A/N: With Samantha now part of the family, and Tim determined to marry her, Jason and Dick have taken it upon themselves to teach Tim how to please a woman without Bruce knowing about it. Something powerful happens and two brothers are in hot water with their father. Dick and Jason decide they had better keep out of Bruce's way for a while by taking a case that leads them out of Gotham. The case, however, has to be interrupted when word reaches them that Tim has a life threatening illness . . . or is it? And has that case actually come to Gotham?
New Life, Death, and Soul Easters
by
AJRedRobin and JasonToddLover
Part 12: Crazy With Grief
The creature dove out the window and someone slammed it shut behind him. His meal had been interrupted. The soul became detached not only from the body of its owner, but it detached from the tether that was the soul eater's tongue.
'I shall get the one responsible,' the soul eater raged. 'He disturbed my meal. No one has been able to accomplish that before. How was it possible? He should not have seen me.'
'Did you get the soul?' the leader asked.
'I did not even get to taste him.'
'You were interrupted?'
'Obviously,' the other raged. 'The one who stopped me should not have been even aware of my presence.'
'Which one?' questioned the leader. 'There are several males within this household. Three young ones and four adults. Two of them are female. We do not take females. There were only two possibilities of acquiring a meal.' The leader eliminated one of the young ones because his soul had been blackened by murder. It could not be whitewashed. There was a third, but he was an adult, and their kind fed on the souls of children because their souls tended to remain pure unless they were tainted. Perhaps, they needed to make an exception in this case.
'The eldest of the children.'
'Ah yes, though his soul is not quite as pure, and he is no child, he has what we need. His soul will feed several of our brethren.'
'Then we'll take him.'
'Not tonight,' the leader stated.
'Why not?'
"Fool, they will be on their guard. We must wait.'
'Then we wait for tomorrow night.'
'We must wait for our other brethren after they have fed on the children of Gotham.'
'There are very few who are not tainted, my leader.'
'We will wait.'
SEDJSEDJSEDJ
Dick clung onto Tim's body. He couldn't believe it, felled by some demon. He saw it, a thing in ragged robes with claws for hands. Even Jason saw it.
'No, Tim's just sleeping. I stopped it. Come on Tim, please wake up.'
"What was that thing?" Jason asked as he looked out the window.
"Just like that kid in Chicago described," Dick answered. "Looking like a Dementor from Harry Potter." Dick absentmindedly stroked Tim's hair.
"Yeah," Jason breathed out his response. "No wonder the police didn't believe that kid. I wouldn't either. Not without seeing it."
"Now we know," Dick carried his brother's body from the bedroom. He couldn't leave him lying there unprotected. The creature could come back. All the while a small red sphere continued to float around Dick, trying to get his brother's attention.
'Dick, I'm here,' Tim tried without any success.
"We have to tell everyone," Jason said.
"That's why I'm taking Tim downstairs," Dick answered. "I have to protect my brother."
Jason shivered. He noticed Dick had an almost insane look in his face. He was in some kind of denial. He wasn't going to let Tim's body go. Jason followed his older brother into the living room.
"Dick, you have to put Tim's body down."
"Why should I, he's my brother," Dick stated. "I can hold him if I want to. And he's not dead, he's just asleep. He'll wake up any minute."
Jason's heart suddenly went cold. 'Dick's gone crazy with grief. I've got to find someone to help him.'
Dick sat on the couch and started rocking Tim's body. He was singing a song in Romani. /Hush little baby don't say a word, brother's going to buy you a mocking bird./
Jason rushed to find Bruce in his study. "Dad, Dick's gone crazy."
"Jason, what are you talking about? Dick's fine, I'm expecting him back any minute." Bruce went back to staring at the reports. He was still questioning what Dick had seen that he had not.
Jason raced back out of Bruce's office. Bruce wasn't going to listen right now. He was too wrapped up in what he was doing. How could he tell him that Tim was dead and Dick was in denial of it. How could he even tell him what they saw. There had to be someone who would listen to reason.
Jason rushed to find Samantha. 'She might,' Jason thought. Damian was in school and Jason was at his wit's end. Hopefully, this was going to work.
JDBJDBJDB
Samantha had sequestered herself in the library, partially to get away from what was happing with Tim. She was still studying for testing out of high school. Maybe it would have been better if she had stayed on that island. This was far too painful to face. She had lost her parents, now she was losing the love of her life. Once Tim was gone all she will have is her brief memories of their time together and the children he had given her. They were precious gifts. She would never forget him, and she would make sure their children will not forget their father. Samantha tried to read over the material, but her eyes were blurring from her tears. She pushed the pages away from her and covered her face with her hands. She started to weep again when Jason rushed in.
"Samantha, you've got to talk some sense into Dick," Jason said. He rarely used Dick's name, but his behavior was disturbing and even frightening.
"What's the matter?"
"You've got to tell him he's got to let go of Tim."
"You know that's an impossible task. He's going to take care of him as long as he can."
"You don't get it," Jason argued. "Tim's dead!"
"No," Samantha was suddenly breathless. "I don't believe you."
"Some thing attacked him! Dick tried to stop it!"
"You're lying!"
"I'm telling the truth, Samantha," Jason continued to argue. "Tim didn't have leukemia. Some creature with boney claws and ragged clothing was bending over him! Some kind of white energy was coming out of Tim's body! Dick forced the thing off Tim, but it was too late."
"What do you mean it's too late," Samantha demanded.
"Tim went limp," Jason explained. He would never forget the look on Tim's face, and his eyes, that hollowed look, almost more of a haunted look, then nothing. "Please, Sammie, you have to do something."
"What about Bruce, he's your father." She still didn't want to believe Jason that Tim was dead.
"Bruce doesn't know yet."
"Jason, I don't even know if I even believe you," Samantha argued. Jason's treatment of Tim had caused Samantha not to trust him. They seemed to be at odds part of the time. Tim would try to be close to Jason only for Jason to say something that would drive Tim away. Now Jason was saying that Dick needed help, that Tim was dead and Dick wouldn't let him go. Why would Jason act like he cared now? "All right, say I believe you, what do you want me to do about it?"
"Talk to Dick," Jason stated. "Maybe you can talk some sense into him."
"Into doing what?"
"Burying him . . . Burying his brother," Jason said, quietly. The words caused Jason to shiver. He remembered climbing out of his own grave. He wouldn't want to wish that on anyone. He was hoping that when Tim was buried, he'd stay buried, and not rise from the grave like he did.
Continues With Part 13