Where the idea came from: read earth 2 vol 1 recently. Heard rumors that Jason would be their new Batman, but what happened to Dick, Tim, and the girls there? Court of Owls is crucial to the beginning. Should be interesting. This was before any other volumes were out and before anyone else was IDed in that world.

Earth 2 Batclan

Prologue: Five years ago

"Get him out of here!"

The Owl's orders were absolute, no matter what he felt inside most days. This time he didn't debate. The building was collapsing and parademons were attacking everyone. Taking a child and running was one order he'd take in a heartbeat.

Picking up the small boy, the young Talon ran as fast as his legs could carry him. The child screamed after his father, much like he had once long ago; but despite the protests, he didn't stop. They kept running, moving, dodging, getting as far from the monsters as they could. They had to get to safety.

Twenty minutes later they were away from the warzone, but not safe. Not yet. The Talon tried to find something, some sign, that could be a safe haven. But if the Court of Owls was infiltrated, destroyed, what was the likelihood of their passages and protection being good anymore? Glaring in thought, the young assassin in training tried to figure this out. He still had a mind that could think for itself thankfully. If his training wasn't interrupted by the war going on outside, requiring every Talon to go out and fight, he might not have the individual will he somehow maintained all these years. And if it weren't for the shaking, crying child in his arms, he might be with the rest of them, dead fighting this never ending war.

"Daddy... Mommy..."

He looked down at the child he was holding as he caught his breath for the moment, and for that moment he saw himself. They were around the same age when they both lost their parents: one to the Court, and the other to Apokilips. This boy was just beginning his training to join the Court when the war started. It seemed like the war saved both of them from a different fate, but condemned them to a worse one.

The Court was exposed in the chaos. Majority of their members were hunted down and killed by those monsters. The remaining sent the Talons out to fight the invading horde, or as bodyguards for their remaining members. He was this boy's. And he had failed to protect his family.

"Shh..." He slid his back against a crumbling wall, crumbling to the ground as he tried to comfort the boy. He rubbed the young hatchling's back as he rocked him, mimicking the vague memories he had of his mother when she helped him through a nightmare. "It's going to be okay. It's going to be okay."

"But... Mommy and Daddy..." The boy sobbed, barely able to speak. He was terrified. A sweet boy who should have seen more happiness and sunlight instead of the darkness that came with the Owls and the war. Why did good children have to be dragged into the darkness like they were? "They're... they're..."

"I know..." His head drooped, lightly touching the kid's. Mask touched mask, but couldn't hide how they felt. "Mine are too. I miss them every day. But..." He looked the child in the eye as he tried to give him hope. The last rays of hope he still had from his childhood. "We have to live for them. For our parents. It's what they'd want. They want us to be happy, to live and to grow. We'll make it through this. We will. Remember Superman? He's out there somewhere, fighting the bad monsters and trying to save the world."

This made the boy look up at him for a moment too. "Batman too."

He blinked, vaguely remembering there were other heroes out there. Batman. He heard the name before and slightly resented it. If he was supposed to be the hero of Gotham, why hadn't he saved him as a boy? Saved him from the Court? But this child believed in him, so he nodded. "Batman too. They'll end this. They'll end this and..."

He stopped. If the war ended, what would happen next? What would they do? He was a Talon, made to serve the Court. Though he fought the programming in him at every turn, it didn't change the fact he was a slave, and this boy was supposed to become his master.

But if he killed his masters...

The roar of a parademon broke his thoughts, jerking his head around to find the source while a small face buried itself into his clothes, frightened. The Talon held on to him protectively, instinct taking over. He couldn't let this child be hurt. How could he even consider killing a scared kid? There had to be another way, a way they could both live. A way they could fly free. But only after this war was over.

He struggled to his feet and started running again amongst the ruins in that part of Gotham. He slid to a halt in front of a manhole with an owl on its cover, pulling it off and leaping down below. If he followed this line they could get to a bunker and-

The roar of three parademons surrounding them stopped him in his tracks. Three. He hadn't even managed to kill one! And with a kid in his arms... Quickly he threw a knife into the throat of the closest one then dived between the legs of next one, one arm around the kid the entire time. He managed to hamstring that one before running as fast as he could, going in the opposite direction of the bunker. He was running out of ideas and who knew how many more of these things were out there.

The child in his arms shook in fear, not able to even look up at the fighting. His tight grip on his protector made it easier for him to fight, but not to the fullest ability. If he was going to really take down these demons, he'd have to let go of the kid. But one look at him and he knew he couldn't. This boy needed him. Needed him more than anything right then. Abandoning him and running would save his own skin easily, but one thing the Court couldn't take from him was his humanity.

