Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 3

Tim walked out of the school gates and blinked at the sight of a car and Barbara Gordon. She saw him and waved so he headed towards her. "Hi?"

"Hi Tim, how was school?" she asked.

"Okay?" he was very confused.

"You don't have anything after school, right?"

"No ma'am," he shook his head, hesitantly moving to her van, seeing how it had been altered so she could drive.

"Then it's time to start getting you kitted out."

He blinked at her. "But…really?" he hadn't thought Dick meant it.

"Of course, if you're going to be out there then you need proper protective gear and a mask to help hide your id better."

Tim settled more in the seat, trying not to bounce or anything with nervousness. "Are we going to the Clocktower?" he asked after a while, and she laughed.

"Should have figured you'd know about that, and yes." Eventually they pulled underground for a while before she parked. He followed her out and to the elevator.

"Wow…" he looked around with wide eyes as the doors opened to reveal Oracle's headquarters. So many computers!

She wheeled over to a workbench and brought up a program on the screen. "Okay, first step is getting your measurements. You okay with me doing that or do you want me to call Dick?"

He shifted, considering it. "You can," he decided. She was Batgirl! She'd never do something like that so there was nothing wrong with her doing the measurements.

He was surprised he actually giggled slightly when she measured his chest since it tickled. She smiled and ruffled his hair. It didn't take too long to get all the needed measurements but… she seemed a bit upset. He knew he was small for his age but he was just a late grower, Dad said so.

"Okay, let's get started."

He perched on the stool and watched as she brought up a blank model with his measurements and then started going through the options. He wasn't a fighter and they didn't want him to look like one, but the clothes needed to be easy to move in and able to fight in just in case he had to. It was lots of fun and they ended up laughing as they put together really silly options. He found himself relaxing with her, which was weird, but he'd relaxed with Dick too. He'd never been able to relax with people since…since him.

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Dick settled his eskrima into place and then brought up his computer when he got an alert. He opened it and stared at the image before grinning, sending back a thumbs up. Then a few more popped up and he chuckled, glad Timmy was having fun with Babs. He gathered up the files Tim had given him, making sure they were all in clean folders so there'd be no evidence that could lead back to the kid. He was going to do his best to keep Tim and Ghost off of everyone's radar and he knew Babs was on board with it. Well…maybe Diana, Wonder Woman was always a good person to have in your corner, even if Superman was his favourite hero. He figured Clark would have his hands full with B for a while.

He headed for the zeta and headed up to the Watchtower, dreading what he was doing. Bruce had always been so paranoid about what the League knew even when he was a founding member, hadn't wanted Dick to join the Titans… but there was no way he could handle B alone, not this time. He was good but if it became a fight…he wasn't good enough to beat Bruce unless he had a well-prepared location in advance and even then, he couldn't guarantee a win.

"Nightwing," Superman called in surprise.

"I need to speak to the League…without Batman," he murmured too quietly for anyone without super-hearing to hear. He also had a few devices on him to disrupt even bat level surveillance.

That had Clark's eyes widening but he nodded, sending out the summons as they walked towards one of the meeting rooms. Dick focused on keeping calm and focused, he had to be nothing but professional for now. He wasn't all that surprised when Clark waved him towards where B usually sat, it would lead people to believe Batman was unavailable and that Nightwing was taking his place momentarily, it had happened once before when they'd found important information but Bruce Wayne had had to be seen at a meeting. The only other times he'd come to the League was running joint missions with the Titans.

The main League members slowly filed in, taking in his presence curiously since it was so rare. Barry nodded to him as he took his seat, looking worried, which made sense since if it was a Titans mission then he would have heard from Wally who would also be there. Since Dick was there alone and with no Batman…

Dick pulled out the files and the copies he'd made and began passing them out. He'd added to Tim's work with police reports the kid hadn't been able to get to but Babs could. He saw the grim look in Diana's face as she read the reports, the drawn look in Clarks', the sad understanding on Arthur's alongside the same emotion as Diana. Diana and Arthur were both royalty, the understood losing someone but also that you could not let the grief rule you to the point Batman was allowing it to.

"Did you take these?" Dinah asked as she studied the photos.

"No, a…concerned citizen did. They got them and some of the files to me, Oracle dug up the rest. Neither of us realised it had gotten this bad, she's still setting up and I've been busy with the Titans and Blüdhaven." Not to mention his own grieving.

