Disclaimer: not mine

Follow up to the attempted rape and the effects of the drugging. You get to find out just how creepy Tony is and what he was trying to do.

Chapter 4

There was a languid heaviness to his limbs and he was warm. Everything was fuzzy, unimportant…a strange buzzing under his skin. He sighed as the buzzing increased, beginning to feel restless, heat pooling low. He moaned, shifting listlessly, needing something. Touch…please…touch him…

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Danny sighed as Tim began to stir, so much for the hope Tim would sleep now. Whatever he'd been given didn't seem to be wearing off like he'd thought it was. He ducked into the bathroom and soaked a face cloth in cold water, gently wiping Tim's face with it and Tim moaned. He shifted from his side onto his stomach, moving restlessly, and Danny retreated to the bathroom as he realised what Tim was doing.

He was not going to watch him, especially with Tim drugged and not aware of what he was doing. The drug obviously had been meant for more than to just keep him from fighting back. Maybe…it needed to be worked out of his system and not just slept off. He'd check in a few minutes and see if Tim was sleeping again or awake.

When he checked on Tim, he seemed asleep again, face flushed, so he re-wet the face cloth and set it on his forehead before getting some water into him. Then he frowned, pressing a hand to Tim's skin before swearing softly. That…that wasn't normal. There was a buzz of energy…not the kind he was used to from the Infinite Realms but something else…magic? That was really not good. What nut case mixed drugs and magic?!

Okay, stay calm, it had to wear off otherwise he would have been caught before. There was no way this was the first time he'd done this; it had been too practiced, too smooth. If Tim hadn't giggled and left without signalling him, he wouldn't have suspected he was drugged. If they'd been who they were pretending to be he likely would have thought his sister bored or something, or perhaps in a corner with a boy her age. Unless…it wore off because of what he did to his victims? Danny pulled out Tim's computer and went online to search the local papers and police records, glad Tim had programs set up since he wasn't a hacker himself. There was a reason it was Technus' programs that had picked up on the hunt for Tim.

Okay…so a few people had occasionally gone missing for a day or two, but when interviewed they had no memory of what happened. And there was nothing left of whatever Tony used in their blood tests either. But they had an advantage, Tim had been wearing a camera, they both had just to be safe. Tim's had been concealed in his choker so it should have gotten excellent footage of the assault. He was just glad he'd found them when he had, it would be traumatising enough for Tim to find out what happened, if it had gone further…

Danny grabbed the choker and plugged it in to download the footage, fast forwarding to where they began to dance. He watched as the image seemed to sway, Tim obviously becoming unsteady. Tony then guiding Tim from the ballroom until the man lifted Tim in his arms, giving great footage of his face. Danny grimaced as Tim was laid on the bed and Tony vanished, removing his shoes? And then, well, he could guess why he was getting a far too close look at his upper body before he pulled back to begin stripping Tim. Then nothing until Danny himself appeared on camera. He cut the footage to show from when they started dancing to when Tony got off of Tim. He wanted to send it but he wouldn't, not without Tim's permission even though there was nothing that could identify the cover he'd used, let alone his real identity.

The fact that other victims were sometimes missing for two days meant he could be in for a very long wait. Hopefully, Tim would work through it quicker than that because Danny didn't want to have to care for him the way he'd have to without Tim knowing about it. It was one thing to help him drink, but more intimate care?

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Noise…coolness…movement. Warmth of touch, so nice. Wet against his lips so he parted them, water, he swallowed.

"Tim…hear…Tim…eyes…"

That voice…he struggled to open his eyes, a fuzzy figure leaning over him.

"Tim?"

He whimpered, pressing into the touch across his back.

"It's okay…try…sleep…wear off…"

He sighed, buzzing energy dancing under his skin, pulling him back under.

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Danny carefully lay Tim back down. He'd seemed to rouse for a minute or two this time, that was an improvement. It'd already been a day and Danny had spent a lot of time on the balcony or in the bathroom to give Tim privacy. He'd gotten some broth into him for nutrients along with the water so he wasn't too worried there. He just really wanted him to wake up. The longer they lingered, the greater the chance of the League tracking them down.

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He was tired, his head fuzzy, but he'd never felt so relaxed in his life. And distantly, alarm bells rang at that. He lay quiet, listening, hearing distant traffic…chatter but not English like it was coming in a window…the clacking of someone on a computer nearby. He shifted ever so slightly, no restraints, so he opened his eyes to slits, not happy with the effort it took. His vision was hazy and he blinked, trying to clear it…and the clacking had stopped.

"Tim?"

He opened his eyes further, blinking, trying to get the room to focus. He opened his mouth to try and talk only to cough. He felt the bed dip and then a hand was under his head, lifting it, a glass pressed to his lips.

