I apologize for not posting this yesterday. I had a migraine.
So we come to the last chapter. Enjoy.
Chapter Eighteen
Bruce carefully arranged his wardrobe to appear as a businessman. He was purposely socially dense and Lucius kept a firm hand on Wayne Enterprises, but it was not unknown that he had a hand in steering the widely successful WE. The Drakes would respect his power as a social elite (even if he seemed clueless) and as THE leading business of Gotham. Tim on the other hand was dressing down to appear smaller and frailer than normal. This would, hopefully, up the guilt factor.
Jason and Dick dressed as normal. They simply wore matching, dark scowls and would not leave Tim alone.
Cass and Stephane retreated to the cave to watch the confrontation from the cave video feed.
Alfred, blank faced, exuded an icy perfectionism designed to unsettle anyone with designs on the Wayne's.
The Drakes were walking into an ambush without knowing it. Bruce took a seat in his office with the paperwork Lucius had sent over to lay out a draft of the merger. Lucius had to be taken into the confidence of the family regarding the reason for the need of the merger. He had suggested less generous terms towards the Drakes.
However Tim's guilt at the idea of causing his parents trouble made Lucius tone it down.
The whole house was painfully aware of the doorbell when it rang that afternoon. Alfred opened the door and looked down his long, British nose. "May I help you?" He said in his stuffiest voice.
"Jack Drake, Pennyworth. Bruce called us over." Jack said jovially. "Did he forget to tell you?"
"On the contrary. I failed to recognize you. My apologies." Alfred said. "Do you have cards to send in to Mister Wayne?"
"Cards?" Jack looked blank. Janet rolled her eyes.
"We didn't think to bring some to our neighbor's house." She said.
"I'm sure if you talk to Bruce he'll be fine with it."
"Very well. Wait here, please." Alfred took a stroll to Bruce's study. Jason and Dick were outside the door. Tim had been stuffed into the next room, until Bruce had determined how the Drakes would react.
Bruce carefully straightened the papers, laid his pen on them and stood up and walked to the window to look pensive. Jason and Dick retreated into the parlor with Tim and shut the door. An ear com to the cave allowed the boys to hear Stephanie and Cass mimicking Alfred's pretension dampening tones.
The Drakes were standing for five minutes before Alfred came back and Jack was looking upset.
"Mister Wayne is ready to see you. Please follow me." Alfred led the way towards the study.
"Should we expect a bodyguard?" Jack demanded. "He certainly stands on ceremony here."
Alfred offered only a derisive sniff in reply. He opened the study door and let the upset and confused couple into the room. "Jack and Janet Drake, Sir." He announced in stiff pomposity.
"Yes." Bruce turned to look at them with a wrinkle on his face. "Thank you Alfred. Um… try to keep the boys occupied elsewhere."
"Of course sir." Alfred turned and shut the two confused persons in the room.
"Hey Bruce. What is up? You don't look well." Jack tried to break the thick tension in the room.
"Well, Jack." Bruce said in a mild, somewhat disgusted tone. "I thought… well, isn't it obvious why you are here?"
"No, not to me. You called and said it was very important to talk. Since we are friends, I thought I had better come on over."
Bruce gave a befuddled frown. "Oh. I thought you would … see… well… Where's Tim?" He blurted.
"Tim?" Jack laughed. "The lazy boy was lying in bed all day. Really Wayne, I think the boy has no ambition. At least your boys are grateful for…"
Thunder had gathered onto Bruce's face as the callous father spoke and suddenly Jack trailed off, when Janet, feeling frightened, touched his hand. Bruce did not have to fake the tremor of anger that ran through his hands.
"Tim is here!" He yelled. "Yesterday was his birthday and my boys went to take him out, to do something fun, but they found him throwing up because you had hit his head so hard he had a concussion!"
The parents stepped back in shock.
"Now Bruce. Yes I punished the boy, but a concussion? Really."
Bruce openly and actually gaped in astonishment. "He's been here all night and all morning and you didn't even know he was gone. Jack, how could you treat such a kind, smart boy like that?"
