Disclaimer: Not mine
Chapter 5
Jason glanced at Stephanie, not sure what he thought of partnering with her yet. But no one went out alone anymore, not even him or Bruce. They'd noticed shadows in the night, following them. Whatever plans the vampires had, it looked like they were almost ready, which was not good. He knew they'd all been hoping to have Tim aware and able to speak before then, hoping he'd be able to tell them more than the footage had. Jason doubted the kid did, with how out of it he'd been when they found him surely there was no way he remembered anything of where he'd been kept. He'd been hoping for it because they could use Tim's brilliant brain and ingenuity. That was…if Tim remembered them, if he was still on their side.
The thought of Tim staring at them like they were strangers, of him attacking them, it made him feel sick. But if his memory was gone then it was very likely that would happen. He hoped Conner was right about Tim remembering at least him in some way, because then hopefully he'd listen to the clone, would follow his lead.
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She stared at the information Bruce had gathered and then at his proposal. It was insane. Vampires? Gotham was strange, true, but this? It made her feel sick. Tim was a good kid and had been through so much. But Bruce was right, the best way to cover for the changes would be some form of Porphyria, it was called the vampire disease for a reason.
She'd fudged medical records for all of the Bats over the years. The biggest lie had been when Tim was 'shot' and ended up in leg braces and on crutches. She hadn't felt comfortable doing that but it had drawn out an assassin and enabled Tim to track a man who was taking out those he suspected of being Red Robin. This lie would be bigger since it would be faking a permanent condition…but she could see their reasoning, there had to be some sort of explanation for why Tim would never be seen in daylight again.
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Cass watched the monitor as her little brother as he sat curled into Conner. He was so still now, it made reading him harder. Still, what she could see was contentment at being right where he was. That was good. He felt comfortable and safe with Conner. She didn't like having to go out as Red Robin, that was Tim's. But she did it for him, to help keep him safe, their whole family safe from those who might put the clues together.
The altered Red Robin suit now resided in the Cave but one day it would go back to the Nest.
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Kon watched as Tim ate, noticing he wasn't being as messy or as fast as he had been at the start. Had he thought they'd take it away from him back then? Tim looked up at him, blood bag in his mouth and then to Kon's shock, Tim crawled into his lap, going back to sucking the blood out. Usually, Tim kept his distance while feeding so it was a good sign, right? Tim trusted him in some way but this was more trust than he'd shown before. Tim finished and dropped the bag, cuddling into him. Kon froze in shock when Tim's mouth sealed over his skin where neck and shoulder met, ready to pull him away before he could break a fang on his skin, but Tim made no move to bite, just sucking gently at his skin.
Tim twisted so they were chest to chest, purring as he suckled, cold hands slipping under Kon's shirt. Kon gently stroked his back, Tim pressing back into his touch.
"I love you Rob," he whispered. "Come back to me, please." He closed his eyes, fighting tears, and then he heard a soft whine, cold fingers gently touching his face.
Kon opened his eyes to find Tim staring at him, brow wrinkled even as he traced under Kon's eyes. He whined again, licking his lips, and there was something… "Tim?" he barely dared to breath as Tim continued touching his face, tracing his features.
And then Tim's lips were pressed to his, tentatively but with purpose. Kon was torn by indecision, wanting so much to kiss back, but should he?
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His…his…K…Ko…Kon…
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He kissed back, hands slipping to rest on Tim's hips, letting Tim lead. Tim deepened the kiss, wrapping himself around Kon, purring deep in his chest. Kon could almost let himself forget everything that had happened, imagine they were on the couch in the apartment…but they weren't.
Tim pulled back, staring at him again, and Kon bit his lip, swallowing back a sob. Tim made a soft noise, gently touching where he was biting, he'd never liked it when Kon did it. Tim cooed softly, stroking his cheek and then his hair.
"Tim?"
And he was shocked when Tim smiled at him, leaning in to nuzzle at him. Did he…he recognise him? Tim kissed him again, and Kon held him close.
"I love you," he whispered. "It's okay, we're going to be okay," he promised.
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Bruce sat outside the cell Tim remained locked inside. He was only allowed out when the Next was empty of humans, Kon-El the only one who remained. Tim had stopped attacking the clear wall to try and get to them at least, they were all taking that as a good sign. They left the microphone on so that Tim could hear them and they could hear him, letting him get used to their voices and day to day noises.
Dick and Alfred had both expressed their desire to come see Tim, but Bruce knew that Tim wouldn't want that. Jason had been right when he'd dragged him away, Tim wouldn't like anyone seeing him as he was now. It was very different to the few times he'd been sick enough to require help doing basic tasks, at least then he'd been aware of the help.
Conner was even more adamant now though that Tim was still their Tim. That he'd shown signs of truly recognising him. Bruce wasn't sure what to think. He wanted his son back so much, but Tim could very well be a sleeper agent for the vampires now. John said there was no way to know which meant they couldn't risk letting him out even if he did seem to remember one day.
