Chapter Six: Casity

Tim shuffled his hands together as he walked down the street, his red backpack hanging loosely on his back, and the sound of his Batman key chain and the zipper clinging together seemed to be a metronome for his stride.

It was late, and Tim knew that. He could tell that it was almost 12:30 just by the amount of darkness. He knew that in just a few hours the sun would start to rise up just a little, then spring off into a long, new, day. He knew where he was, he knew that very well. If he kept walking down the street, took a right at the next intersection, then he would be at Crime Alley. He also knew if he kept walking straight down Crime Alley he would come to Kane Memorial Bridge and if he kept going on down that, he would arrive at Wayne Manor.

But what Tim did not know was what he was doing out here, wandering about with nothing to do, no reason besides the urge to walk. He yearned to dissolve into the shadows and take out his Robin costume that called to him from his backpack. He wanted it very badly, but resisted, feeling that he should just. wait.

So he did, and he kept walking onward, watching his sneakers with a steady glare, wondering if they would keep coming up, and pulling him forward. He knew they would, but it was something to wonder about.

He leapt onto the fence that lined the dirty street, and balanced on it, ignoring the blaring horns, the blinding lights, and the shouts of annoyance than came from the few drivers hurrying to and from work.

Tim walked with a crocked smile and rhythm, happy to be away from Manor, away from all of Bruce's high social parties, glad to be. 'What am I thinking?' He demanded as he paused, looking into the red sky. 'I am always alone!'

"Get off the ledge! You could fall into this da*n road and get hit by a da*n car!" A driver screeched as she slowed down, glaring at the boy. "You have no brain in that pretty head of yours?"

Tim jumped to the ground, gave a half shrug, and watched the driver speed away. Then with that, he got back onto the fence with great style, flipping onto his hands, performing a long headstand and turning his feet over, planting them on the steel bar. Tim then continued on his way, shoving both hands into the pockets of his thing lightweight jacket.

"Timothy Drake?"

The voice surprised the boy and he looked to his right, looking at the stopped car with a vacant expression. "Who're you?"

"Oh come now, it's me, ol' Rigs, you and your old man used to live in my apartment!"

"Oh, yeah." Tim muttered, blushing slightly. "Yeah."

"You've grown a lot boy!" He stated. "S'hard to believe that the apartment closed down after all those years. sorry about that, it must have been hard to move."

Tim shook his head. "Actually I left before the place shut down, but I'm sorry to hear that. I-I didn't really know that much, I'm not up to date on home."

"I don't blame you! You know, I saw your mother the other day! I went up and talked to her, she told me that she was moving here, and all. I was surprised to see her, but she said that she had been living at the old Tavern for years! I guess that shows how up to date I am, huh?"

Tim's mouth fell. "She said she was living here? That she had been living here?"

"For years." Rigs added with a grin. "I knew you would be happy to hear that, s'your own mother, she was a good woman. So was your father, I was proud to know them, but sad to hear that after such a short time they separated!"

Tim took off, dodging to the ground, and running down the street, leaving a full mouthed Rigs to himself once more.

Tim ran hard, pushing through the crowds of people, and forcing his way down the streets, dodging the few cars that came at him. He made his way to Tavern's old place, and it looked more ran down than ever. The paint was peeling off of it and the old welcome sign hung sadly by a single rusted nail.

Tim pushed on the door, watching it swing open with a single creak. He entered, smelling the rotting wood that seemed to reek from every corner. A few unattended dishes lay on the card table.

"She's as messy as dad." Tim whispered as he backed away. Looking at the ceiling. Hearing footsteps sounding off simultaneously above. The boy walked over to the old staircase that seemed to be abandoned. He began to make his way up them, looking carefully for any sign of his mother.

The voices grew louder as he lifted up the old staircase. He listened as best he could, making out what was being said.

"Forget the boy and let's go back to Central!" A man was arguing loudly.

"I can't just forget him, I can't just leave! I came here to get rid of him, and I won't leave till I do just that! Two Face messed up, and didn't tell me, well, it's about times that I clear this situation up!"