As they came to a truly dead end, he took a shaky breath and started to accept it. It was over. They were going to die. The youngest Talon and the youngest entry into the Court of Owls. If this was it, they may as well face death in the eye.

Turning around, he watched the angry monsters coming towards them. The child's strangled, fearful sobs, drove needles into his heart, far deeper than the fear of dying at the hands of these things. Quietly he tried to soothe the boy's last moments, rubbing his back and holding him closer as he crooned in his ear. "Shh... It'll be alright. We're going to be alright. We'll be seeing our parents soon. It'll all be over soon."

Slowly he closed his eyes as they came closer, waiting for the inevitable. "It'll be alright Timmy. I'm here. I won't leave you. We'll always be together."

'Because they'll never find us here,' he mentally added. A few tears dripped down his face as he mentally prayed it'd be quick. 'I'm sorry kid. I couldn't save you either.'

Slowly he opened his eyes again, watching them get closer to them. They roared menacingly, raising their weapons to strike the two down. Here it came.

But it didn't.

A high pitched screech filled the air for a moment, making him wince slightly but it was nothing in compare to what happened to the parademons. With only that warning, all three monsters collapsed before them. They shook for a moment, then... died.

They were dead.

The monsters hunting them were dead.

Dead.

The Talon gaped for a minute in shock, then fell to the ground, shaking in relief. They were alive. He and the boy were alive! The bad guys were down. By some miracle they survived! They could live for their parents' sakes.

They survived.

Relief flooded him as he sat in sewage, sparking a rise of giggles from his chest. They were alive! The good guys, Superman, Batman, and that Wonder Lady, they must have done something to save them all. The bad guys were dead. All dead. And they were alive.

"Timmy look." He eased his grip off the kid and prodded him to turn around and see what happened. "We won. They're dead. The bad guys are dead. We're safe now."

The boy looked at the monsters now laying in the sewage before them, dead as doornails. Despite the act being a sign of the bad being gone, he still shook and cried. After a moment the kid swayed and collapsed against the teen. One look at the boy and he smiled in compassion. All the fear and stress had exhausted him. And the kid was cute when he was sleeping.

Gently he held the boy close and picked himself off the ground. The Owl mask fell off the boy as he stood up, revealing a tear stained face of innocence, sleeping away. He caught the mask before it fell into the sewage and started moving forward. They had to get to that bunker and see what the damage was. Stepping on the monsters' corpses was very satisfying along the way. The idea they were safe from these monsters made him lighter, happier. Something he hadn't felt in a long time. He was smiling.

How long until that went away again?

All too soon they were at the bunker the Owls set up years ago. The Talon set the boy down on a cot in there, covered him with a blanket, then looked around as he peeled off his head gear. He never been in this bunker, just knew it had to be there. Every owl figure in the city was connected to the Court in one way or another and bunkers were typically accessible through the sewer system. The place had weapons on every wall and spare supplies in a closet to the side, both food and medical. When the war started, supplies for the Owls themselves were put in, just to be safe.

A computer terminal sat not too far away, one of the few that could connect to any and all networks around the globe. He hadn't had much time with computers, even before he was taken, but he did know how to read. Setting the masks aside, he pressed the on buttons to start it up. As soon as the contraption was up and running, he opened up a browser and looked through the favorite list for an active news network. It was already broadcasting what it could, mostly that parademons were dropping from the skies. The teen turned up the volume to hear the news.

"The towers are down!"

"Last reports see Superman and Wonder Woman outside the tower in Metropolis."

"Steppenwolf murdered Wonder Woman."

"Batman seen going into the Apokilips tower in Metropolis."

"Superman reported being ripped apart by parademons."

"Large explosions at every parademon control tower reported."

"Supergirl and the Batwing have disappeared into an opening boomtube."

"Multiple nuclear blasts at attacked bases of the World's Army."

"No signs of Batman exiting the tower before explosion."

"Looks like this is it people. The war is over! We've won! And all thanks to the sacrifice of our greatest heroes: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Supergirl, and Robin. These five are the ones responsible for taking down the towers from Apokilips, ending the parademon horde's collective consciousness and control, and ending all boomtube activity. My fellow residents of Earth, we are now free. The war is over."

He listened to every report, let them go on repeat for hours. They all said the same thing. War over. Wonders dead. Heroes saved them all. They were free.

