The words of his mentor echo in his earpiece. He pauses in his run and yanks it out, throwing it on the ground. He crushes it with his foot, taking pleasure at the audible crack and a small crackle of electricity.
He can't hear anything outside of the city's nightlife. Fear and paranoia twist his insides when he senses the footsteps. They're silent but they're there and he knows it. It's enough to send him hurtling himself at another building and falling downwards.
He grabs the top ledge of a window and kicks in harshly, cracking the glass and shattering it. He gets a cut on a bare part of his arm and wonders why he hasn't switched to more seasonally appropriate clothes. The chilly air is just adding to the goosebumps he feels.
Someone's watching.
Something cold touches his cheek before it's gone in a split second. He flounders in his escape, taking a moment to acknowledge the first snowfall of the month. He swallows and keeps running.
•••
"We're here," Terry McGinnis said with a small smile. "We're home."
Tim Drake shakes his head. "My home is with the Titans," he says. He picks up his large duffel bag. "Come on, I'm pretty sure Damian already beat us to the punch."
Both boys carry one bag. After all, Wayne Manor was their home once so everything they behind is still there for them to use. They push open the gates after punching in a security code and they start up the path, hearing the metal gates swing shut. As always, the property is beautifully maintained thanks to Alfred Pennyworth and some landscaping crews once in a while.
"I don't remember the last time I was here," Tim says when they near the fountain. It's a lie and he knows it. The last time he was here was two years ago when Dick was having a birthday party and then a few days after when the family was searching for the missing acrobat.
Terry knows Tim lied but he offers no argument. "I come here every few weeks," he says. "It's nice to have a constant when you're moving from country to country every other week."
"I don't understand how you can stand all that moving around," Tim tells him in all sincerity. He seldom leaves the country or even the city he claimed for himself and his team. "It must be fun though."
The older of the two boys (that would be Terry), shrugs. "I want to go everywhere," he admits. "I only come back because of Bruce—Alfred too, of course."
Tim laughs and gives his surrogate older brother a teasing smirk. "You mean Alfred's cookies."
"Those are good too."
Both of them are trying to avoid mentioning the reason they were all gathering at the manor. It's just another reminder that they're stuck in a never-ending game of hide-and-seek with a boy who may or may not be dead by now. They lost enough already and there was no need to remind them of someone else they have lost.
It takes a few more seconds for them to reach the porch. Terry reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key ring. There are various keys connected to it and Tim has to wonder how his brother could keep track of which key belonged to which lock. In less than five seconds, Terry sticks one key inside the keyhole and twists it and the doorknob.
The large oak door swings open and Terry steps inside. Tim follows, looking around to see just how much has changed. He expects for there to be a subtle difference and there is. It's kind of unnerving though because he has a feeling that it's due to the fact that Dick Grayson is no longer residing in the large house.
"I'm home!" Terry bellows, startling Tim just a little bit. "Timmy's here too!"
"Don't call me that," the younger adult admonishes.
The wayward son of Batman gives him a teasing half-smile. "Loosen up, Wonder Boy."
"It's Red Wonder," Tim replies, giving him a little shove that does nothing.
Both of them turn their heads when they heard footsteps approaching. Alfred stands in one doorway with a smile on his aging face. His suit is free of wrinkles and dust as he opens his arms for a warm embrace. Both males drop their belongings and give the butler a small hug.
"How was Austria, Master Terrence?" Alfred asks, stepping out of the hug. "And you, Master Timothy, how has Jump City been treating you these past two years?"
Terry shrugs. "Same old, same old. The routine's the same wherever I go: fight crime, go sightseeing, fight more crime." He looks sheepish. "That reminds me, do you think you could try your hand at some Austrian dishes? I have a few recipes and they were great."
"Certainly, sir," Alfred says, pairing his words with a kind smile. He looks at Tim. "So, Master Timothy?"
Tim picks up his bag and swings the strap over his shoulder. "I've been busy. Of course, I'm taking time off to enjoy... the performance." His mouth twists weirdly. "What day will it be?"
"The performance will be taking place at sundown next Friday," a sharp voice says, inserting its owner into the conversation. "I see you made it in one piece, McGinnis, Drake."
"Hello to you too, Damian," Tim remarks dryly. "So, we have over a week."
