Disclaimer: don't own them

So, lots of fics show Jason having issues due to the Lazarus Pits for years, green eyes at time, rage, etc. When I look online for info, it says that side effects from the Pits are temporary. So, which is it?

Also, I've seen conflicting info in fics on if Tim's ever killed. Some say never others say he has, when he blew up Ra's bases. The second makes sense to me, blow up a base with little warning then surely at least some people die?

Thanks for the name ideas for Tim and even Danny if he chooses to ditch Phantom.

Chapter 4

Bruce listened to the recording Jason had made, curious about this Danny Nightingale who looked enough like his son that Barbara had thought he was another fake id of Tim's. He began looking into the man…teenager, only a few months difference between them in age. A student at GothamU on scholarship…who worked in Tim's favourite coffee shop. Did he know Tim as Tim or Red Robin? Had Tim's identity been compromised? Engineering and astrophysics with good grades, the kid was smart. Originally from Chicago, orphan…hit by lightning? He had bat levels of luck apparently, both bad and good. And he better not let anyone see Nightingale's file or else he'd be fending of adoption jokes for months. Still, there was nothing alarming in the file, nothing to suggest he'd be a threat, and Tim had gone to him injured which meant his son trusted him.

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Tim very carefully sat up, trying not to pant, not wanting to wake Danny who was slumped on the couch. He looked exhausted, even in his sleep, and Tim felt guilty. He could have called someone for a pickup but…he wanted to be with Danny. Danny who had called into work and classes to stay with him when he couldn't afford to lose his job or risk his scholarship. The sooner he could get up, the sooner someone could come fix the window, his being bed bound and wrapped in bandages would be too interesting. Then again, Danny knew the truth now, could come to his place…maybe, move in? Either way, the window would still need to be fixed since if it wasn't the landlord would be asking questions.

So, Tim needed to get at least partially mobile and look less like a murder victim and more like someone recovering from illness or surgery or something. First step was sitting up on his own, so done. Next step was actually getting off the bed, which he was not looking forward to. He felt stronger, no longer lightheaded or anything from the blood loss, but that much movement was going to pull every stitch he had. He hated Danny seeing him in so much pain so it was better to do it while he was sleeping.

He carefully moved his legs till his feet were on the floor, taking deep breaths, well as deep as he could with bruised ribs. Okay, he could do this. He pushed up, carful of his bad arm, wobbling dangerously, and then cool hands caught him, steadying him. Danny was always quiet but that couch was not! He blinked up into worried blue eyes and then looked away.

"Hey," Danny murmured. "Why didn't you ask for help?"

Tim shrugged slightly, not wanting to tell him why. He sighed softly, leaning into Danny as a hand moved to gently run through his hair. Danny's hands then skimmed over his chest, looking for blood on the bandages and Tim let him.

"Nothing popped?" Danny asked.

"No," Tim assured him.

"Okay, then lean on me and we'll take it slow."

Tim blinked in surprise but nodded, letting Danny support him as they moved away from the bed. And it was slow going, ever step sending pain through his body but he grit his teeth and kept going. Being bedbound for too long would make his recovery longer and he couldn't afford that, not unless he wanted the bats butting into his life. He'd called Oracle yesterday to say he'd cracked a rib and was taking some time to let it heal, they took too many rib shots to risk a crack becoming a break so it was a believable excuse.

"Move in with me?" Tim found himself asking as Danny helped him onto the couch.

"Tim?" Danny was staring at him, startled, eyes wide. It made him look younger than nineteen, almost twenty.

"I'd like you to move in with me. I never offered before, never brought you around, because you didn't know I was Red Robin," he admitted. "But you know now and my place is closer to the University. Plus, I have bat level security, lots of space…" he trailed off at the odd expression on Danny's face. "Danny?"

"I…" Danny swallowed. "I want to Polaris…I want that so much."

That made Tim's heart soar but there was something in Danny's tone that had it racing and not in a good way. And for the first time in a long time, he heard the very faint whispers in the back of his mind, shoving them down. No, no way! Danny'd been alone since the accident, was used to being totally independent, moving in together was a big step, that was all. Danny loved him, even knowing he was Red Robin…but there was still so much he didn't know.

"Hey." Cool lips pressed to his forehead, snapping Tim out of his own head and back into the present. "I love you," Danny whispered, eyes sad. "But you're a bat, Tim…bats are part of the Justice League…and the League follows US law."

"What?" Tim frowned in confusion.

Danny shifted back, crouched at Tim's feet, and Tim hated seeing the fear in those incredible blue eyes. "You said…you know I'm a meta, but…I'm not Tim. I didn't want to do this till you've recovered," he muttered the last, running a hand through hair shorter than Tim's own though just as wild.

