Author's Notes: And it keeps going. I'm heading out of town, just for 4 days this time, for a wedding, but will get back to posting when back home. Till then…!

Reality

March:

As promised, a month after the he'd begun receiving Bruce's common criminal files, Tim came to the Cave and found a note on the Bat Computer.

'Open file 11'

Tim took a seat, opened the proper file and instantly pictures of the worst of Gotham popped up. The teenager was certain Bruce did that on purpose to shock him. Quickly getting some organization, Tim began to file through the multiple "celebrities."

For the most part the young man found the villains of the city interesting in a terrifying way. There were some of the most intricate and disturbed people Tim had ever read about.

Charging through the files, Tim's mind quickly filed away information, but, in reality, he wasn't really reading in detail. He was on a mission.

Finding the folder, Tim swallowed before he opened it. A large white face, with glowing green hair and a smile that could stop anyone in the tracks, filled up the computer screen. This was the face of death.

The Joker.

Tim minimized the picture and began to shuffle through the hundred of files. His eyes finally fell on what he'd been searching for.

Ethiopia.

There it sat oh so innocently. The mouse wavered over it and finally, almost as more of a twitch, Tim doubled clicked the icon. A password screen pooped up and the teenager instantly felt his brain begin to do the computer whiz thing that it did.

In two hours, he'd managed to find a back way into the file.

A moment later, he wish he hadn't.

"Oh my God," Tim said as images on top of images flooded the screen over-lapping one another. In all of them the teenager could see the bloodied, disfigured, and obviously dead image of Jason Todd.

His Robin costume was torn and bloodied. His mask sat eschewed on his face, blood dripping over the top of it. He looks so young, Tim thought.

And then the reality sunk in. The young man felt his heart rate increase and his chest constrict. I'm having a panic attack, he thought. Images of himself, laying bloodied and dying on some floor flew through his mind. There's no reason to think I'm better than Jason. I could die just like him. I'm going to die just like him.

It was in the middle of this panic attack, that Alfred came downstairs after receiving a call from Bruce. He found Tim with his palms flat on the computer consol, breathing quickly and pale. Seeing what images filled the screen, the English man moved quickly and exited the file.

Tim turned to Alfred with wide-eyes. "He was killed," he whispered.

Alfred placed a warm hand on the teenager's shoulder. "He was, but you aren't him. That won't happen to you."

Embarrassingly, Tim felt tears rise in his eyes. "How do you know?"

Alfred smiled and took the young man into his arms. "Because I just do," he said and held the shaking boy until he calmed enough to get back to the work that waited for him.

………