"Just water Tim," the familiar voice murmured, and he found himself drinking. There was more movement and then he was reclining against pillows, still blinking. "Tim, can you hear me?"

"Mmm," he hummed in acknowledgment. His vision was slowly clearing. "Dan'y?"

"Yeah, it's me," he sounded relieved. "Just take your time, you've had a rough two days."

He frowned in confusion, had he been sick?

"Do you feel like you're going to be sick?" Danny asked, sounding worried, and Tim lethargically shook his head.

How sick had he been to worry Danny so much? How much time had they lost because of him?

"What's the last thing you remember?" Danny asked, gently brushing his hair back from his face for him, and Tim found himself pressing into his touch. "Tim?" Danny called his name, and Tim blinked.

"Uh…" what did he remember? "Train…to Marseille? Something about a party?" He had an excellent memory, so why couldn't he remember clearly? Fever?

"That was three days ago, Tim." He was still stroking Tim's hair and it felt nice. There was an odd, slowly fading, buzzing sensation under his skin but it didn't hurt.

Three days, that wasn't too bad for being sick but…he thought that meant they'd missed the party. He shifted slightly on the pillows and something caught his eye. He stared in confusion at the sight of a black ballgown hanging up on the wardrobe door. It was stunning and looked like it would fit him, beside it was a black tuxedo… "Did you buy them?" he asked in confusion.

"No Tim, you did. You had fun dodging the shop ladies to change in the changing room without them realising you weren't actually a girl."

"I…I don't remember that."

"Yeah, I figured. From the records I found, that's normal."

"Records of what? Danny, what happened to me?" his breathing was picking up.

,,,,,,,,,,

"Hey, calm down Tim, you're safe," Danny told him.

He was safe now anyway. He didn't want to tell Tim what had happened, what had nearly happened. If he'd waited much longer to go looking for Tim… he kept up the gently stroking of Tim's hair, it really needed a good wash, since it seemed to be comforting. Danny wondered if it was a lingering effect of the drug or magic. That had been reported too. One of the victims had loathed physical contact before but after her recovery, she had sought it out. He wondered if it eventually wore off but there were no further records unfortunately, she'd been a tourist from Russia and had returned home.

Tim twisted to face him more, blue eyes wide as he struggled to breath properly, fingers flexing against the sheets as he fought the urge to reach out, obviously wanting contact and not understanding why.

"It's okay, just breath with me," Danny coaxed, leaning in to rest his forehead against Tim's, making him focus on him. Ever so slowly, Tim's breathing began to match his. "That's it," he murmured, "you're okay."

"Danny…I…"

Danny opened his arms in offering and Tim fell into him, shaking but that calmed as Danny hugged him close, Tim's head on his shoulder.

"What's happening to me?"

"We went to the party but we missed something in the research. The host, he asked you to dance and you couldn't say no without breaking cover. I should have realised when I heard you giggling, but then I looked and you were both gone. You hadn't even had the whole glass of champagne but it was enough," Danny was rambling a bit, not wanting to outright say it.

Tim shuddered. "He drugged me?"

"Yeah. When I found you… you were completely out of it."

"Did he…"

"He took your shoes off, has the straps of the dress off your arms and was going for the zipper when I broke in. I checked your camera footage, pretty sure there was some kissing. But nothing more than that, he didn't have time."

He felt Tim shudder and then he was gagging, and Danny grabbed the waste basket from beside the bed, holding it as Tim threw up, not that he had much in his stomach. Once he was done, Danny held the glass while Tim sipped some water.

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He was always aware of the risk of something be slipped in a drink at a gala. He was always so careful. Usually, he attended them as Tim though, and boys were less likely to be attacked in such a way. But he'd obviously gone as a young woman and he'd become a target. If not for Danny…would he have been…raped? Or would the man have stopped when he realised Tim was male? And he wouldn't have remembered a thing after thanks to the drugs. But drugs wouldn't have left him feeling like this, like he wanted to be touched, held, that weird buzz…

"What did he give me?" he asked, resting his head back on Danny's shoulder, relaxing as a hand gently rubbed his back.

"The cops don't know what it is, they usually don't find victims until it wears off. I took a sample of your blood once we got back here, I figure you could get it analysed. But…it doesn't seem to be just a normal drug, somehow, it's a drug and magic. Can you feel the buzz?" Danny asked, and Tim nodded.

He'd been around magic on and off over the years, both from enemies and allies. "I've never felt something like this." The buzz felt good, so did being touched, and that scared him a bit. He'd seen how quickly people could get addicted to things and he never wanted that. "Sure it's him dosing all the victims?" He forced himself to think of it as a case, to try and distance himself from the fact he was one of the victims now.

