Disclaimer: not mine

This chapter is where the big changes begin

I am running a Kickstarter to help fund my third book if anyone is interested. Copies of my books as eBooks, signed paperbacks, and some merchandise are among the rewards. If you're interested, look for A Twist in the Tail on Kickstarter.

Chapter 3

Bruce stared at the results for the case he was meant to be working on, barely seeing them. It had been nearly six months since Tim had vanished, six months with not one clue or shred of evidence. The search had been scaled back, there'd been no choice, and he knew a lot of the others were beginning to believe Tim was dead. Tim would be nineteen soon and Bruce hoped he wouldn't be planning his funeral.

No, they had seven years before he'd be declared dead. At the moment, everyone believed he was overseas for WE, a few of the League members who could shapeshift occasionally posting from somewhere on his social media to keep up the ruse. Cass had gone out several times as Red Robin too since they were the closest in size, it hadn't taken Alfred much to adjust the uniform to hide her more feminine attributes.

Hell, even some of the Rogues had gotten involved in the search, Ivy hadn't been fooled by Cass in the costume despite how good she was, but she had senses with plants that they didn't. Harley, Riddler, a few others, had offered their services to find their tiny bird. It was strange, but Tim had always had an odd relationship with them, he treated them with respect and they returned it. He looked after Ivy's plants for her when she was in prison, would listen to Riddler's riddles and discuss them with them, even listened to Harley when she needed to vent. And it worked, they were calmer, even killed less when Tim would give them time.

Finding out from Lucius that Tim had been planning to leave Gotham forever had been a shock, something he hadn't seen coming, and yet he should have. It hurt, but…he knew it was their own fault. They'd let Tim drift away and he'd stopped fighting to stay. Bruce could see why, with Damian's attitude towards the continued search. He'd thought the boy had mellowed while he was gone and apparently that was true, except where Tim was concerned. If it wasn't for Conner's mad searching, he'd wonder if Tim hadn't left of his own free will and washed his hands of them. But he wouldn't have left his boyfriend and best friend like that. And hadn't that been a shock? He knew all the Young Justice kids visited Tim since he had less free time to go see them, and that Conner was the most frequent visitor, but he hadn't realised it was deeper than that. He should have.

He just wanted his son back. The thought of Tim, dying alone, thinking he was unwanted… why hadn't he learnt to be a better father? So many times, he'd been given another chance, done better for a time, and then fallen back into old habits. He'd been doing well with Tim after his return from his trip through time, but then there'd been that mess with Captain Boomerang and he'd seen how much like him Tim had become. It had scared him to see how calculating the teen could be, yes, he'd saved the man in the end but only at the last second. It had been a slap in the face, how much Tim had changed since coming into his life. The bright kid who had bullied him into healing from Jason, that boy would never have made such a plan, would he? Or had Tim always been like that, he'd always had plans yes, but not so cold. Tim had made his life, their lives, better but he could see that they had done the reverse for Tim.

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Kon entered the silent apartment, it felt so cold, even with the UV lamps that had been installed for him. That had been a shock but also tacit acceptance of his presence by Bruce. He hung his jacket and tucked his shoes in their cubby, tossing his keys in the bowl where Tim's still waited for his return.

He made his way upstairs and into the shower, soaking in the hot water for a long time. Eventually he went back down to get dinner and then curled up in their bed, Tim's scent long faded. He'd put some of Tim's cloths in bags, to preserve the scent, and he opened one, pulling out a hoody that looked like it'd originally been Jason's, pulling it on to surround himself with Tim.

He knew Clark and Lois were worried about him, Jon too. But…he just didn't know what to do anymore. Superboy was rarely seen anymore and it raised questions, but he didn't really care. Jon wasn't that much younger than Damian, maybe it was time to pass on the proverbial cape.

He'd done nothing but search for Tim and spend time with Jon since Tim had been taken. Was this how Tim had been when he died, then Bart, and then Bruce? No, Tim had had a goal, he'd had proof Bruce was alive. Kon…had nothing but hope and the inability to accept Tim might be gone forever.

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Long settled dirt stirred and then a desiccated, clawed hand broke through, then another. Slowly a body scraped its way free of the dirt. Matted, stringy black hair fell about a skeletal face, sunken unseeing eyes staring at nothing, open mouth revealing sharp fangs. The naked form began to drag itself across the dirt, drawn by the tantalising scent of what it needed.

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Sophia watched as what had once been Timothy Drake-Wayne, Red Robin, dragged itself from the grave, acting solely on new instincts, driven by the need to feed. For all the time he'd been dead, they hadn't been found by anyone. Once they had their prize, they simply moved to hidden kills, nothing flashy like before. They knew everything they needed to of the bats and soon they would end them. They could have already, but she thought they'd like to see their precious bird one last time. And it was always more fun to drag such things out. Whoever said not to play with your food was obviously not a vampire.