Jack opened his mouth to protest, but they were interrupted by Jason's shouts of anger and Tim's softer pleas to Jason to come back. Jason barged into the study and sneered at the startled parents. "You uppity scum! I spent all night taking care of Tim because of you! He's terrified you are going to punish him because we made him come here. Well I have something to say…"
"Jason no!" Bruce's eyes softened. Tim stood in the doorway, head bandaged and looking pale and tired, while leaning on Dick. This dramatically time entrance actually made Janet pale and raise a shaking hand to her throat. Tim kept his eyes downcast, refusing to look at his parents. Jason turned and let his anger turn to immediate concern.
"Hey Kid. You should be in bed. Let Bruce deal with these scumbags."
"Come on Tim." Dick added, giving the Drakes a look of honest horror before the two brothers bore the youngest boy away.
"I didn't do that." Jack said weakly. "I didn't…"
"Jason has found bruises on Tim before." Bruce said. "Jack, this is Sick. Tim has been such a joy in my family. I couldn't believe you would do this. He's such an overachiever, already a year ahead in school, and so polite and kind. My boys think of him as their brother."
"No." Jack shook his head.
"Look." Janet said. "He's alright here, but at home he's rebellious and stubborn. We just want what's best for him."
"You made him skip meals because he put on the wrong clothes." Bruce answered. "You hit him because he asked why he couldn't choose what he wanted to do when he was an adult. He is scared of you, but is so tired of being controlled. I won't let you hurt him anymore."
It took several moments for the last sentence to reach the Drakes. They turned from the doorway to glare at Bruce.
"What gives you the right to say?" Jack sneered. "I haven't hurt Tim. You are making all this up. I'll go to the police…"
"Tim is fifteen. He's old enough that any police officer or social worker will believe him. He's a perfectionist. He struggles with OCD. He is surprised by attention. Any psychologist will see this in one session." Bruce snapped. "No. I will not let you put him through that as well."
"So what do you propose to do?" Janet asked, looking scared and uncertain.
"The Global Archeology Institute has a number of expeditions to eighteen separate countries over the next five years. I have some influence there and have already heard that there is interest in having you two speak at universities as real archeologists as well as go on these expeditions. You would be constantly moving around. No one would think anything of it if you left Tim to my care as you already have so many times.
"The public arrangement would be that Tim makes his home with me to give him stability. Our private arrangement will be that I have full custody of Tim."
Janet actually licked her lips at just the first part of Bruce's deal. Jack looked both interested and bull-headed.
"I have a company to run as well." He said.
"No. You are running your company into the ground. Your stocks are plummeting after two board members quit. Your CFO is looking for a new position. Frankly your company could be ruined by September." Bruce sneered. "You would sell out to me and Drake Industries would be a subsidiary of WE, held in trust for Tim to come of age. In the end you would still have the social status you want, the merger deal would see that you don't run out of money and you would be able to live the life you so clearly love while Tim would be free to grow up in a safe home and be allowed to decide his own path."
Janet looked even more intrigued. Jack's face grew dark. "So this is just to get Drake Industries." He sneered.
"Why would I want your company?" Bruce asked. "It is only going to cause my CEO headaches, trying to get everything you've messed up straightened out."
Jack gaped at him. "You…"
"Jack, I am serious about not letting you hurt Tim. Now I will give you very generous terms that allows you to keep everything, money, stature, prestige and your hobby. If you choose to fight me on this then I will force a hostile takeover and ruin you. Tim will be placed into the foster system and come here anyway. I would rather he not have to go through that. He hopes that you might turn out to be actual parents someday."
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Jason paced in Tim's room. Dick had shoved in the movie Frozen into the laptop and Tim was heroically trying to look like he was watching it and not listening to the conversation two floors and a wing of the house away. Bruce and the Drake's had been closeted for three hours. Jack had exploded at the threats, though Janet had been eager to hear more. For about an hour however they had been discussing terms of a deal.