"All the victims were here in Marseilles and attended events he did. And, it was too practised, the waiter who passed out the drinks gave nothing away but had to be in on it to ensure you got the correct flute. Security was making sure everyone stayed in the ballroom too once he took you away. The majority of the victims are foreigners as well. One of them reported the same thing you're experiencing now, a lingering craving for contact. I don't know if it eventually faded or not since she returned home."

"All the victims are female?"

"The majority, a smattering of males but most of them are built like you."

"So able to pass as female with the right clothes and makeup," Tim muttered, curling closer. "Sorry."

"For what?" Danny asked, sounding confused.

"This."

"You've got nothing to be sorry for. We're a team, Tim. If you need this, then you need it," Danny promised.

Tim shifted and for the first time realised his pants were…oh.

"When you feel up to standing, a hot shower will probably help," he offered, and Tim felt himself flush in embarrassment. "The drug seemed to hit you in cycles, so I spent time on the balcony or in the bathroom to give you privacy."

"I…uh, I didn't try to…"

"You were too out of it. Most of the time you didn't even seem aware of my presence. You would try and keep me there when I'd hold you up for water but you had no strength at all. Probably to ensure the victim can't fight back if they do become aware of what's happening."

Well, at least he hadn't embarrassed himself in that way. He'd never be able to look Danny in the face again if he'd tried to sleep with him. It had been awkward enough after the kiss with how much he'd liked it.

"I really want that shower," he muttered. He felt really gross, as bad as ending up in the Gotham sewers in some ways, though he didn't stink that much at least.

"Alright, I'll get it set up," Danny went to slide out from under him and Tim couldn't help tightening his grip. "Okay, we'll do this together."

He knew Danny was fit, figured he had to have carried him at least part of the way to the hotel, but Danny just stood up with Tim in his arms like it was nothing. Sure, Tim wasn't a big guy, lightly built, but it was all muscle. Danny carried him into the bathroom and set him on the closed toilet lid, taking Tim's hand and letting it rest on his skin under his shirt even as Danny moved around the bathroom to make sure Tim would have everything he needed.

"I'll turn my back but I think it's safer if I stay, just in case you fall."

"Yeah, okay," he agreed, beginning to try and get out of the soiled clothing. He stumbled under the spray, leaning against the wall as the hot water poured over him. It felt good so he just stayed like that for a while before reaching for the shampoo, scrubbing his scalp to get rid of the greasy feeling. Washing himself had his skin tingling oddly so he got through it as quickly as possible, Danny handing a towel back once the water cut out. Tim wrapped it around his waist and stepped out of the shower, stumbling as his legs trembled, but Danny caught him, seeming to not care about getting wet.

He got dried and dressed and settled onto the other bed as Danny stripped the one Tim had been in before.

"Told the staff you were sick so they've been good about suppling fresh linens," Danny explained.

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Danny woke to find Tim wrapped around him, sleeping deeply. Tomorrow, they'd need to come to a decision about what they were going to do to ensure no one else suffered what Tim was going through now. Thankfully, the buzzing was fading so that should mean the magic aspect was wearing off and hopefully with that, his need for contact would fade as well.

Not that Danny minded being used as a teddy bear. It reminded him of bunking in with Jazz when he was first adopted and half feral with fear and the early days as Phantom when Tucker and Sam would have him at their houses as often as possible. Having the warmth of another body, the ebb and flow of emotions, so close made sleeping easier. Though tonight, it was making soothing Tim's nightmares easier, keeping him from going deep enough into them to startle awake. He'd been expecting it, who wouldn't have nightmares after realising what had happened? He'd just get up before Tim did, just in case he panicked at waking so close to someone so soon.

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Tim watched the footage over and over, searching for what he could have done different. They hadn't worn sound gear unfortunately, so he had no clue what he'd said that night. He could read lips but there was nothing untoward, though with the height difference Tony's lips weren't always in view. He watched the view shift as he was lifted and then eventually laid on a bed. Seeing the man looming over him, touching him…he nearly jumped as the screen went dark, hands covering his, drawing him away.

"Stop doing this Tim," Danny murmured, guiding him to the bed to sit. "Watching it over and over won't change anything, you're just torturing yourself."

Tim shook his head. "I missed something, I had to have," he was stopped as fingers pressed to his lips. He raised his gaze to meet worried blue eyes.

"Nothing that happened is your fault. We had no reason to suspect him of that kind of thing. What would you say to any other victim Tim?"

"But I'm not just any…I was Robin…"

"No one can see or know everything," Danny argued, taking both his hands firmly in his again.

And Tim found himself relaxing at the touch. If this was permanent then he was in trouble. If any of the Rogues found out…or even Ra's. Even if he had planned to kill Tim, if he found out Tim now needed touch, well, the man would definitely use that to try and get control of him. The thought of Joker or Scarecrow finding out…

"I don't get it," he admitted. "Why add the magic on top of the drugs?"