Gotham had been good to them, their numbers had grown and food was plentiful, as was proven by the group of humans sitting obediently in the room their newest member was dragging himself towards. It was a test, those too weak would simply die a final death before they made it to blood. But it was a test she knew he'd pass and sure enough he was soon falling upon his first victim. Sharp fangs pierced vulnerable flesh, Timothy feeding with abandon, starving for the vital fluid. He made a mess but that was normal. And with each feed, his body would change, a semblance of life slowly being restored. It would take perhaps a week for him to return to his previous appearance but his mind would take far longer.

For now, he would be placed with the others, kept docile and obedient as they relearned how to speak and even think.

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Barbara sat back from her monitors, stretching out cramped muscles before wheeling away to get something to eat. Life went on and there was always so much work, but whenever she had the chance, she was running Tim's cowl footage, trying to clean it up, restore the footage for any sort of clue. She'd been hopeful at first but it had been just as bad as the cameras around the alleys his gear had been spread to. Nothing she had tried worked; she'd even sent it to Cyborg but he'd had no more luck with it. They couldn't even work out how it had been done. Whoever it was, moved invisibly, like magic…could that be it?

They'd consulted Justice League Dark over the murders after Tim vanished, they hadn't been able to find anything but the sense of death, which from the blood at each scene had been obvious. But they hadn't had them check the footage for magical interreference, a stupid oversight.

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Kon curled on the couch, eating pizza, Bart pressed against his side while Cassie looked for something in the kitchen. Even after months, it just felt…wrong. Without Tim in the apartment, it was too quiet, empty. They could all feel it. But he wouldn't leave, everything he had left of Tim was in the apartment. And since Tim wasn't even listed as missing, just travelling, no one would even think of wanting to sell the place. Alfred had even started bringing him pre-cooked meals since he wasn't the best cook, it seemed to be his way of keeping close to Tim in some way so he never turned the man away.

He froze, senses focusing sharply, but it was nothing.

"Kon?" Bart looked up at him, and he shook his head.

"Sometimes I think I hear him, but…"

"It's never him," Cassie finished as she joined them, eyes sad.

"He's not dead, he can't be, I'd know…whoever took him would have announced to the world if they killed one of the bats," Kon snarled.

"Of course," they agreed.

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Crimson eyes stared vacantly, the film of death having lifted a few feeds ago, but the mind was still empty. The body acted only on instinct or her command, and while that was nice, she was looking forward to having access to his quick thought processes before proceeding to the next step. Not that Tim knew that, or anything at all, at the moment.

The scent of blood had him and the others moving, snapping and snarling at each other as they fought over the food. Only the strong would survive and become true vampires, rather than the empty animals they were currently. He had been buried at the base itself, but they had to spread the others out across Gotham to keep from rousing suspicion since at least one super was still watching the city.

His claws dug deep into another's flesh, ripping free as his fangs sank into the throat, ripping it apart, killing the other. He pulled a human close, back to the wall as he began to feed. If not for the lack of flush to his skin that life gave, he appeared as he had before death, just with longer hair, crimson eyes, and claws. While the others fought it out in the middle of the room, he kept himself and his meal safe in the corner, lessening the angles others could attack from. There was no strategy behind the move, only long trained muscle memory and instinct.

He eventually dropped the body, remaining in his defensive position until Sophia called to him, crawling obediently to her side.

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Damian stood beside his brother, scanning their surroundings for any crime even as they ate their mid-patrol snack. Everything had changed since Drake was taken, some for the better and some for the worse. Father, everyone really, was pushing themselves to make time for searching between cases and it was exhausting.

He did not like Drake and doubted he ever would, but…he had been useful to Father's mission, more than Damian had realised. Without Drake working silently in the background, they suddenly found themselves with a lot more computer work for cases and Father had also taken on much of his WE work, splitting it with Lucius Fox. It appeared Drake had done far more than anyone had ever given him credit for but why? Had it been a desperate attempt to prove he was still useful to the family?

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He stared at the footage the bats had sent him to clean up from mystical interference. He felt sick as he watched Red Robin fall under the female's control. Not good, very, very, not good. And he was the one who had to tell Daddybats. Great, someone out there really must hate him.

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Jason glared at John Constantine as the man finished explaining everything. "We get him away from them and he can learn to deal, right? Dying doesn't just erase who you were." He should know, he'd changed sure, but he was still Jason Todd.

"It's not the same as what happened to you. Being turned is nothing like being dumped in a Lazarus Pit. Tim Drake, Red Robin, is dead and nothing can bring him back. He's nothing more than a corpse that can move and will rip you to shreds for the blood in your veins. Maybe if we'd gotten to him as he was rising, there would have been a chance of getting something of him back, but his Sire is going to have him totally under her control. He'll kill every one of you if she tells him too, without hesitation. And through him, she knows everything he knew about you, the Justice League, your company, everything."

"Tt," Damian began but fell silent when Dick grabbed his shoulder, smart move.

