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LET US ALL THANK L. VanDattae

Jason and Dick both watched as Tim rubbed his legs.

Since taking the human that gave Tim the power to change his tail into legs, the youngest family member had been having trouble waking his legs up. It was his first time using his powers to change into the form of a land dweller, and Tim knew he would have to get used to the legs first. Rubbing them made it easier to get feeling into them, but honestly, he wanted to change back into his tail.

"Timmy, you okay?" Dick asked through the glass, looking concerned.

Coughing a bit, Tim's voice came out scratchy, since this was also his first time using the human way to talk. "I... I'm... f-f-finnnne..."

"It speaks." Jason snorted before going up to the top of his tank, poking his head out of the water to use his voice. "It's been forever since I talked Human."

Seconds later Dick shook his hair, leaning over the tank. "Me too. Sounds like you need to work on your voice, Timmy."

"I-ah- kn-knowww." Tim rubbed his neck as it ached.

"All right, Tim, get those legs working and change us too," Jason said, his face full of excitement. "I can't wait to walk on two legs again."

"Me too!" Dick cheered. "When we get out of here I'm going to run back to the ocean."

A raspy sound escaped Tim's throat before he moved a bit, using his hands to help him get his legs under him, then slowly and extremely wobbly, he stood up. The legs shook and wobbled as he tried to balance himself. With a yelp, Tim fell back onto the floor as one leg gave out on him. Flushing in embarrassment when both his brothers laughed, Tim pouted.

"Sorry, Timmy," Dick grinned. "But it was funny, and besides, Jason and I had trouble when we fist started to swim. Jason ran into a whale."

"Says the one who nearly got raped by one because he thought it was funny to make mating calls at it."

"I didn't know it would actually come after me!"

Ignoring their bickering and embarrassing stories, Tim tried to stand again. This time he used his tank to better balance himself. Wobbling along to the end of the tank, he saw a piece of red cloth that was used on the ring they made his brothers jump through. He grabbed the thin thing and wrapped it around himself. At least he could cover whatever dignity he had left.

Still listening to the two argue, Tim pushed himself slightly off his tank, arms out to his sides, trying to get centered. He looked down at his legs. They were starting to hurt. The only reason he could think of was because they were weak. Like a new born mer-baby– Er... human baby? Shaking his head, Tim took a few shaky steps forward before he collapsed again, and this time the pain that shot through his legs was unbearable, making him cry out from it.

"Tim?!"

"Timmy?!"

Tears forming, Tim bit his lip. "Hu- Hurts..."

"Come over here," Jason said, leaning out of the tank. "Change us and we'll get you outta here."

The sound of pebbles made them worry and Dick leaned over more. "Timmy, your tears!"

"They're turning into pearls?!" Jason gasped in shock.

Without warning Tim started to sob, curling into his side. The legs felt like millions of needles stabbing him. Something was wrong. He must have said the spell wrong, it shouldn't hurt like this. The tears continued to fall, and so did the pearls with each new drop that leaked form his pained eyes. Gasping, Tim tried to control it when they heard shouting and footsteps.

Panicked and full of fear, Tim grabbed the pearls, tossing them back into his tank, before forcing himself up, letting out more cries of pain, and then gripped the side of the tank. He couldn't get in! They were coming! Heart pounding, Tim looked around frantically as the world closed in on him. Without thinking, he started to wail for Bruce to come and get him before Jason yelled at him in their mermaid language to shut up.

The doors were being unlocked! Without another thought, Tim used some more of that human's life force to change back into his natural form and curled up against his tank, hyperventilating as the door banged open. Security and that trainer, Jericho, rushed in.

"He got out of his tank!" a man said.

Jericho stepped in front of them. "No shouting. Robin's been put into a fight-or-flight mode, in case none of you know about what happened earlier today. Even though the man didn't die, he was aged ten years. Now back away and I'll handle this."

Turning back to the small mermaid, he could hear Red Hood and Nightwing growling. Smiling at them, Jericho used his hands, patting the water gently to let them know there was nothing to get upset about. Slowly walking over to Robin, he leaned down to the mermaid, who cried out as he got close. Robin's body was trembling horribly. What upset Jericho was how the small mermaid looked at him as if he had come to kill it off or something. Leaning down, he rubbed his head.

"Shh, Robin, it's okay," he said in a gentle voice. "It's all right, Robin... Come on, let's get you back into the water, all right?"

"Nyyyyaaahhh!" Robin screamed when he tried to pick him up.

"Easy, easy," Jericho kept his voice calm and steady. "We're just going to get you into the tank, all right? Come on, buddy, easy does it..."

A small wet thud was heard and Jericho's jaw dropped.

Robin had fainted.

He'd fainted!

"Robin?!" Jericho turned the mermaid over carefully, noticing the two tear drops in his eyes. "Poor thing must be the baby of the family... he's really small. Nightwing."

Nightwing straightened up, looking concerned. "Cooo," he called out like a question.

"I'm not going to hurt him," Jericho assured, picking up Robin. "Just making sure you know that."

Two pearls fell onto the floor.

"What the?" Jericho looked down at the two perfect small pearls. "Where in the... Oh. Ohh..."