Tim recognized his mothers voice and slid down to his belly, craning his neck forward, trying to hear every word spoken.

"We can get married if he is dead or alive, I still don't understand what is so wrong with that!" Came the man again, his voice edged with annoyance. "We love each other don't we?"

"I can't get married until my past life is gone, totaled." There was a pause, but then the woman continued. "After Steven had the affair with that other woman I couldn't stand it, I refused to live there any longer, so I left. There was no reason for my bringing Tim, Steven loved the boy, and I had no feelings for either of them.

Two-Face took me in when I was broke, he provided me with a job, and he but a roof over my head. I owe him everything. I got closer and closer to the monster until he learned of my past. But little did I know that he was employing Steven at the time. So Two-Face and I made a deal. I killed a man that he wanted out of the picture, rob some formula from him, and he would kill my past, Steven, his girl friend, and Tim.

But it didn't go as well as planned. I killed the man, got the formula, and Two Face did little. He went over to Steven and Steven's girlfriend. Though he killed the woman, Steven ran. That was unexpected.

You see, Steven was in a secret with Two-Face, and held something of importance. So Two-Face tracked him down, until we discovered where Steven was living.

Instead of finding Steven, he found Tim, and the boy had what Two-Face wanted. So Two Face took it and ordered the boy killed, still in with the agreement. But somehow he was stopped, and Tim lived.

I followed Steven into Metropolis and finished him off as quickly as I could. I returned to Two-Face and he told me everyone was dead, and all was ready. He told me my past was gone as promised, so I gave him the formula." The woman explained, her voice trailing into a whisper.

Tim swallowed understanding that this was not about money. This was about his death. This woman talking a few feet away had murdered his father.she had killed him!

"Now Two Face put me on this job, and I found out that Tim was alive. So now I am going to finish him, and then if I have time kill Gordon." She finished, drawing a deep breath. "Then we can leave to Central and live the rest of our lives out."

The man grumbled something under his breath and then spoke loudly. "I don't understand why you are planning to kill Gordon, Two-Face lied to you!"

"I would rather remain friends with him then have him for an enemy. If I do this, it means that Gotham is gone to crime and Two Face says I will profit greatly, and I want that. I want money so I know that I can make mistakes and not be hurt by them."

"What if The Batman remains, what if this new commissioner Two Face was talking about backs down and a new, stricter one steps up? Is that something to lean on?"

"This new commissioner that Two-Face was talking about will step up! He wants a clean city, and says he can cleanse Gotham from crime, and do that without Batman's help. He means business, he is the opposite of Gordon almost completely."

"What if Batman refuses to stop working? He and Gordon are good friends, he will find out who killed him! I say we get out of this before it is too late!"

"If Batman doesn't give up, then he will be as worthless as a criminal. I already sent them out to kill Gordon. I heard that he was hiding in his daughter's apartment, and with all luck, he is as good as dead. You worry too much; The Batman won't have time to look. He will be much to busy running from the police."

Tim backed away, shaking his head, letting what was said work through his mind. He swallowed hard and turned, beginning down the stairs. He had to tell Bruce what he heard, if Gordon was killed, then.

"HEY!"

The boy swung his head around, eyes wide as a man leapt through the air, arms spread out ready to tackle Tim. The boy reared back, trying to make a dash away, but tripped on the on coming stair and fell, tumbling down the long line of wooden stairs.

"You?!?! How did you find out where I was staying?" Tim's mother demanded as her eyes widened.

The man landed at Tim's head, and then dropped his knee into the boy's throat and looked up at the woman. "Who's this?"

"This is Timothy Drake, I suppose this is our lucky day."

Tim brought both arms up, grabbing the man's knee and tossing him off. "Don't be so sure!" He pointed a finger up to the woman. "I heard everything! You are not getting away with this, I'll tell the police, and they'll find you, they'll put you away forever for this!"

She chuckled, making her way towards him slowly. "How do you plan to get away, hmm? There is no way out, and besides, you are much too late, the commissioner is already dead."

