Disclaimer: not mine

This is the end of this version, of the remaining two versions, one of them is really going to be horrible for Tim and everyone, the other will be more this level of horrible and happy. So which should I do first?

Chapter 9

Jason looked around at the boxes filling the apartment, feeling…sad. Tim and Kon had made it clear he'd be welcome to visit whenever he wanted, but still…he was losing his little brother again. But Tim had told him all those months ago that they were planning to leave, he'd just…assumed they'd stay now that Tim was a vampire. Where better for a vampire to live, seriously? And that was part of the issue, Kon needed more sunlight during the day so they were headed for the west coast. Seattle might not get the national average of sunny days a year, but it still beat out Gotham by a lot. And the cold weather itself wouldn't bother either Tim or Kon.

He didn't jump when a cold body wrapped around him, instead hugging the kid back.

"Not leaving you Jay," Tim murmured into his shoulder, his speech was definitely improving.

"Yeah, whenever you want a break from the bats, you can come to us. And I'll keep an ear out, you need help, you shout," Kon offered, and Jason nodded, overwhelmed.

He'd never imagined this when he'd first come back to Gotham. He'd wanted Tim dead then, the Joker dead…technically both were now true. And now he had his family back…and they were splitting up because Dick had lived up to his name when it came to Damian and Tim. Then again, there were plenty of them in Gotham, maybe it was good that at least one of them was spreading their wings and moving on.

"So, who should I be keeping an eye out for?" Jason asked, but the two brats just shared a grin.

"Secret!" Timmy chirped.

"Pretty sure it'll be obvious since you know where we're going," Kon just shrugged. And he had a point, Seattle didn't have any vigilantes or heroes of its own. The original plan had been for them to go as their current id's and then switch once known to the people there but he understood why Tim wouldn't feel comfortable being Red Robin again.

They would be heading to Seattle tonight to begin patrolling, so that the official move next week would not connect them. After all, Tim was going to be arriving back in Gotham officially in the morning from his overseas trip, kept from sight by his medical team. Word had been 'leaked' of his diagnosis, the press and city seeming to be in shock that the media darling Tim Drake-Wayne was now confined to the night, would be ill for the rest of his life. They were setting up a meeting with the press before the move and Jason knew Tim wasn't looking forward to it.

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Tim carefully pulled on the new suit, checking the fit as he went. There was a lot less armour than any of his old ones, he didn't need it anymore so the suit was closer to Nightwing's in fit now. He was a lot more flexible now as well as damage resistant. He kept the full body coverage too, wanting as much skin covered as possible just in case he ran into a UV lamp or something. At Kon's begging though, he'd ditched the cowl, going back to a domino but a larger one that covered more of his face. He still had his utility belt, cape, bō, and anything that wasn't directly linked to the bats and birds.

He looked across the changing area where Kon was getting changed as well. He definitely liked him wearing an actual costume, it fit more like Clark's, though lacking the blue. He had decided to keep the S-shield though it was smaller and now on his belt rather than his chest.

Really, both of their suits were darker, more mature he guessed. There was no red in his own anymore, no link back to any version of Robin. In exchanged, Kon was in shades of dark red and black but nothing like how his own Robin or Red Robin suits had shown the colours.

"Ready?" Kon asked as he affixed his own dark red domino, scrunching his nose slightly, unused to the feel.

"Ready," Tim agreed, and Kon scooped him up, taking off.

It wasn't a very long flight by Kon air to get to the other side of the country and soon they were on a rooftop, looking out over the city. Tim spotted the new WE building easily, it was one of the tallest buildings in the city.

"Where to?" Tim asked, they didn't have anything set up yet but that was okay, Kon would be able to hear the police reports and even crimes as they happened. They'd both already memorised the maps of the city as well.

Kon grinned and took off so Tim leapt, firing his grapple to swing through the air.