Tim was confused, if Danny wasn't a meta, then what… "Are you an alien?"

But why would he think they'd turn him over to the government? Martian Manhunter was a very obvious alien and he was a member of the Justice League. Same with Superman. And Danny was shaking his head, so not an alien. What did that leave? Way too many options really. Danny loved him, Tim trusted him, no matter what he was. Danny had never hurt anyone; his records were to thorough to be fake so he had grown up living a human life.

Tim reached out to cup Danny's face between his hands. "I trust you," he swore. Danny had become the one person he had to hold onto, if he lost that…

Danny moved up and Tim met him, kissing desperately. "I love you…no matter what," Danny whispered. He stood up and backed away, watching Tim nervously before taking a deep breath.

Tim froze as a ring of light appeared at Danny's waist before splitting in two and moving separately over his body. Sweatpants and shirt turned into black skin-tight material, white boots and gloves…then it moved over his head and Tim swallowed at the bright green eyes and white hair. He trusted Danny, he trusted him…green…

"Tim?" Danny shifted nervously. There was no anger or rage or anything he was used to from eyes that shade.

Danny…Danny was literally glowing! His skin was paler, tinted ever so slightly bluish/green, but that was Danny's face, his freckles though glowing brighter than the rest of his skin. Tim pushed himself to his feet, staggering forward, and Danny automatically caught him, the coldness of his skin radiating through both their clothes now. He lifted his hand, feeling Danny tense, so he carefully telegraphed his movements, resting his palm on Danny's face.

"Beautiful," he murmured, seeing Danny's face flush darker.

"Tiiim," Danny whined, and Tim grinned.

He had so many questions, his mind spinning with possibilities, the part of him trained by the bats demanding he push for more information…but he could also tell that Danny was on edge, scared even. He never wanted to make Danny scared. He tugged at Danny to move back to the couch and Danny picked him up, making him yelp and cling on. Yeah, Danny definitely had some kind of super strength going on there. Tim ignored the cold to curl into him and Danny carefully wrapped his arms around him, trembling slightly.

He was almost dozing when he felt a blanket being wrapped around him for warmth but then Danny cautiously took his hand and moved it so Tim's fingers were resting around his wrist…his pulse point? He frowned slightly, Danny's heart rate was weirdly slow…not this slow…Tim held his breath as he waited, pressing harder.

His head jerked up to find Danny watching him, awake and aware…but without a pulse.

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He frowned as he realised Danny's records had been accessed several times. Hmm…not government at least, but who? He should have known trouble would eventually find his friend. Well, he'd just have to see who was looking into his friend and make sure they didn't hurt him. The GIW was mostly quiet these days, without the Portal in the Fenton's basement the Ectoplasm levels in Amity Park had dropped, they were still higher than normal but ghost activity had basically stopped so they'd lost interest.

He'd been sure they had to have gotten their hands on Vlad but there was no evidence anywhere for that happening. They still wanted Phantom but there'd been no sign of him since the explosion. He was glad Danny had managed to keep his head down in Gotham, for now at least.

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Danny waited, Tim's fingers around his wrist. Tim's reactions so far had been more than he ever could have dreamed, but when he realised Danny had no pulse? The pressure from Tim's fingers increased, searching…and then Tim's head snapped up, meeting his eyes. Tim moved his other hand to rest against his chest but he'd find nothing there either.

"Danny?" Tim was beginning to look very alarmed, but who could blame him? It wasn't normal to not have a heartbeat. "You're not breathing," Tim could feel that with his hand on his chest, and Danny nodded.

"Tim…" he didn't want to tell him, to lose this.

"Whatever it is, I'm on your side Danny. Though, please don't be a villain?"

Danny snorted at that. "Well…I think there's still a warrant out for theft," he offered, and Tim's eyes widened in shock. "But there was mind control involved."

And Tim relaxed, relieved. Danny moved a hand to run through black hair, keeping an eye on Tim for any signs of pain from his injuries, but he was very good at hiding it which made sense now.

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Good to know he hadn't misjudged Danny's character that badly, though even if he hadn't been under mind control there were reasons for theft that he could accept. If Danny had been on the streets and in need of food for example. Jason had stolen as a kid, had tried to take the Batmobiles' tires even. Though the idea of Danny being subjected to mind control scared him, he'd seen how that could mess people up, what it could make them do. That Danny had been made to steal wasn't really very bad but Danny might also not be telling everything, and that had to be okay. He couldn't demand information from him.

Tim shifted to sit up, facing Danny, taking his hands before Danny could pull away. "What were you made to steal that you'd be worried about us following the law…well, the big ones, mostly? And mind control is a known defence, you won't be prosecuted for that. And I…" oh boy, he had to tell Danny what he'd done but Danny was a civilian, would he understand?