There had to be something they could do to free the kid, to bring him home. The devastated look on Kon's face was horrible to see.

"If they have all of Tim's knowledge, then why haven't they acted?" Duke asked warily.

"Likely, she was waiting for him to rise. And he has risen, I managed to get that much. No luck on a location though."

Jason wasn't going to ask how Constantine had found that out, he'd probably regret it if he did.

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"What didn't you say," Bruce asked as he followed John from the Cave and up to the Watchtower.

"Don't know what you mean," he answered, fiddling with an unlit cigarette.

"You ewere holding something back. What is it?"

"Look, bats…some things you're better off not knowing."

"We're talking about my son, Constantine," he growled.

"Your son is dead and you need to accept that, if you don't…he'll kill you all."

"John," he needed to know.

The other man sighed but led him into an empty conference room. "You sure?"

Bruce nodded; arms crossed as he waited. Whatever it was, it couldn't be worse than being told his son's animated corpse was going around draining people of their blood. But then he heard what John had to say about what vampires tended to do to their 'children', how they turned them, and he felt sick.

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Sophia ran her hands through black hair, holding him close as she enjoyed his presence in her bed. He may not have had any experience with women, but his body knew what to do and he was a fast learner. She enjoyed bringing him to bed or watching him with the others, knowing how horrible he would feel if he remembered anything of his old human life. At the moment, she had decided to ensure he wouldn't remember. Let his 'family' know the pain of him siding with his new family, of looking at them as strangers.

Crimson eyes looked at her with adoration and curiosity. His mind was beginning to recover from his death, his awareness of the world slowly growing, and she was encouraging it. They could not move onto the next stage of the plan until he was able to speak and understand others.

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Kon turned to the balcony as he heard someone there, sighing when he saw who it was. He walked over and unlocked the door, letting him in. "What is it?" Why hadn't he just called or something?

"We're worried about you Kon."

"We?" he asked, and then winced. "Sorry." He collapsed on the couch. That hadn't been fair, things had been better between them, it wasn't Clark's fault they'd been off world when Tim needed him the most.

"I know," Clark sat opposite him, putting a hand on his knee, offering forgiveness for his sharp words. "Kon…Tim wouldn't want this."

"Don't," Kon warned. "He's out there somewhere and we're going to get him back." He didn't care if Tim was technically dead, he loved him, and it wasn't like Tim would be able to hurt him.

"It's been over a year since he was taken. What would he say if he saw you like this?"

Kon looked away. He knew what Tim would say, that he was wasting his life, his gifts. He'd basically retired, only using his powers to search for Tim or if Bart or Cassie called on him. All he did was stay in the apartment and Nest or search the city for Tim. He had to find him, had to save him from whatever that female vampire was doing to him. Even if Tim didn't consciously remember him, they'd been through so much together…it couldn't all be gone, somewhere in his heart, surely Kon would at least feel familiar.

"Here," Clark called his attention back, holding out some papers. "Bruce helped arrange it."

Kon warily took the papers and read through them, shocked. Not only was the apartment now in his name…but he was enrolled at Gotham University. "What?"

"This way, you stay in Gotham and can keep searching but you also do something we both know Tim would want you to. You're smart Kon, you deserve the shot at doing something with that brain. And one day, you can tease Tim over beating him at getting a degree."

Kon just stared at Clark, before slowly nodding. They were letting him stay in Gotham, not trying to get him to leave and move on. But what was he meant to study? He'd only sort of thought of the possibility when Tim had brought up moving from Gotham. Could he really go back to school? But…Clark was right, Tim would hate how he'd just stopped living without him. Though hey, at least he hadn't tried to clone Tim…yet. But he knew Tim was still 'alive', he was out there somewhere. If only Constantine knew a way to track down a vampire other than tracking their kills since these ones were hiding, planning.

They would find them and they would get Tim back, somehow. He would spend his life helping Tim remember or make new memories, whatever he needed.

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"Come here Timothy," Mary called and the young vampire obediently approached.

Derrick watched as they had fun with the younger vampires, he didn't agree with it but Sophia never stopped them. It wasn't like the young ones weren't having fun, ruled by their instincts and desire for blood or pleasure. He had been with Sophia for three decades now but their stay in Gotham was very different to anything before. Why had she become obsessed with the city and taking out the vigilantes. He...he felt bad for Timothy, not yet an adult or fully grown, not really, and now forever frozen that way.

Perhaps, it was time for him to move on. He wouldn't challenge her, he would have no support if he did, but he could leave and wash his hands of the situation. He could only see this ending badly, after all, they could take the human heroes, but those like Superman? And it was known that Superman was friends with Batman, he'd been seen on and off in the city since Timothy's abduction. And it seemed like Superboy had never left, not surprising since the two had apparently been dating. How could they fight someone whose body used the power of the sun itself?

He met Timothy's eyes without really meaning too, saw the pleasure he was feeling and the growing understanding. Soon, she would want to target another and use the boy to destroy them.

TBC…