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Bruce skimmed the article about two new vigilantes spotted in Seattle. He wasn't sure which was stronger, his pride or sorrow. He wanted desperately for Tim to remain in Gotham, but he couldn't force him to, that would ruin their relationship when they had only been repairing it since Tim's turning. It was better to let him leave and keep a good relationship with him.

In the morning, they had the press interview and Bruce was going to be there at Tim's side, so was Kon as Conner Kent, Tim's official boyfriend. They'd talked it over, and it would put Conner in the spotlight, but they'd prepared him as best they could. Being connected romantically to a Wayne was different to being a hero. Since Conner Kent had been invisible for a while, they were claiming he'd been with Tim in Europe, at his side through his health crisis.

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Conner held Tim's hand as they sat on the couch opposite the reporter. Tim had insisted it not be Viki Vale and that was understandable given the mess over her article on his supposed engagement to Tam Fox. Tim was leaning against him, dressed more casually then when seen at WE, but not as casual as he usually did around the apartment.

The interview was being held at the Manor since the apartment was getting very empty, plus they didn't want to run the risk of something being spotted…like a blood bag. It meant they were stuck there for the day, but that was okay since Dick and Damian were in Blüdhaven for a few days.

Thankfully, they'd both memorised everything they could find on Tim's 'disease' so that they could answer questions about how it had affected Tim's life, their lives. Then of course, there were lots of questions about the move to Seattle, especially so soon after his return to Gotham and diagnosis. And then, not so surprisingly he supposed, questions about their thoughts on the rumours of new vigilantes in Seattle.

"I'm a Kent, I've been around Metropolis for years so I'm used to the Supers being around," Conner shrugged. "Honestly, having some there makes me feel safer about the move. Seattle isn't exactly known for supervillains but there are still attacks on occasion. And if they can lower the normal crime rate too then that's great."

"You're not worried their presence will bring about such villains? Some say there were none in Gotham until after Batman appeared after all."

Tim shook his head. "They were here, they just didn't get the press attention till Batman started beating them. Scarecrow, Dr Crane, had been running illegal experiments on fear for years, gassing areas he thought would go unnoticed. Conner's right, heroes and vigilantes don't cause supervillains, they do their best to keep them locked up. Sadly, the US justice system has never caught up to dealing with such people. Otherwise, monsters like the Joker wouldn't get away with being declared insane and sent back to Arkham over and over only to escape and keep killing."

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Tim wandered the halls, fingers tracing the wall as he walked. There were so many memories in the halls, some happy and some not. He wished he could have moved out under better circumstances but in the end, it had worked out. He kept to the halls, not going into the rooms since he wasn't sure if the curtains were open or closed, at least until he reached his old bedroom. He nudged the door slightly and no light was visible so he pushed the door open and walked in. The little he had left behind was still there, the room clean, not that Alfred would ever let a room in the Manor be left dusty.

Tim sat on his bed and closed his eyes, inhaling, taking in the scents. Alfred's was the strongest, then Bruce…and Dick. He grimaced, his reaction to Dick and Damian had been instinctual, the need to protect himself. He could control that now, but that didn't mean he wanted to see Damian. Dick…he was more unsure of. He'd done so much for him, taken him under his wing, been his big brother…even given him his first hug so long ago. But that Dick had vanished when Damian arrived and he'd never come back, not till it was too late. Did Dick's grief and relentless searching for him when he was turned change anything?

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Alfred returned Tim's embrace, ignoring the chill of his body, gently stroking his hair. "I shall miss you dear boy," he murmured.

"You can come visit, any time," Tim looked up at him, smiling sadly. "And we'll come back too. I just… I can't," Tim bit his lip, and Alfred nodded.

"I understand Master Timothy. You look after yourself and Master Conner. Try to not get into too much trouble."

"Can't promise that, sorry Alfie," he grinned, and Alfred gave a mock stern look.

"Safe travels."