"Let's look this over." Janet spoke up suddenly. "Give us a few days. We want to go talk to the Institute. Tim will of course stay here while we look into this."
"This doesn't mean we're agreeing." Jack snapped. "We are just going to look into it."
"Of course. As long as Tim is here I will give you the time you need to consider your… options." Bruce answered.
"Before we leave I want to talk to Tim." Janet demanded. "No Jack doesn't need to."
"What?" Jack's voice was rising. Tim flinched a little.
"I think I should talk to Tim, alone." Janet answered.
She won the ensuing argument and the boys scrambled to appear as if they had been watching television and were unaware.
Bruce knocked on the door and came in with Janet. "Tim, Janet would like to speak with you." He said.
"Alone." She added, glaring at the trolls singing on the television. "And shut that child's entertainment off. Really Tim, with your mind you shouldn't watch such vulgar entertainment."
Her scolding caused Jason to plop back onto the bed. "Look lady. If all you want to do is put Tim down, then you have nothing to say to him." He sneered.
"Hmm." She answered. "I need five minutes alone. Otherwise we will fight you tooth and nail."
"Jason." Bruce said softly. Jason glared at Janet all the way out the door. Tim knew that both Dick and Jason had hidden their coms in the room so they could hear the conversation. He looked up at his mother as the three Wayne men stepped out into the hallway, leaving the door cracked.
"Tell me what you want." Janet ordered. The listening men held their breaths as Tim took a deep breath and then sighed. Although all three men had their heads pressed against the crack Jason was on the only who could see Tim beyond Janet's fashionably clothed body.
"I want to have more time before I grow up. I want to explore knowledge and invent toys and date girls and not think about college. I want to have a family who wants me to find my niche in the world, not force a niche on me. I want my brothers." Tim said softly, earnestly.
Janet nodded. "I see. Frankly Tim, we only wanted a child to grow up and take our place in the world so we could travel. If you hadn't turned out so smart it would have been a lot harder to think our goals could be met. That said, what you and Bruce are asking of us is to give up our longest plans for the future." She paused. Her posture softened. The teenager sitting cross legged on his bed looked warily up at her. Jane gave a soft sigh.
"I think maybe we can chose what is best for you, this time." The mother said. She paused to look at the pale, wide-eyed face of her son and then sighed again. "You never were going to be what we wanted."
She turned and walked out, rolling her eyes at the gathered Wayne's. "I am willing to agree to the deal. Let me work on Jack." She told them as she walked primly towards the stairs. "No doubt you can be a good parent to Tim. I never knew how."
Jason and Dick didn't bother to hear the rest of what she had to say, rushing to be sure Tim was alright after his mother's mingled relenting and cruel words.
LINE BREAK BRINGING MY BROTHER HOME LINE BREAK
Tim was the only one who doubted what his parents would do. It had been obvious to everyone that Janet had made her choice. Jack was upset about his territory being encroached, but he enjoyed his freedom too much. Bruce said he was enough of a business man to see how easily Bruce could instigate a hostile takeover and leave the Drakes penniless. The Drakes had been annoyed to find that Timothy was not their little clone as they had expected him to be. Perhaps there was even some parental feeling towards the son they had neglected and abused, and they could flatter themselves that they had given up their son to give him a better life.
However it came about, five days after Tim's birthday, Jack and Janet showed up at the Wayne Manor.
The entire family (Barbara and Stephanie included) met them in the chosen parlor. Jack was jovial and Janet was happily distracted.
This did not stop Dick and Jason from sandwiching their little brother between them, partially shielding him from even his parent's glances. They need not have worried. Janet smiled and told him he looked better. Jack ignored Tim's presence altogether.
"Well Bruce, we've decided to accept your offer." Jack said in a loud, satisfied tone. "The position suits everyone. We'll have amazing access to some Egyptian digs. Janet is already packing for our first trip. We leave next Monday!"
Bruce nodded, a half smile frozen on his face. Tim was the only person unsurprised by the utter lack of discretion on the part of his parents. They were giving their son away, with a few days of argument, lured away from the living by the long dead. His disgust must have come through as concern.