Red Hood and Nigthwing looked at each other before looking back at Jericho who took a closer look into Robin's tank, seeing the pearls lying at the bottom of it. Jericho let out a groan of frustration.

"Just great... Pops is going to flip for this." With that, Jericho gently put Robin back into his tank, letting him float to the bottom before looking at the men. "We'll need bigger tanks. They don't have enough room in these. Contact Wally West and get him on the task for new tanks now. You, go get my father. The rest of you get nets to put over the tanks. If they fall out and don't have water they might die."

"Yes, sir."

Turning back to the other mermaids, Jericho looked around. "Hmm."

Nightwing cooed at him again, almost asking a question.

"Strange... I could have sworn I heard someone say the name Bruce."

He didn't notice how both his mermaids tensed as he left the room.

"Dear God, Tim, shut the hell up!" Jason yelled, banging his hands on the glass.

"Leave him alone, Jason!" Dick hissed from his now netted tank. "It's not his fault! You can't understand what Timmy's going through!"

"Going through?! All he's doing is crying for Bruce!"

Wailing louder, Tim curled up more in the corner of his tank, pulling his tail around him. The fear and anxiety of being so far and so long away from his adoptive father was taking its toll already. Not only had he failed Bruce when taking the human life, but he'd failed at walking, at talking, at staying on his legs, and worst of all, Bruce was out there near this forsaken place waiting for them, and he'd failed!

Since he'd woken up, he had blocked out his brothers as he cried. It was the only thing Tim had left at the moment. He felt alone, colder than he should have been, was having trouble breathing in water or air right, and he couldn't stop calling for Bruce. He wanted his dad to come and get him.

"TIM, SHUT UP!"

"Bruce!"Tim wailed again, louder."Bruce! Bruce, I want to go home, Bruce!"

Jason growled. "Shut up! This is all your fault!"

"Bruce!"

"You should have changed us so we could handle it!"

"Bruce!"

"You're nothing but weak!"

"Jason!" Dick yelled in shock.

"Bruce!"

"Look at you! All you do is cry for daddy to come get you! Bruce isn't your daddy, you idiot! The only reason he keeps you around is because he doesn't have a choice!"

"Bruce!"

"Jason, stop it!"

"Your dad didn't love you, Tim! Neither did your mother, and Bruce took you in because he thought you were still a baby!"

"BRUCE!"

"Jason, that's enough!"

"YOU'RE USELESS JUST AS MUCH AS YOU ARE WORTHLESS!"

This time Tim didn't cry out for Bruce, but he swirled around, shock on his face, mouth open in disbelief.

The hated glare Jason wore vanished as he realized, horrified, what he had said. Dick was also staring at him in shock, and Jason looked between the two of them before looking back at Tim, who blanked before laying down all curled up, not making a sound. Dick looked at Jason with disappointment.

Tim's parents had told him all his life that he was useless, worthless, a waste of life to their kind. How they wished that they had never had such a useless child. He wasn't big or strong like his father. Wasn't a perfect siren like his mother. Both Jason and Dick had dealt with Tim's nightmares, and they'd often heard Bruce trying to confess to Tim about the nightmares he'd had.

One time someone had seen Tim attempt to call a fish over. When he couldn't, the merman had jokingly said that if Tim didn't get better he'd be useless during hunts. The words had hurt Tim more than anything. Words were triggers that made Tim depressed, and he would turn into a shell, not eating for days. Bruce had done everything to help his third son. But those words, "useless and worthless," hurt Tim more than anything, because all his life he had believed that it was true.

Before, with his family,Tim didn't know love or care. Not until he had Bruce. He was still dependent on Bruce for many reasons, but he'd improved dramatically since that time. Tim still needed Bruce, they all did, even if Jason wouldn't admit it, and there was one rule both spoken and unspoken, and that was to never, ever, call Tim either of those words. The last time they had seen Jack and he'd said those words, Bruce had dragged the man away, and when Jack came out, he'd swum up beaten black and blue and shaking.

Don't say the words.

Be kind to each other like brothers do, is what Bruce said.

A broken rule.

A broken heart.

"Jason, why?" Dick asked, his voice tight. "Why did you say that?!"

"I... I was... I was mad!" Jason yelled, hurt in the back of his voice. "Tim, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"

Tim didn't move for the rest of the night, and when morning came, the bottom of the tank was full of pearls.

To Elyograg: Yes, I did! I used that and I also saw the two documentaries of Mermaid the Body Found and Mermaid New Evidence and used them a references to make this story!

To L. VanDattae: Lol he didn't kill him he was jsut trying to get legs 8D. He is so cute, I love Tim out of everyone else, I just want to hug him to death. Legs! There will be more legs to come (As weird as that sounds...) And yes! I love how Tim is always all small! Its so cute! Oh the fish he throws in are alive. mermaids like to kill their food I think and don't worry that kid has a role to play. ;)

To princ3ssf33t: I'm going to say who it is in the next chapter, and it's going to be (Hopefully) WOW. Yes, Tim took took much but he didn't mean too.

To Biery5: Awesome thanks.

To REBD: I love that movie too but I admit I never been of the fall in love on sight. Just not my thing.

To Noon: Holy Moly, it did get real Ship! LOL

To owlcat92: I loved you review expressions! They made me smile!