"It's probably what causes the complete amnesia of the time," Danny pointed out gently. "Without knowing what the drugs did, there's no way to say. It could be a control thing; he likes leaving his victims craving more even when they don't remember what happened."

Tim nodded; he should have worked that out himself. He wasn't thinking properly. Shock? Was he still be affected by the concoction to the point it was dulling his mind? "We have to stop him."

"Of course," Danny agreed. "How do you want to do it? Legally or vigilante route?"

Tim hesitated, it would feel really good to kick his ass, but could Tim trust himself at the moment? He knew Danny would do it, he'd already hit him once and he could tell, Danny was angry. Angry enough to kill? He had League training after all, but no…Danny had run because he didn't like killing. Though, not liking killing didn't necessarily mean he wouldn't under certain circumstances and Tim hadn't even asked about that.

"Legally," he finally said. "We can send the edited footage, there's nothing to identify me in it, and even if there was, it'd be…Louisa?" he'd been thinking of using that name when looking to make an id for the party, and Danny nodded. "If they try to cover it up because of his status, since he mostly targets tourists…pressure via the foreign press should do it. Especially with a reputation like Lois Lane's."

"You'd send it to the Planet?"

"I know Lois, she's known to most of the community and knows a lot of our id's," he admitted. "She'll know it's from me but won't connect the story to me officially. And she won't let them cover it up. We can send the reports you found; I'll see if I can find more too."

Danny nodded and Tim stood to go back to his computer. He stared at the black screen and then turned it back on, hesitating for a moment before closing the footage and bringing up the records Danny had found. He found the victims' names and went to work. Half an hour later he pushed back from the computer and walked into the bathroom, falling to his knees in front of the toilet.

"Tim?" Danny called in alarm, though it was hard to hear over the sound of his stomach emptying itself. A cool washcloth was pressed to the back of his neck, a hand helping hold the longer strands of his hair back. "Okay, you're okay, just…let it happen."

Tim coughed and then spat and the cloth was shifted to his face so he took it and wiped his face off. Then Danny handed him a glass of water. "Thanks," he muttered.

"Tim?"

"Three suicides, four abusive relationships…every single female victim has had multiple pregnancies. And the last male victim had some really strange blood results and ultrasound before he died."

"Are you saying…the magic tried to make him pregnant?" Danny asked in shock, and Tim nodded.

"That's what it looks like. So, it's some kind of fertility magic…and I don't know…"

"But he didn't finish with you and it's fading, I can barely feel it now. Is there a doctor you'd trust to check your blood?" Danny grimaced. "All this for what, an heir? Hasn't he ever heard of IVF and surrogates?

"In Gotham," Tim sighed, standing and glad to find he was steady on his feet.

If not for Danny…the magic seemed to be getting stronger with each victim, would Tim have been the male it worked on? Would he be pregnant right now? Nope, not thinking about it, he didn't want to be sick again. He glanced at Danny. "For all we know it's a family tradition, though I'd expect him to be more successful if it was. None of the pregnancies that can be traced to the attacks have made it to birth, but it still seems to have raised the women's fertility," he grimaced. "How can you sense magic like that?" change the subject and get his mind off his near fate.

Danny sighed and left the bathroom, Tim following him. "I've been able to since I was five…and got tossed in a Lazarus Pit."

Tim froze, staring at Danny with wide eyes. He knew the League was bad news…but to put a five-year-old in one of those?! And it made him wonder if Damian had ever been put in one, if that could explain some of his issues. Jason was the only one the rage had ever lasted in, but madness could linger.

"Tim?"

"They…how badly were you hurt?"

Danny looked away. "I was dying. But I'd fought honourably and defeated my opponent so I got the reward of using the Pit to keep me alive and heal me," he muttered bitterly, and Tim winced.

"I'm sorry, you were just a kid."

"That's the League, and why I'm not letting them get you."

"Thanks. And I'm glad you got out, that you've got a family and a life away from all of that," Tim told him, and Danny looked back at him, relaxing, smiling slightly.

Tim took a deep breath and went back to the computer to finish gathering everything for the local police and Lois. He smiled when Danny sat beside him, letting their legs rest against each other. He put together a message and sent it to Zatanna, just in case Tony had access to other magic. Maybe one of the Justice League magic users could help the survivors. The message would take some time to get to her since he didn't want to risk her tracking him down. Who knew what the latest opinion was on him since he'd left Gotham, he didn't need them getting in the way until he had all the proof together.

TBC…

So, Tim was very lucky he had Danny to realise what was going on. Tony is very creepy but he'll get what he deserves. Likely, Tim would have been the success if Danny hadn't intervened since the magic was improving with each attempt.