Damian gives a curt nod, standing taller to assert dominance even though he's only the second oldest in the family. He explains to them that Bruce had called a few minutes prior just to inform him of the date. It would give the circus time to perfect their act and give the family time to talk before everyone went his own separate way again.
Alfred invites them to the kitchen to have a few snacks. Terry is quick to agree while Tim says he wants to put his bag in his room. He walks up the stairs, finding a nice sense of familiarity as he roams through the halls. He easily finds his room. The silly little sign with his name on it is lopsided.
The sign is just a piece of card stock with yarn attached to it. When Dick was around six or seven, he decided to make signs for the rooms belonging to the occupants of the house since he was still getting lost. Like his adoptive brothers, Tim never took the sign off.
He twists the knob and the door opens smoothly without creaking. He snorts, figuring Alfred must definitely still oil every hinge on a bi-weekly basis. He flicks on a switch and tosses his bag on the bed.
He's surprised to see that the room is spotless. Then again, Alfred never allowed a room to become coated in layers and layers of dust. The old butler most likely hoped that Tim would come back for even just a few hours.
He never did though.
Tim sighs and turns off the light, wondering why he bothered turning it on in the first place. His stomach makes a small growl and he figures it's about time he has a small snack to hold him off until dinner. He makes his way back down.
•••
It's now dinner time and all three males are sitting at the long dining room table. Alfred is in the kitchen, finishing up the meal preparations. The boys wait patiently for Bruce to come back from work.
A few minutes later, Bruce walks in with his suit jacket thrown over his shoulder and his hair is just a tad bit disheveled. "Am I late?"
"As you can see, we haven't started eating yet," Damian says, gesturing to the clean plates and utensils. "I'm impressed you even made it to the table before the food did, Father."
"Good evening to you as well, Damian."
Tim snorts and gives Bruce a small smile. "It's been a while."
"It has," Bruce agrees. He looks at all three boys. "Has Jason arrived yet?"
All three shake heads at the same time. Alfred enters the room with a tray and gives Bruce his greetings while setting down the food. "I believe Master Jason will arrive around tomorrow night."
Bruce reaches for a bowl of mashed potatoes and spoons some of it onto his plate. "That's good to hear," he says. He puts the bowl back and reaches for some greens to pile near his potatoes.
"So, Bruce, did the press manage to corner you?" Tim inquires as he slices into some steak. He seems a bit amused at the idea.
The billionaire isn't surprised that Tim managed to figure it out. "They've been harassing me about the circus," he tells them. "They kept asking for details about Dick."
Everyone in the room goes silent. Alfred frowns but he returns to the kitchen, making an offhand comment about how he'll eat his supper there. The attention is turned back to Bruce as he lets out a sigh.
"Reporters are absolutely barbaric," Damian says in an annoyed voice. "Tt. I swear, they can be worse than criminals."
Terry tries to defuse the ignited bomb that was planted in the blood son. "Now, now," he says, "they just want to know about Dick."
"Right," Tim says. "Reporters are just curious."
Damian raises his brows and points his butter knife lazily at them both. He ignores Bruce's warning to keep the fights down in the training room. "They're inconsiderate and are only looking to make money and cause trouble."
Bruce looks at his son. "One of Dick's best friends' aunt is a reporter."
"My bad," Damian replies but he doesn't sound very sincere.
The conversation takes a plunge and the topic is dropped. The air in the room is a little tense and the new topics of conversation include the weather, hero business, life in general, and the food. All the conversations are a little stilted since all the males had shaky relationships with each other.
An hour later, they all retreat to their respective rooms. Bruce gives an open invitation to join him on patrol. Damian is the only one to decline since he decides to use a zeta tube to patrol his own city during his stay. The other two boys shrug and tell the man that he can expect company at a later time.
Hmm... good thing this is an AU, right? I have nothing planned for this story. :P I'm definitely taking suggestions. ;)
So, I've definitely written the Bat boys differently than I usually do. Anywho, speaking of the Bat Fam, nobody aside from Haly and Alfred know they're going to the circus. I wonder how it'll go when Gardner runs into them.
Which makes me wonder how I'll pull it off. If they really want to fool the Bat Fam, the Robin secret will have to be revealed to Gardner. O.o I can always go for the amnesia excuse. And you'll see more to Gardner's personality in the next chapter. I'm almost done writing it. :P I'm trying to give him a lot of room for development.
And don't you wonder what's Gardner's story? :0 Could he really be Dick Grayson? How many of you actually read all this?