"Don't worry. Neal Prinz, our CFO, is already reaching out to Fox. The paperwork will be signed when we get back in three weeks. The guardianship permission for Tim will get signed over Friday before we leave."
Friday and Tim would be Bruce's to raise. He nodded, feeling relief and tension war within him. That was still a few days in which the Drakes might come to their senses and realize what they were doing. Cass had a serene look on her face, and clearly believed they would do what they were saying. Jason was glowering at the Drakes, but the other three were welcoming the selfishness of Tim's biological family.
Bruce welcomed it to, but it still stung him to think that a child could lose living parents to their own selfish ambitions. He felt that Tim might be in a worse position that Bruce, Dick, or Jason had been with the death of their parents. He took a deep breath to test the waters.
"You will be much happier here anyway Tim." Janet apparently had a modicum of motherly instinct and tried to offer comfort or explanation to her quiet son. Neither Drake parent realized the soft light in Tim's eyes was happiness. He didn't smile or show any excitement, but his eyes had widened a little while the corners had small crinkles.
The Drake's stayed to exult over their exciting trips for a few more minutes. Jack shook hands with Bruce and ignored Tim even on his way out. Janet patted Tim's shoulder and told him to be good. Then they were gone and the room let out a breath no one knew they were holding.
"Tim's ours!" Dick crowed, picking the lean teenager off the ground to give him a huge hug.
"Dick!" He complained, trying to escape the arms of his boisterous older brother.
A minute later he gave up as the rest of the family crowded around to celebrate their win.
LINE BREAK BRINGING MY BROTHER HOME LINE BREAK
Tim climbed out the window. Sometimes when Jason had a bad day he would go up the attic and climb out the window to it on the roof of the mansion. Today was not a bad day, but it might be an overwhelming day. Bruce would leave Jason alone and no one else knew Jason retreated here.
"What are you doing out here?" Jason demanded from his perch on one of the slanted window well roofs.
"I wanted to talk to you." Tim answered, taking up residence on another window roof. "This is the best place to catch you alone, and where Bruce hasn't bugged so can't hear."
"Yeah?" Jason said lazily.
"I know you probably need some time alone, so I'll just ask my question and go." Tim added, nervously picking at a string dangling from his t-shirt hem. "How did you know?"
"You lie too well." Jason answered.
Tim glared. "If I did then you wouldn't have figured it out." He pointed out.
Jason shook his head. "Bruce and Dick were too busy trying to figure themselves out when you first came, they didn't see it. I got dropped into your life when you had settled into your lies. I caught the inconsistency. What made me certain was your ability to lie so well that none of us knew you were hurt."
"Isn't that a good thing? It would have been a distraction." Tim pointed out.
"You are thinking along the lines of the mission. Look Babybird, you don't have to have a mask here with your family." Jason said.
"Right." Tim said, doubtfully.
Jason didn't bother to argue. Tim had spent all his life creating masks to protect himself to the ire of his parents, people who didn't understand him, and even from Bruce and Dick. It would take a lot of time and a lot of love for Tim to pull off his masks to show his real self. He had that time now and a place for them to begin showing him the love he needed.
They had no doubt of his love for them. He had stood up to them and for them again and again to bring Bruce and Dick and Jason out of the dark places Ras and Joker had sent them too. Now it was their turn to love him and teach him of his worth.
"Hey Jason?" Tim said as he stood at the open window.
"What?" Jason leaned against the roof and looked up at the stars.
"Thanks for bringing me home." Tim said softly.
Jason smiled and sat up. "Hey Tim!" He called. The boy stopped and turned to look at Jason curiously. "Thanks for bringing me home."
The End
Well that is the end of this tale. Please write and tell me what you think of my story. What could I have done better? What did I do well? There is this awesome feature below to allow you to give me your thoughts on my story and help me hone my craft.
Thanks for reading and for those of you who followed my story faithfully for these past couple weeks.