruce wraps an arm around her waist and they flew off to the cave. Once there Bruce went into doctor mode; she took off her suit and he treated any wound he found, every resource he had he used. He was amazed that she was still walking; three broken bones, a sprained wrist, two of her fingers were barely being held together, a dislocated knee and there were signs that she was recovering from internal bleeding. Catherine offered different reasons; 'It has been a bad week,' 'I'm clumsy,' and even, 'I brought it on myself.' But when Bruce told her that it appeared Selena was just using her as a human punching bag and it was not from training or fighting off others she fell silent.
Lynx sat in the high back chair in a pair of jogging pants and a zip up sweatshirt almost two hours after Tim had met her on the roof. She examined the brace on her left wrist and the medical tape on her fingers. Bruce Wayne had used so many different types of instruments on her she almost fell asleep on the medical table. The off white one had somehow fixed the bones she had broken (the pelvis, shoulder blade, and ankle) and besides being a little sore they felt fine. A pure white machine scanned her knee and allowed him to relocate it almost instantly taking the pain away. The last machine was light gray and he shook his head when he had x-rayed her stomach with it, she thought it had something to do with organs.
"I shouldn't be here," she said, "Anthony will tell Selena and they will come for me. You'll have a war on your hands."
"I don't care what you've done, no one deserves this," Bruce said typing on the computer. Tim came out and handed her a cup of coffee; "Barbara is here and Dick is just getting up."
"What do they think?" Bruce says to Tim.
"Barbara understands but Dick is reluctant."
Just then Barbara walked in, her bag with her suit in it slung over her shoulder. She offered a quick smile before retreating to an adjacent room in the cave to change.
Lynx came up next to Bruce who still had his suit on but his mask off; "You don't need to do this," she told him, "It's like trying to save a dead body."
"Catherine," Tim said sadly looking at her.
"No Tim, it's true, no matter what happens I'm dead. If I leave now I might be able to get a head start and stop her from coming here. She won't follow me if I head north, she hates the cold."
"You aren't going anywhere," Bruce said solidly, "Your staying right here until I have everything figured out. And when she does come you will fight because if you don't she will kill you."
"I've been fighting my whole life," she said softly; "I'm tired."
"Good," a female voice came; "Then you'll be easier to take back." Bruce turned and stared down Selena. Tiger and Jaguar appear on either side of Catwoman; "Lynx get over here now."
Catherine grabbed her suit and went over to stand in front of Selena looking at the ground.
"You ungrateful little bitch," Selena spat; "I work my ass off so you can be queen and the only thing I ask for is for you to never contact him. And what is the first thing you do when you get within arms length? You better hope I can salvage the damage you've caused. You are so lucky your price was raised or I would kill you myself."
"Why?" Catherine said narrowing her eyes; "The deal was made."
"I was offered more for an extra agreement," Selena said grabbing her daughter's arm gruffly.
"What agreement?" Lynx demanded shaking off the hand.
"If I signed an underage license for your marriage," Catwoman said. Lynx's face distorted into horror at her mother's words. "And you will be grateful for what I have provided for you," her mother added.
Lynx stepped away, "How could you? You know I hate him. You would condemn me to a lifetime under a master like a slave? Do you not have a scrap of humanity left in you?"
"Calm down Lynx," Tiger said, "If you don't want to keep your contract we can still figure something out."
"Anthony it isn't that easy, she's got them all linked together and working for-"
Selena hit Lynx with all her might sending the girl flying five feet to the ground. "You should learn to guard your tongue better," she spat, "get up, we're leaving. And you will honor your contract or I will let him do more than just uncross your legs."
"You are not taking her anywhere Selena," Bruce demanded. The four had almost forgotten that they were there at all, he was now surrounded by his entire team.
"I'd like to see you stop me," she would have continued but suddenly turned to Jaguar.
"Lynx always was smarter than me," he said eyes narrowed exactly like his father's as he showed her the injection.
"Traitor," she whispered as she fell into her son's arms completely passed out.
Tiger walked over to his sister and helped her up; "You need to learn to duck," he said looking at her new mark. Anthony looked over the tape and brace on her hands; "Someone;s been taking care of you, I thank you for that," he says to the Bat family.
Jaguar chains Catwoman up with four different cuffs then slung her over his shoulder. "Is Cat alright?" He asked.
"Nothing she can't handle," Tiger says, "We need to pick up some pain killers though." Tiger looked at the team of super heroes, "What do we do about them?"
Jaguar raised an eyebrow; "We take Selena to the police station. Then get out of Gothum as fast as possible. Say your good-byes Catherine; Anthony call up the broker and sell everything get him to transfer it into the London account. I'll be back after I drop her off."
Jaguar leaves as Tiger pulls a cell phone from a pocket in his suit.
"Well we didn't have to do very much," Nightwing said crossing his arms and yawning; "I'm going back to bed." Barbara glanced at Bruce before heading after Dick saying something about going home. Tim was jumpy, Bruce might be able to take all of this standing around but he couldn't, trying to look as calm as possible he walked over to Catherine.
Catherine listened as Anthony talked to the broker then someone tapped her on the shoulder. Spinning around she found Tim still in his suit, gradually he took off his mask and gloves; before she knew what she was doing she hugged Tim. "I'm going to miss you Tim."
"You're still leaving?" He choked.
"We can't stay here Tim. Or contracts..."
"Please stay," he begged.
"Tim there is no way..."
"There is always a way," Bruce Wayne said from the computer counsel. Anthony clicked the phone shut and stood next to his sister. "If you agreed to go quietly and help the police I'm sure the asylum would let you out early for good behavior," he leaned against the table. Catherine looked longingly at Tim as Anthony pulled her away from him.
She looked up at Anthony with sad eyes. "Don't give me that look Cat. You know the rules it has to be unanimous, three for three remember?" He said.
"Please Anthony I've never wanted anything more," she begged.
"And what about the contracts?"
"You know we're no good once we go soft."
"They'll kill us for fun if we stay."
"So just some more threats to add to the pile. Besides we haven't been delivered yet," she said.