"Tim?"

He took a deep breath. "Between my day and night jobs, there are a lot of people…well, it's standard…" he didn't want to say it.

"Background check?" Danny offered, and Tim nodded hesitantly. "I know you did; I know what records you saw thanks to a friend who keeps an eye on that. Of course, I figured it was because you were a Wayne and were worried about corporate espionage and kidnappings."

Okay, Danny knew, that was good. But he had a friend who watched his records? To help keep his secret? "There were no arrest warrants or anything in your name Danny."

And now it was Danny hesitating, even as light spread over his body, restoring his human appearance. Was it an illusion? Shape shifting? Magic? But it was more comfortable holding his hands once it was done, his skin warmer, his pulse present. The light had moved quickly and Tim hadn't had time to let go, but it hadn't hurt or done anything to him.

"My records…are fake," he admitted softly, and Tim froze.

No, that wasn't possible. He knew fake records, he had a lot of id's ready to go, they all did. No matter how good, even there's had a trace back to the original. "There's no sign of that," he denied, fighting back the paranoia that came so easily to every bat.

"Because technically I'm legally dead, killed along with my parents, older sister, and school friend when the house blew up. There wasn't enough left in the rubble to prove I wasn't there and it was best to be dead."

Danny…a good portion of his brain was screaming to get up, back away, find a weapon…he'd never imagined being in this situation despite everything he'd been through. And those whispers had become a familiar laugh but he shoved it back again. He'd had a lot of practice with it over the years.

Danny squeezed his hands gently but Tim could feel them trembling. Or was he shaking? He felt a little lightheaded, thoughts spinning. "Tim? Breathe Tim," Danny sounded worried and then Tim found his hand pressed to Danny's chest, feeling the very obvious deep breaths he was taking. "Come on, breathe with me."

Tim forced himself to breath, to listen, even as his thoughts continued to race. But Danny had saved his life, had looked after him, so Tim would listen and hope that he was still the Danny he'd fallen in love with, that it wasn't all a lie. His mind went back to the first time they met, unable to help it, to the thoughts he'd had then on clones and other ways to make doppelgangers. Because Danny looked like a Wayne, in his cheekbones, the shape of his eyes, a few other small signs…he looked like a younger Bruce, like Damian. He'd dismissed those theories when Danny's records had been so real…had he been wrong?

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She knew Tim's excuse of hurt ribs was false, or at least not the whole story because a cracked rib would never keep him down long…and the recording had mentioned blood stains. She'd been working on tracking his flight to Nightingale's apartment and had found the footage of his fight with Freeze, horrified by the numbers he'd faced alone and the injuries he'd taken. Even worse, had been the idiot gang members he'd then run into on his way back to his place which had led to his retreat to the apartment.

Nightingale seemed to have some first aid training otherwise Tim should be dead. It was a miracle he'd made it to the apartment alive as it was. The blood trail…well, Jason had cleaned that up to make sure no one came across it, criminal or cop. The last thing they needed was the cops looking for Tim thinking he was an assault victim.

She put the footage and the audio file Jason had supplied into a file and locked it. Tim would never trust her again if she let the others see it all. But she made sure Tim would have access to it on his systems since he likely had some memory loss when it came to the night. Yes, he'd know Jason had been there, but it was only for a few minutes to confirm he was alright. Though she did add a note that Bruce had heard the recording to keep him from tearing the city apart to find Tim. She'd noticed the shift in Bruce's attention even if Tim hadn't, but she feared it was too little too late.

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Danny held Tim's hands again, trying to keep him grounded. He loved Tim, loved that genius brain, but sometimes Tim got lost in it. His thoughts would spiral out of control and he often saw the worst possibilities, which was a lot more understandable now that Danny knew he was Red Robin. And this time it was his fault, because all the details of his life before Gotham were fake and Tim hadn't seen it.

"Tim, will you let me explain?" he asked softly, heart in his throat. He'd been dreading this day ever since they'd become good friends, let alone started dating.

Tim stared at him, calmer, but with a hardness in his eyes that Danny had never seen. Was this what he was like as a vigilante? "Who are you?"

"Daniel James Fenton," he answered quietly. "The new records kept as much true as possible, just…shifted events a bit, changed names. I really was in hospital when I was fourteen, but it wasn't a lightning strike, and my family didn't die in a car crash but the house blew up. And I'm not from Chicago, though I have been there a few times, I'm from Amity Park."

"Why let people think you're dead?" there was suspicion in Tim's eyes and he couldn't really blame him, he didn't doubt the GIW had happily blamed him for the explosion, or at least Phantom.