For a moment he looked over to the boy still asleep on the cot. The world was free, but was he? Were they? It'd be so easy for him to slip out then and let the kid fend for himself. He personally would probably do better alone, but the kid wouldn't. He was just nine years old. If the boy survived to reach adulthood, he'd rejoin the Owls and hunt him down. May even remake the Court and Talons just to take over and get his revenge. So many things could go wrong if he left then.

But if the Court of Owls still existed... if they managed to survive like they had...

'It's a risk I'll have to take.' Taking a deep breath, the Talon settled in a chair next to the boy. Timothy. He had to remember. The child's name was Timothy. And his own name...

The teen kept a vigil next to the hatchling's side, waiting for the inevitable moment when he would awaken and cry for his parents; his parents who were surely dead. The hours past with only the continual reports on the computer screen and the boys breathing breaking the silence. While he waited, he tried to formulate plans. He didn't like planning too far ahead, and he hated manipulating people, but this was his chance. He only prayed this fledgling owl would change his nature before he too became like those controlling predators of the night.

Eventually the boy moaned in his sleep, nightmares taking control. His heart throbbing for him, the half-baked soldier picked him up and held him close to ease away his fears. Never could bear to see another suffer. Slowly the boy woke, tears in his eyes. The first thing he saw was the one who saved him from the monsters for so long, and he knew not everything was a dream.

"They're really gone, aren't they?" Timothy's small voice trembled as he asked, but he had to know the answer.

Slowly his soldier nodded. "Yes, they are."

Again the child trembled, traumatized to say the least. He curled further into the teen's chest, desperate for comfort. And the older boy eagerly gave it.

They sat in silence for a long time, strangled sobs and the news being the only sounds once again. The Talon could tell his charge was getting weaker by the minute and would need sustenance soon, but couldn't make himself leave the child for a moment. Eventually though, the boy spoke again.

"The monsters are all gone?"

"Seems that way." He looked back the way they came. "Those parademons coming after us just collapsed and died."

"You could take them."

He huffed out a weak laugh. "I doubt that."

"You can do anything. You can fly."

That made him blink, looking back down on the kid. "What?"

"I saw you fly. Years ago. You can do anything. I was so sad when they said you died..." He gripped his tunic even tighter, scared. "You came back. Will Mommy and Daddy come back too?"

Watching the innocent child for a moment, his mind started to reel. He knew him? Before he was taken by the Court? Though his mind strained to figure that out, he shook his head for the kid's sake. "No Timmy. I didn't die back then, they only made it look like I did. Your parents... they really..." He took a deep breath as he delivered the news once again. "They're gone. Really gone."

Hope left the kid's face. His eyes locked on the shirt he was grabbing before burying himself in it once again. "Are you going to leave me too?"

Again he shook his head, having already made his decision. "I won't. I'll stay with you, for as long as you need me." His head drooped a fraction as he admitted the truth. "I am your servant. I'll do whatever it is you need me to."

He couldn't say no to the boy, on so many levels. One because of his conditioning by the court, and two because he was just a child, one whose whole world was destroyed. Just like his was. He'd stay with him, for as long as he would have him. Being tied to a child was preferable to being back with the other Talons.

"I don't want a servant," the child murmured. He tugged on the guy's shirt a bit, making certain he was still there. "I just want my family back."

"I know." And he did know. It was all he wanted too. To go back to when life was good, back when it was him and his parents at the circus. He'd do anything to go back to happier days.

After a minute of silence, Timmy looked up at him pleadingly. "Will you be my family?"

He blinked, watching the kid again in surprise. Was he really asking? Watching his eyes for a moment, he relaxed and held him a little closer, running a hand through his hair. "Yes. I'll be your family, your big brother. Just promise me I'll never be a Talon, and I will always be your brother and never leave you."

"I promise," came the younger one's reply, and he knew he'd keep that promise. Hearing those words, knowing they had just changed fate, and would make it a happy life, warmed his heart more than anything.

They stayed like that for a while longer before he released his strong hold, smiling at his new brother comfortingly. He knew he'd be smiling more now, if not for his sake then for little Timmy. "Then I think it's time we were properly introduced. My name, the one my parents gave me, is Richard John Grayson. But everyone just called me Dick. And you are?"

"Timothy Jackson Drake. But you knew that." He blinked at the older owlishly. "Can brothers have different last names?"

"Don't know," Dick admitted. He inclined his head to the computer. "There's a lot I don't know. I'm supposed to be dead but I'm not. If we're going to make this work, we have a lot to learn before the dust settles. How good are you on a computer?"