Alfred stood at the door and watched the two young men vanish into the night hand in hand, avoiding the lingering press.

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Conner looked around the empty apartment and then at Tim who looked a little lost. For the official move, they were using the private jet. They had an actual house ready and waiting, everything installed for Tim's safety. And their new base had been built underneath it with everything two heroes could need. It was no Wayne Manor or the penthouse, but it had everything they could need as well as a lot more privacy. And it was under two miles to Seattle city hall. Good luck getting a real house in Gotham that close, it was all apartments and townhouses.

Conner had only moved into the penthouse after Tim was taken and had stayed because Tim needed him. But the Seattle house, they had bought it, had it renovated and done to both their tastes, it was their first real home together. He couldn't wait to move in.

Tim turned to him and held his hand out. Conner took it and they left the Penthouse for the last time. It was being kept in the Wayne family and the Nest was being left to the bats to use.

They rode Tim's bike to the private airport where it was loaded onto the jet, going onboard themselves to settle in for the flight.

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Tim blinked at the flashes of light from the fence line as they disembarked.

"Paparazzi, fun," Conner mumbled, and Tim smiled at him.

"Of course, there are. I'm still a Wayne even if no longer CEO." Stepping back from that was a good decision, he'd be working with R&D now, where his skills fit a lot better. Yes, he had been raised to run a company and he could do it, but CEO's needed to be available during the day, something he couldn't do anymore. So, Bruce was back as CEO and Tim was excused from any daytime meetings, he reported to Lucius and Bruce and his department knew he worked at night, for emergencies they could call Conner since he was no slouch either when it came to engineering, that was what he'd decided to study through university online. Tim was proud of him for deciding to go to university and continue his studies.

They waited for the bike to be unloaded and then got on, taking off for home. The streets looked different from ground level but that didn't make getting there any harder. Tim pulled into the garage and then they headed inside, finding everything was unpacked thanks to Alfred arranging everything.

They explored the house now that the renovations were done and their belongings filling it, making it a home. Three bedrooms meant they could have family visit, just not all of them at the same time. Tim had trouble with so many people in one place now anyway. It wasn't just the bloodlust either, it was an assault on all his senses, and he just…something just felt wrong and made him want to run.

They then opened the hidden elevator and went down to their new base, checking it out in person for the first time. Tim wrinkled his nose at how sterile it smelt, but he knew that would fade soon enough.

Waiting for them on display were their uniforms. Tim grinned and moved to the computer to get settled in, Kon chuckling. He kissed his cheek and then went to suit up, they had decided to not always patrol together, they needed to keep the criminals guessing after all. Tim had a lot to still set up and it was easier for Kon to patrol solo without any extra tech backup.

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Police Commission Simon Blake sighed as he read another report with the sighting of the cities newest additions. Vigilantes. He supposed it could be worse than the two had shown up but still. One report mentioned the S-shield on the flyers' belt and Superboy hadn't been spotted in Metropolis since he'd shown up, so Simon was relatively sure he was just a re-branded Superboy. But why had he left Metropolis? The other one was harder to work out but the grapple gun he used suggested a possible link to Gotham and when he'd rung their commissioner for tips on dealing with Vigilantes, he'd admitted Red Robin hadn't been seen for a while. But why would the two, from separate cities and with such different abilities, up and move across the country to live in Seattle?

He didn't mind Wayne Enterprises moving in, more jobs were always good and WE was known for looking after its employees and working hard for the city. He wouldn't say no to the Neon Knights setting up either. There were rumours the Wayne's backed the Justice League financially, so it made sense for two vigilantes/heroes to set up shop in the city they were coming to, especially given Mr Drake-Wayne's recent issues with his health and how the press had hounded him a few years ago, then the assassination attempt where he was shot on tv.

"Hello Commissioner," a voice called, and he nearly jumped, turning to see the two young men standing on the rooftop.

He'd taken Gordon's advice on contacting them to make sure they all knew where they stood.