Tim chirped and Bruce focused on him, meeting red eyes, watching Tim tilt his head to the side slightly, watching him.
"Son," he murmured, and Tim chirped again…responding? Bruce stood and moved closer to the door, placing his hand against the material and Tim mimicked him. Bruce hesitated but then reached for the control panel, flipping a switch.
A few seconds later, Tim's sniffed, scenting the air. He'd stopped the filtered air in the cell, letting the air from the rest of the Nest inside instead, scents with it. And Tim closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. His eyes opened and he pressed against the wall, both hands flat to it, staring at Bruce. How good was his sense of smell? Scent memories could be very strong, could he smell Bruce's cologne? Did he recognise it? Tim whined, rubbing his cheek against the wall.
"I'm here Tim," he promised. No matter how much Tim's behaviour had him wishing to hold his son, he couldn't. It was too dangerous, they'd need to leave Tim exposed to the smell of humans for several days at least before attempting to let him be around one of them, and Kon-El would have to be present as well, to be safe.
He glanced down as his League communicator beeped but ignored it. He'd been getting a lot of calls since sending Dick in his place to the meeting. He hadn't watched the footage but apparently Dick had had fun reading several members the riot act over what they were saying about Tim. Dick was really trying to make up for being the reason Tim had been left so alone on his search for Bruce. If only Tim was aware of that. He chuckled when Tim hissed at the communicator, did he not like the pitch of the noise? Or was Kon right about him beginning to recognise things. Tim had had very little contact with the Justice League since Bruce had returned, keeping his distance from anyone other than his team, a team he showed no recognition of the few times they had come.
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Jason chuckled as Tim pouted, whining softly. Tim was becoming more and more expressive as the days and weeks passed. Constantine said that was a good sign, that he was adjusting, and that hopefully soon he would be able to speak. "Greedy," he told the kid.
Tim got to his feet and reached out to touch the wall, Jason copying him. It had been almost a week since they'd turned off the filtered air and Tim seemed to like their scents. There'd been no hissing or snarling, no attempts to attack them through the wall. He was definitely a lot calmer than he had been at the beginning. Sometimes, Jason could see something like the real Tim in his eyes.
"Tomorrow baby bird," he promised. Tomorrow they would open the door.
Tim yawned, showing off his fangs, becoming drowsy as the night faded. He moved to the cot and curled up on it, hugging the pillow.
"Kon'll be back soon," Jason told him, watching as Tim's eyelids drooped.
Tim was barely awake when Kon slipped into the cell, reaching sleepily for him. Superboy got on the cot, letting Tim sprawl over him, pulling up a brightly coloured quilt to cover them as Tim's eyes closed, body utterly still.
Jason hated seeing that, the reminder that for all he was still around, Tim was dead. Jason had gotten a miracle, but it looked like Tim wouldn't. Constantine said there was no cure, no way to bring Tim back to life. He looked at Conner, how long did Kryptonians live and how would his human genetics affect that? Their bond was so deep, how would Tim react if he died?
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Kon stroked his fingers through Tim's hair as he began to stir. Tonight they were doing it, they were going to let Tim see Jason with no barriers between them. They'd decided on Jason because he was one of the Bats that Tim had been closest to over the last few years and because Jason had been there since the start.
Slowly, Tim blinked his eyes open, yawning. He looked up at Kon and smiled, Kon smiling back.
"Good evening," he greeted, and Tim shifted up to kiss him. Kon kissed back, hand slipping down to Tim's back. "Hungry?" he asked, and Tim perked up, licking his lips. "Okay, let me up and I'll get it," he told him, wondering how much Tim was actually understanding him. It seemed that was too much though as Tim just stared at him. Still, he'd obviously understood the reference to food, that was a good next step.
Kon began to sit up slowly and Tim got off, staying on the cot when Kon went to the door. He hadn't tried to get out without permission since the early days. He went to the medical bay and got out a bag, taking it to the kitchenette to warm it up since Tim seemed to like it better warm, it made sense since blood from a person would be warm. He avoided thinking of how Tim would know that, of what he might have done to others.
They'd tried tracking the vampires by deaths but it was hard, it was Gotham after all. People vanished all the time. Of course, that was when an alarm went off and a minute later Jason was there, even as Kon checked the computer.
"Arkham," Kon told him.
Jason groaned. "Guess our experiment will have to wait." He began suiting up.
"Be careful," Kon warned as Jason got on his bike. He headed back to Tim to find him pressed to the clear wall, alert, on edge. Had he recognised the alarm?
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Bruce stared at the blood on the walls as he stalked through silent corridors, he had never seen Arkham so quiet before. Patients cowered fearfully in corners while medics tended to the surviving guards. He paused to look inside a cell, seeing Jonathan Crane…or what was left of him. Several of the 'Rogues' were dead, killed gruesomely.
"B," Jason called, storming down the halls, everyone giving him a wide berth.
"Hood," he nodded.