1 - Six months ago

Dick Grayson cracked open an eyelid to see what the time was before even thinking about leaving his bed. It was soft, fluffy, and had a very cuddly visitor in it he didn't want to wake. Glaring at the numbers, he slowly eased himself into a sitting position. It was another day, and he had to get everything ready to go.

The small teen who frequently slept in the large bed with him murmured in his sleep, reflexively moving towards the warmth that was trying to leave. Dick smirked to himself as he put a comforting hand on Tim's back, making the kid relax once again.

Well he wasn't much of a kid anymore. He was going to turn fourteen that year. How the time flies.

Slowly the acrobat slid out of the blanket and recovered the boy so he could sleep for another half hour without any problems. He was up too late the previous night, and it was all Dick's fault. If he didn't need the little genius/ex-Owl chirping in his ear while he was out and about, the boy would have gone to bed at a decent hour. But as it was, Tim's voice was the only thing that would stop him from going too far.

Shaking his head at all the implications, the young man slipped out of the bedroom and towards the kitchen. He had breakfast and lunches to make. Silently he glided into the next most used part of their apartment/penthouse, turning on the radio to hear the local news as he worked. Cereal for himself and waffles and bacon for the growing teen, plus sandwiches for later in the day.

"Reports of a new Gotham vigilante have appeared now in every district." Hearing the report made him smirk, but Dick didn't say a single word. "Some say he's the son of Batman while others say he's a Kryptonian legend come to life. All anyone can confirm is he's a young man who wears mostly black, with some blue across his chest and arms. He has a simple mask on his face and black hair. Some people claiming to be attacked by this young man say he is a ruthless killer, while others who were saved by him say he's a charming flirt."

"Not my fault they're cute," he murmured, pouring the batter on the waffle iron. Even he liked to have fun on the job.

"He even protects children, rumored in having taken down the Gotham West Side trafficking ring last month. Thirty-seven children were recovered, and each had lollipops in hand when the police arrived."

"It's not done quite yet," the young man muttered to himself, thinking of recent events. Without a thought he slapped three slices of bacon on a nearby frying pan to get them to cook. Three for one and three for the other. "Still need to catch Zucco."

"Each time, the young vigilante says his name is Nightwing, after the acclaimed Kryptonian legend found in Lois Lane-Kent's book, 'From Rao's Krypton to God's Earth: Tales from the Home World of Superman'. Some people have noted the similarities between the legends of Nightwing and our own urban legend and Wonder, Batman. Because of the similarities, some have claimed Nightwing is the reincarnation of Batman, or the son we never knew about."

"Oh please!" Dick gave the radio a sidelong glare, annoyed. "Not every powerless vigilante has to be related to the big scary bat. I just liked the name."

"Regardless of who or what this Nightwing is, Gotham PD has issued a warrant for his arrest. Yes, despite all the good this young man has done, it does not change the fact he has taken the law into his own hands. As a reminder to all citizens around the globe, it is unlawful for anyone outside of law enforcement to apprehend or confront criminals."

"Nowadays that is." He pouted as he flipped over the bacon at the report. "Never heard of a citizen's arrest? Neighborhood watch? Sheesh... with the World Army everywhere, it's hard for good people to stand up for what's right anymore."

"If anyone has seen or is in contact with this Nightwing, please call your local police department at-" The anchorman rattled of a series of numbers but he didn't care. It was the same number every time they made an announcement like this. Kinda boring. Couldn't they spice it up? Put out the President's number once or twice?

That was an idea. The guy was an idiot and a jerk, so why not hack into the news coverage and make the anchors say the President's number? Maybe a bit illegal, but it was relatively harmless as a prank and knowing the CIA, they'd take care of it after the first call was made. That'd be a good way to stick it to the man.

The anchorman went on, now talking about a college football game. Mostly Dick tuned it out as he finished setting up breakfast, putting a cover over the hot foods to keep them warm until it was time to eat. His bowl of cereal was still dry and would be waiting for him after his shower anyway. He was kind of sick of wearing his Kevlar/nomex pants anyway.

Yawning and stretching, the new vigilante strode down the hall to the bathroom to shower. Occasionally he did a few flips and cartwheels to get the kinks out of his body, but mostly he practiced his stealth. Timmy still needed his sleep. Silly kid.

The shower itself was quite nice. Nightwing left him so exhausted last night he didn't do anything more than remove his shirt and boots before slipping into his bed. His kid brother was already there, passed out, and he wasn't about to move him, so he just laid down and fell asleep.