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Cass leapt to the next rooftop easily, Tim and Kon moving slower to allow her to keep up. She wasn't used to that, she'd always been faster than Tim, the fastest Bat on their feet. But she was glad Tim felt so comfortable now with his abilities, neither of them using a grapple, Cass easily leaping from safe point to safe point while Tim made many of the leaps in one go. He still wore a grapple gun all the time, just to be safe and some of the jumps towards the edges of the city even he couldn't manage without one.

At the end of patrol, they headed back to the Nest to change, write reports, eat and head to bed. Tim was completely nocturnal now, Conner tended to sleep in the middle of the day so that he was up for the morning and late evening to handle anything that might come up and do his classwork. They didn't spend all night on patrol either since Tim still had to get work done as well. Once he could stay awake after sunrise things would get easier, but that could be a long way off.

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Tim crouched on the roof, watching silently as they cornered the girl, unable to help it as his lips curled back to reveal fangs. No way, not happening on his watch. He shifted positions and then leapt, the first dead before ever knowing he was there. The other snarled at him, and Tim moved to get between him and the girl. "Run," he told her, and she did.

"A vigilante?" the remaining vampire looked surprised. "Who the hell turned one of you?"

Not the best last words, but Tim wasn't going to let them kill people. Seattle was under his protection now. There were other ways to feed, even without the backing of Wayne money. Hmm…maybe he could work on setting up places for safe feeding? If there were options like that, would it stop vampires killing? Or at least cut down the number of deaths?

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Kon wrapped his arms around Tim's waist, kissing his throat, getting a smile. "What's up?"

Tim liked his lips, seeming nervous. "You know how she got me to tell my name and take off my cowl?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, some kind of hypnotism?" he asked, and Tim nodded. "You worked it out?"

"I know I can do it," Tim admitted, flinching slightly, and Kon tightened his grip.

"Okay, so what's the problem?"

Tim twisted to look at him, brow furrowed. "What do you mean? I can't…"

"Hey," Kon murmured, before kissing him softly. "Just because you have her powers, doesn't mean you'll end up like her or anyone else. I know you Tim, you will never be like that."

Tim leant against him, head on his shoulder, and Kon stroked his back gently. "Love you," Tim murmured.

"I love you too," he promised. "But don't change the subject. If you need to practice it, then do it on me."

"What?" Tim pulled free in alarm.

"I trust you Tim, you won't hurt me."

"But…Kon…"

"it's nothing like what Luther did to me," he promised, knowing what Tim was thinking of. "That was a violation, he ripped control away from me, made me hurt all of you. I'm offering Tim, and you'd never make me do something I'd be uncomfortable with."

"I…I'll think about it," Tim finally offered, and Kon nodded, watching Tim yawn.

"Come on, bedtime for the sleepy vampire," he teased, tugging him close for a kiss. Then he scooped him up, making Tim laugh as he flew them upstairs.

They showered together, Tim growing groggier as they did. He ended up carrying him to bed, getting in with him, holding Tim until he was dead asleep. Once he was, Kon got up and went to get something to eat, checking his email while he did. And then he grimaced as he heard screams…then news report of an explosion in Tacoma. He dashed into the Nest and changed before heading off to help.

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Tim sat over Kon's lap as his boyfriend lay back in bed. He still didn't think it was a good idea but Kon was insistent that it was just another thing he needed to master, like drinking from a person without killing or badly hurting them.

"Hey, come here," Kon gently tugged him down into a kiss. "It's going to be fine."

Tim nodded, taking a breath to help himself calm down. He stared into Kon's eyes, finding only trust there. He swallowed but reached deep inside for that bit of power. "Just relax Kon," he murmured. He kept talking, soft and calm, and watched as Kon's eyes slowly became unfocused, his breathing deep and even. "Can you hear me Kon?" he asked once he was sure as he could be that he was under.