"Is he?"
Bruce led the way to the empty cell…empty except for four dead birds…four robins.
"Shit," Jason swore. "Think this is the next move?" he murmured, and Bruce nodded.
There was no way the Joker or any of his goons had caused all of this. The idea of Joker as a vampire was not at all nice. Then again, if he was like Tim, he'd be less of a threat…no, Constantine had said the Sire could get their minds working faster, but how much faster?
No other Justice League members had reported extra deaths or disappearances like the ones Tim had been tracking. It all seemed to centre on Gotham. Which made it their problem.
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With the attack on Arkham and disappearance of the Joker, Gotham became very tense. And yet nothing happened. They continued patrolling in pairs, Duke shifting to night shift with them, poor kid. Dick made sure to work with him a lot of nights, just to make sure he could make the adjustment. It meant no one on dayshift but they'd never had that till Duke, they'd just have to let the cops deal with it like they used to. They were all on edge, waiting for something to happen.
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His Kon…worried? All were. His, all his?
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"It's not fair to Tim if we put this off. If we can trust him around us then we don't have to watch him so closely," Jason pointed out, and Kon nodded.
"Yeah. You ready?"
"Just don't let him tear my throat out," Jason leant against the wall, forcing himself to relax. If he was tense, Tim would pick up on it, the calmer they were the better. He watched Kon approach the cell and open the door, Tim staying on the cot but when Kon didn't enter or shut the door he cocked his head to the side, obviously curious.
"Hey Tim, it's okay," Kon held his hand out to Tim who watched him. Eventually he got up and moved towards his boyfriend. Jason had caught them kissing and he wasn't sure what he thought about that…but then he'd realised it was always Tim initiating everything which then made him worried for Kon if Tim didn't remember.
Tim moved to Kon, letting him lace their fingers together, not forcing him out of the cell, letting him take his time to adjust to something new. Tim kept looking between Kon and Jason, confused and wary.
"Hey Timmers," Jason called softly, and Tim looked over at him, head tilted to the side again, kind of bird like. He smiled but made sure to keep his lips together, teeth would likely be a threatening sign to a species who used their teeth to kill.
"Wanna say hi to Jason, Tim?" Kon asked, tugging him gently towards Jason.
Tim hesitated but then moved with him, scenting the air the closer they got. Jason slowly held his hand out to his brother and Tim stared before slowly lifting his free hand in return. He chirped softly, touching Jason's hand curiously. He let go of Kon's hand and shifted closer, leaning in to smell Jason and he stayed still. He chirped again and then stepped right up to him, leaning in to sniff his throat. Jason saw Kon tense, ready to intervene.
Jason slowly raised his other hand, moving it to gently rest on Tim's shoulder and then up into his hair. He smiled as he heard the soft purr, Tim relaxing against him, nuzzling but not putting teeth to skin. "Hey little brother," he whispered. Tim rubbed his cheek against Jason's and he fought back a shiver at the feel of deathly cold skin.
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His? Yes, his too. Not the same but his. Smell…death? Sharp, green…
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Alfred did his best to keep the family well rested, fed, and looked after. He desperately wanted to go to Timothy's side but he understood why Master Bruce had said no. Timothy had so many adjustments to get used to and without proof if he remembered them or not, they didn't wish to risk overwhelming the poor boy. With the Arkham attack tensions in the city were high. There had been almost a week of little crime, everyone waiting for what the Joker would do as they did not know what the family did.
They were all working themselves to exhaustion, trying to hunt down those who had harmed his grandson and through him, caused the rest untold grief. Young Damian may act unaffected, but he was. He had seen footage of Tim and it had disturbed him greatly. Was this really what it would take to reconcile the family fully?
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Kon pressed a kiss to Tim's forehead and Tim squealed, red eyes bright, and Kon chuckled. "Be right back," he promised, getting up.
Tim reached for him, and Kon hesitated, giving Tim the chance to latch on. Kon gently gripped his chin, staring into his eyes. Red, yes, but…there were hints of blue. Constantine had said he'd eventually regain his true eye colour with the red only appearing when hungry, feeding, or using vampiric abilities. It was amazing to see, he missed the blue so much.
"Okay, let go Tim."
Tim whined but let Kon disentangle them. Kon kissed him gently and then left the cell, going to join Jason and Bruce at the computer.
He was halfway there when the Nest was plunged into darkness, everything going silent as all equipment shut down. He heard the automatic locking of the cell, trapping Tim inside, a failsafe to ensure a prisoner could not escape. Thankfully, he could see in the dark, not as well as Clark could but far better than a human.
"Doesn't this place have backup generators for blackouts?" Jason asked.
"It does," Bruce answered warily.
"I can't hear any activity," Kon called out to them, moving their way. And then he stumbled, feeling sick, weak… "Kryptonite," he slurred, falling to his knees, vision wavering.
He heard thuds, sounds of fighting, and then it all went quiet as he slumped to the ground.
TBC….