That was last night. Now it was morning. Time to wake up, clean up, then eat. Man he was tired. Yawning again, Dick started talking to himself. "How long until nights aren't a problem? A month? Two? A year? A- GAAAHH!"

The water somehow turned cold, jerking him out of his musings. Well, he was awake now. Angered, he pulled back part of the curtain and spotted a half asleep and blind Tim starting to leave the bathroom, the toilet bowl starting to refill itself. "Timmy!"

"Hm?" Bleary eyed, the teen turned to face him. Still not awake, at all. "Yeah?"

Frustrated, Dick tried to keep control of his temper while reprimanding the boy. "Didn't you hear the shower?! Don't use the toilet while I'm showering!"

"Oh... Right..." Tim yawned broadly and kept on going out of the room. "Forgot... Food..."

Sighing, the young man shook his head and finished up his cleaning ritual as quickly as he could. "Need to remember to lock the door... Probably should ask a doctor about teenaged low blood pressure too. Way too low lately."

He sighed a second time, turned the water off, and hurried to dry up before leaving the small room. Wrapped in only a towel, he hurried back to his room to get dressed, only to find Tim sleeping on his bed again. Sighing dramatically, Dick started nudging the kid awake. "Come on Timbo. You want to eat before school right?"

"Hmg..." The teen nearly growled in his sleep, really not wanting to wake up. He was such a heavy sleeper... Dick rolled his eyes, walked over to his chest of drawers and started pulling out something to wear that day, tossing each article of clothing onto the sleepy student. "Dick..."

"It's either you lay there and watch me get dressed before I drag you to breakfast, or get up yourself and get changed in your own room." He looked back to the teen, smirking a little. This would get him vertical. "Your choice."

Finally opening his dark blue eyes, Tim shoved himself upward, tossing the clothes back on the bed before leaving the room. Despite having spent the past four plus years with each other, the kid still had a propriety streak in him. Manners and cultural ethics were engrained into him as a hatchling by his parents, and like Dick he kept every one of those lessons and memories close to his heart. Thankfully the lust for power and money were not priorities in the Drake household.

Smirking, Dick shook his head and changed into dry, normal clothes. A plain white tee under a loose blue button down long sleeve shirt graced his top while soft, durable blue jeans covered his legs. His black canvas high tops finished his college kid image (hey, he was the right age for it), ending with a broken owl talon on a string necklace around his neck. It was simply a reminder of what he no longer was, and never will be again.

Once dressed, he slid several small weapons in the folds and pockets of his clothes, all in places for easy access. He needed them, always. Dick Grayson technically had custody of Tim Drake as his bodyguard and guardian, wishing they could have been brothers officially. Despite being able to fake his continuing existence in the legal world, and adapting the Drake's will to keep them together, they couldn't find any other way to handle their situation. Some documents were lost in the war, but not enough to completely cover their tracks. So Dick was Tim's bodyguard and caretaker to the world, that was it.

Boy would social services have a fit if they knew how much the kid hung onto him.

Tim had spent half the night keeping him in line over the comlink and had school that morning. He really needed all the sleep he could get. The kid was thirteen for pity's sake! A brilliantly smart thirteen year old halfway out of high school, but still thirteen. Fourteen in a couple months true, but still...

For a minute he watched his kid brother snoozing away, smiling to himself. The deal he made at the end of the war was so worth every second since. The Court of Owls were finished, dead, gone. So were the Talons. They were the last of each, and neither had fully formed in their traditions. All their resources were at their disposal, and they were using them for a completely different reason. The money and assets they possessed financed their life styles, and all their gear and hideouts took care of other needs. No one bothered them.

It had been relatively easy for Dick Grayson to come back from the dead and take custody of Timothy Drake. During the war records were destroyed everywhere. All they had to do was make official looking records and slide it into the system while it was down. Dick was declared an emancipated adult due to his orphan status without a fight, and the Drakes' will now made him the caretaker of their child. With the high amounts of children now in the system, Tim purposely slipping through the cracks was really easy. They did a good job covering their tracks too, using all of the Owls' avenues and methods to get this done. Tim did the paperwork and cyber stuff while Dick did the legwork. Desecrating his own grave to get rid of the tombstone was actually pretty fun.

That was nearly five years ago now. Many cities and areas had been restored while others were deemed too damaged to repopulate. Gotham was somewhere between the extremes, always was in a way. They were still in the midst of reconstruction, but without the healthy dose of Wayne money, it was slow going. Who knew that guy had so much influence over one city? And had no ties to the Court of Owls? Too bad the whole Wayne family was MIA after the war. A few more years and they'd all be declared dead.