"Not really, I have all the time in the world! I already called Bruce, and he's on his way to the police!" Tim lied, his face red with anger. "Your going down, all of you."

"Gambet, kill him." She shook her head. "I don't believe him."

The man nodded. "I don't either." His hands made a grab for Tim, but the boy swung his head down, and then curled his hand into a fist, thrusting it into the man's head. He looked up at the woman for a moment, and then leapt onto Gambet's back, flinging himself at her. "You'll be in jail for MURDER!"

Yet right before he could make a kick, Gambet grabbed his leg, jerking him back, surprising the boy. Gambet was a tall, thin man who looked like his only weapon was his brain, but the force Tim felt told otherwise. Tim flipped around, slamming into the wall, leaving a large dent in the plaster that was already badly chipped. "Fuuu-"

"Did that da*n father of your teach you that vulgar language?" She hissed, glaring down at him. "He was nothing, he ruined his own life, and mine. and Timmy love, he ruined your with it."

Tim got to his feet with great speed only to be knocked back down by Gambet.

"I have no choice, I am bound to my past, and the only way to destroy that is by destroying you." Here eyes flashed with hatred. "My family disowned me because of what Steven did, my friends left me for it, and my whole reputation was down the drain! My husband committing adultery! It might happen all the time now-a-days, but it is a shame to do such a thing!"

Tim glared at Gambet, working with what he had, studying the figure trying to find out what type of advantage there might be.

"I didn't deserve that!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, tears flowing as she sobbed uncontrollably. "I thought we were happy, I thought it was working, until." She looked away, out a window. When she spoke next, Tim shivered, her voice was bold, yet soft, the voice he had heard with The Joker, the voice he had heard when fighting Two-Face, the voice he had endured when going against a murderer. "I have a job to do, and I need to do it."

She drew out a gun, and pointed it at the boy. "I don't care any more, I have nothing to live for. Not anything." Then she pulled the trigger, smiling almost as Tim's face brightened with fear.

The boy moved away, swaying over to where Gambet stood, watching in silence. "No one kills me that easily!" Tim yelled as he shoved down, letting Gambet become a living shield. "Especially a bitc* like YOU!"

Gambet saw it coming, and he could do nothing but listen to the boy yell as the bullet pierced through his chest.

Tim jolted, as blood flung onto his face, stinging his eyes as it seemed to pour onto him.

"G-Gambet?" The woman managed as she dropped the bun, running down the stair to where her fiancé lay, unmoving, blood seeping from his head. "OhmygoodlordIkilledHIM!"

Tim scrambled up the stairs, picking up the gun hastily and pointing it down at the woman, watching as she turned with anger in her eyes.

"That bullet was meant for you! Not for HIM!" She eyed the gun with a nod. "I see, now you want to kill me do you?"

"You earned it! You killed all those people!"

"So shot me, my purpose for living is no longer worthwhile."

"I would rather have to live in jail for the rest of your miserable life! Thinking of what you did, whom you killed! Including him!" He pointed nodded toward the dead figure of Gambet.

"You think you have me under control?" She pulled out a dagger and raised it into the air. "You think you can blame me for what happened to Gambet? Is that what you think?" She placed the pointed end to her heart and walked toward the boy. "I didn't kill anyone who didn't deserve it! You killed Gambet, not me!"

"Don't lie to your self, it was you."

"Lies!" She screamed, coming inches away from him, pushing the knife slightly into her chest. "Shot me, spare me this cruel pain, I die either way!"

Tim paused, watching with wonder as she screamed, wishing to die. "No."

The woman jerked the knife out, and then stabbed it into the boy's shoulder. "YOU DIE!"

Tim ducked and threw the gun across the floor, kicking the woman's legs from under her, causing her to fall back, down the stairs, unconscious onto the dead body belonging to Gambet. He then pulled the knife out with a gasp. "Ohhh, urg. Now to save Gordon."



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How do you like it? We all wondered how Tim's dad died, we all wondered where Tim's mom went, and we all wondered what she was doing. Well at least I did, heh. So, now to the next chapter. -Casity