"Because according to the US government I'm nothing more than a manifestation of ectoplasmic energy and post-human consciousness and have been since I was fourteen. And while the Acts may not have the power the GIW said they did, I'm still wanted under them. And once they get me it's dissection and death."

"But the meta protection acts," Tim frowned and Danny shook his head.

"Don't apply. I may have gotten my powers in a lab accident, but no meta gene involved. I…I died Tim. And the same thing that killed me brought me back, but not properly, not all the way. They call me a halfa, half-human…half ghost."

"Ghost?" the disbelief was clear.

"That's the general name," Danny offered. "Ectoplasmic being might be more scientific," he shrugged slightly, leaning back into the couch. He took a deep breath and began explaining his parents research and life's work.

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Tim didn't pull his hands free even as his mind settled and he listened, examining every word, every expression. He forced himself to follow his training as Danny spoke, hearing the grief when he spoke of his dead family. Amity Park? He'd have to look it up once he could get to a computer, a secure one. Okay, other dimensions were something he knew about, same as gods of the dead like Hades and various afterlives. So the whole idea of a realm with beings made of some kind of energy could be possible, them being seen as ghosts on earth…well Constantine dealt with magic and demons.

"The portal didn't work," Danny murmured, staring at the floor now, eyes shadowed. Tim got the feeling he wasn't going to like where this was going. "They left the house and I had my friends over. Tucker and Sam…we went down to the lab, they wanted to see the portal."

Tim grimaced, he could see where it was going and couldn't help squeezing Danny's hands.

"I tripped," he whispered. "Who puts the on switch inside a portal?"

"Danny…"

"Got hit with enough electricity to black out six blocks," the words were tense, Danny's gaze distant, and Tim was going to be sick.

That much power… he hoped it'd been quick but he doubted it, not from the look in Danny's eyes. And this, this, Tim believed. Danny had never spoken of his accident before, had avoided the topic when Tim asked about interesting events in high school…he'd been avoiding lying to Tim in person.

Tim tugged his hands free, seeing Danny flinch, but all he did was move closer, wrapping his arms around Danny, drawing him up against his chest despite the pain from healing wounds. Danny was tense for a moment but then went limp against him. He couldn't help moving one hand to rest over Danny's pulse, how was he alive? That much electricity should have fried his heart, his nervous system…his brain. Danny twisted to press his face into Tim's shoulder, his own shoulders shaking slightly. And Tim…Tim was kind of glad the Fenton's were dead because it would have been all too easy to arrange something with the lax lab security…in the end it had killed Danny and then killed them plus two innocent kids, even if the daughter had been legally an adult.

"How did you survive?" he whispered after a while. It was a common story for those with powers, to gain them in a lab accident.

"The portal turned-on, right on top of me, ripped a hole through reality and into the Ghost Zone…the Infinite Realms. And Ectoplasm poured out…into me. Fused with my DNA and brought me back over and over as the electricity killed me again and again. Eventually the portal stabilised, the power cut, and the next thing I remember is waking up on the lab floor."

Tim tightened his grip, eyes closed against tears. He'd heard and seen some horrible accidents and deaths over the years, even before becoming Robin but this… no wonder Danny wasn't very fond of actually cooking meat, the smell…nope, not thinking about that or he might actually throw up. Danny hadn't been lying to him for any nefarious reason, Danny was in hiding for his own safety (and they needed to talk about that later), Danny loved him and he needed comfort.

"I'm here," Tim brushed his lips against Danny's ear. "Breath with me," he coaxed, running a hand through Danny's hair. "I love you," he promised, feeling Danny wrap his arms around him in response.

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Bruce frowned as he checked the patrol logs, worried about how bad his injuries really were to keep Tim from patrolling for so long. They may barely talk, and he knew that was on him, but he at least often caught a glimpse of red and black at the edges of his own route. And sure enough, no log from Red Robin since the Arkham Break out over a week ago. Barbara thought he was safe where he was, but Bruce hated not knowing. Sure, he'd looked into Nightingale, but he didn't know the teen. No matter the distance between them, Tim was his son.

He hated the distance but didn't know how to breach it, how to bring Tim back. Or if he should, for Tim's sake. Looking at Damian's report of the night…something didn't feel right and that worried him. Damian taunted Tim, yes, but he'd gotten passed trying to actually harm him. Hadn't he?

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So, he was hiding in Gotham. Smart, the Ectoplasm would help mask his own signature. Clever. He would need to look closer to see what was going on.

TBC…

Of course, by pairing Tim and Damian for the Arkham break out, I think I've cornered myself into having to write Damian. Help!

I've seen Danny's portal accident written a lot of different ways in fics and I kind of liked the idea of the electricity and ectoplasm kind of putting him into a loop of dying and reviving over and over. So I went with that.