Either way, the two of them were still in Gotham, trying to live as best they could. Using the Court's money, they managed to get an apartment in one of the older, still standing Wayne buildings, just above the hidden level the Owls put in there. Their trap door to the place came in handy in case they needed to not be home for whatever reason, but mostly they used it to get to their base of operations.

It was something they debated for the past year to do, and just last month they put their plan into action. Just because Dick was trained to be a Talon, didn't mean he had to kill the Owls' enemies. He didn't have to let his skills or instincts rot away either. Without Batman in the city anymore, or the Owls in the background, criminals were beginning to run rampant. The local PD were good, but they also took orders from the World Army, and they preferred to shoot first whenever the unexplained and uncontrolled popped up. They needed a new vigilante, a new 'Wonder', in Gotham City in order to protect its citizens and bring criminals to justice.

And that was what Dick was doing last night, being the new vigilante.

Slowly sitting up and rubbing his eyes, he could see his Kevlar/nomex suit scattered around the room. Mostly he wore black, but the blue birdlike design on the chest and running down his sleeves, was a nice addition. No cape, no cowl, just a high tech domino mask with white lenses and a slight change in hair style and color, and he was in business. The two of them chose the name 'Nightwing' from this book Lois Lane-Kent wrote, telling the world about Kryptonian legends. He rather liked it, and Tim said it paid homage to both Batman and Superman, something that'd satisfy anyone who paid attention.

Course they only been at this for one month. Nightwing went out into the field to fight bad guys at night, mostly two-bit crooks who took no time at all so far, and the entire time he was out, Tim would be on the other end of a comline while working on a computer. The kid wasn't athletic enough to go out with him (heaven forbid he ever did), but his computer skills were top notch. He could find crimes, make certain the right cops got to the scene, and could give him intel on the perps whenever needed. He had this idea he should be codenamed 'Oracle' because of his cool computer skills, but it sounded so much like a girl's name Dick just called him 'T' on the line.

Thus far they were a pretty good crime fighting team. Tim found the crimes and Dick took out the crooks. Whenever the Talon training tried to take complete control over him in a fight, a few words from the last Owl settled him down. The down side of all of this was having Tim stay up so late. The young man couldn't go out there without his conscience in his ear. He didn't trust himself that much.

Had they started this arrangement after the war, Dick would have said no. There was too much at risk. Timmy was just a kid then, one horribly traumatized. He could still remember how much the boy's voice shook back when they started being family instead of servant and master. There was no way he was leaving him after that. It was only after several years they even considered being separated for more than just Tim going to school.

The two were practically joined at the hip. They still slept in the same bed most nights, just to keep the nightmares from returning, and even that was hit or miss. The first few weeks Tim returned to school were difficult for both of them, but after putting tracers in their watches and wallets, along with the pendants they wore under their shirts, they could stand a few hours apart. This level of trauma was quite common with the orphaned citizens of Gotham, but it was for many more reasons than just reassurance.

Despite the Owls being dead and gone, Tim was a pawn others could use for their resources. Those who knew about Tim's existence and what he alone had access to, had a tendency to try and take him. Try. They rarely got far. Dick wasn't about to let anyone have the last Owl, ever. They wouldn't get his brother.+

And that's where I stopped.

Yeah I get a lot of good ideas and then stop after the first few chapters. I had this plot bunny ever since I heard about the Court of Owls (not read yet) that it'd be cool if Tim was supposed to be part of the court as well. I gave it to his mom's side and a lot of other things I guess. Tim and Dick are my favorites so I wanted to see how that would go.

In this idea, Dick eventually gets paired up with the suspicious young detective Barbara Gordon and they, along with Tim playing Oracle, investigate the 'Batman' that's recently come out of the wood work. Alfred also comes in, acting first as a detourent to their activities (trying to get them to not do what Bruce did) but eventually acts as their father figure, helping Tim get a better handle on his job. Jason's the new Batman here, with Steph as Robin and Cass as Batgirl, having found the batcave under Wayne Manor. They fight for a little while, but then become partners. When Helena Wayne returns to her world, she's in for a small shock, but then becomes grateful to them for upholding her family's legacy. Timeline wise, this starts six months before volume 1 of Earth 2's main plot does.

Sorry for all the bird jokes. They were irresistible when I wrote this. Up for grabs!