"Yes," Kon mumbled, his expression peaceful.

"Kiss me," he whispered, and Kon pushed himself up to kiss him. Tim eventually pulled away and stood from the bed. "Strip," he ordered, and Kon obeyed, movements slow. "How do you feel?"

"Fuzzy…right…"

"Do you want to stop?" Tim asked, not sure how aware Kon was.

"No," Kon answered.

"If you want to stop at any time, then tell me. Understand?" They'd discussed this before but he wanted to be absolutely sure that Kon could and would ask to stop.

"Yes," Kon agreed as peacefully as he'd been the whole time.

"Okay," Tim whispered. He reached out and gently caressed Kon's face. "Lay down on the bed, on your back," he ordered, watching as Kon did so.

Tim got back on the bed, nudging his legs apart to kneel between them. "Just lie still and relax completely," he murmured, watching as Kon's body went utterly limp, eyelids drooping, lips parted slightly. He looked so tempting, so beautiful.

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Kon tugged Tim down into a kiss, grinning at him, seeing the worry in his eyes fading. "I'm fine, better than fine," he promised. His muscles felt like jelly, pulling Tim down like that had taken a lot more effort than normal.

"Really?" Tim asked.

"Really. I could have said stop Tim, I was aware," he'd felt really fuzzy and it would have had to be something he really hated to do it, but he could have said stop.

"Then why don't I remember?" Tim asked, and Kon clumsily wrapped him up in a hug.

"Probably because of what else happened, they killed you Tim. Blood loss and then death would scramble your head."

Tim nodded slowly. Personally, Kon was glad Tim didn't remember outside what he'd watched from the recordings, it was traumatising enough without remembering. Tim curled up against him and they just lay together as dawn approached.

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Jason slumped back on the very comfy couch. It was so different to the apartment but it also seemed to fit them better. The apartment had been more of a show place, the expectation for a CEO, teenager or not. This was a place to relax, to really live in. And Bruce seemed to not fully know how to navigate something that wasn't a Manor or Penthouse which was just really amusing. Dick was wearing the cowl so that Batman wouldn't be missed while Bruce was visiting the couple and attending a meeting in person.

It was sweet to watch Tim curl up against Bruce. He could remember feeling so safe when tucked into Bruce's side as a kid, sometimes…he missed it. Though their relationship was a million times better now than it was before Tim was taken. He just hated that it'd taken Tim being killed to get them both to make more of an effort. Yes, they'd been doing better before then, but Jason had barely been able to stand being around Bruce for anything outside the cape.

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Bruce sat at the computer of the Seattle Nest, watching the cameras as Tim and Kon patrolled the city. They worked very well together, splitting up at times to ensure they covered as much ground as possible. He wished he could be out there with them but Batman was in Gotham.

"They're good," Jason commented as he worked on Tim's backup grapple.

"They are," Bruce agreed.

"Make you rethink your no meta deal?" Jason teased, and Bruce sighed.

"Duke is a meta," he pointed out.

Tim wasn't a meta, but he could see what Jason was getting out. And yes, he had considered bringing in more meta's to the team, but it was tricky. Despite the laws protecting them, they were more likely to be the victims of trafficking and other nasty crimes. They could also react really badly to things like fear gas since they were tailored to normal human biology.

He had to fight the urge to flinch every time Tim threw himself off a building without firing his grapple, he knew what Tim could do now, but old habits and the like. The way he moved; it was like he was born to fly between buildings.

It was good to see how well they'd settled in and Tim was happier now with a fresh start. But it hurt as well, to see how happy he was away from the family and Gotham.

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Blackbird stood on the roof, staring out over his city. The black and grey of his suit blended well with the shadows, making him all but impossible to spot. Seattle was his city now, his home. He smiled as the wind picked up briefly, Supernova hovering beside him, not blending at all in his suit of different shades of red and black. They protected the city and it had accepted them.

The End