"Can the League step in?" Hal asked. "We've always left each other alone on a city level."

"Batman is a founding member," Diana spoke up. "Sooner or later Gotham will have to act against him and if we do nothing, it could bring scrutiny down on us."

"We have to police our own. We all know Batman has contingency plans for us, we're his," Clark pointed out.

Slowly, there were nods of agreement and they began planning.

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Babs glanced over and smiled at the sight of Tim curled into a ball on the couch, fast asleep. She was keeping an eye on the Watchtower and so far it seemed Batman was unaware of the meeting and the countermeasures Dick had with him were working too.

She moved to the kitchenette Alfred had helped her set up and began putting together some food for when Tim woke. She found she liked the boy; it was no wonder Dick was so protective already. He was scarily smart but his self-confidence was also severely lacking. Part of that was probably due to parental neglect but the rest could be laid at the Joker's feet.

She hoped that working with them could help with that but he really needed friends his own age…which was basically impossible for a too smart kid who had skipped two grades. She'd try reaching out among the community but there was a lack of young teens among them at the moment. Another year or two and maybe some new blood would join them, not that she really saw that as a good thing given the risks, but if there were then they could help him reach out.

She was digging into the Drakes and what she'd found…bringing in CPS wouldn't be good for Tim though, the last thing he needed was being put into Gotham's foster system. But the one person who could have stepped up was no longer suitable. If Dick moved back to Gotham…maybe he could pass to become a foster parent, he lacked the bad reputation as a ladies man that Bruce had had back when he did to take Dick in after all. He had his trust fund too on top of his own income so he'd pass financially at least.

So, it would be best to get Tim into a better situation without involving CPS. That meant directly dealing with the Drakes. They could threaten to go public with the neglect but would people really care? Children among Gotham's elite were simply a status symbol, a way to pass on the fortune and name. He was alive and well educated, that would be enough for them. They could threaten their money, she could easily drain their accounts after all, bankrupt the business… but it would have to be done separately to their ids so that such blackmail couldn't be tracked back to them as civilians or capes which would be hard. She supposed a chain of fake ids handing his custody over one by one to confuse everything until it reached Dick?

If Tim was a few years older they could just go for emancipation but no one would give that to a thirteen-year-old, even a rich one.

At least they had a design for Ghost's new suit. It was armoured and in grey and black with a few splashed of dark blue for some colour. His domino was black and had a lot of tech built into it, as did his wrist computer. He had lots of compartments on his belt for supplies as well as the bandoliers he'd chosen to ensure he had lots of options. He had a hooded jacket instead of a cape since they were avoiding the vigilante look as much as possible for his safety. They didn't want Batman to realise Ghost was anything more than a myth or for the rogues to think Ghost was a Bat.

Dick could train Tim but he also worked a lot, they needed people they could trust to train the kid. With his current build and weight, it would be best to train him in distance fighting, it would be far too easy for him to be hurt or captured if he had to fight close-in. They needed to get him to a trusted doctor for a full physical and to make up a meal plan to get him to a healthier weight and hopefully help him catch up in height. She really did hope they weren't too late to help him get to a proper adult height one day.

She snapped out of her thoughts at the sound of whimpering, looking to see him twitching in his sleep. Nightmares were very unsurprising given his life. "Tim? It's alright, you're safe," she kept speaking softly to him, not getting too close since she didn't want to have to fend him off if he lashed out in his sleep or in panic at not recognising his surroundings when he woke.

He screamed and then rolled off the couch, crouching in the corner, panting for air, eyes wide but unfocused.

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No! please no! he…he wanted to go home to…

"It's alright little Ghost, you're safe in the Clocktower. Nightwing will be back soon. No one will hurt you."

He blinked and slowly Oracle came into focus. He shuddered, trying to stop panting, to uncurl.

"Are you with me Tim?" She asked, and he managed to nod. "How about some hot chocolate?"

He nodded shakily again but didn't move. Not yet, moving would be bad. Everything kind of blurred and he nearly jumped when there was a voice near again.

"Tim? Would you like to drink it there or on the couch?" Ms Gordon asked gently.

Choice…choices were bad, one was al…no, choices were okay and this was two options, that was easy. He forced himself to take deep breaths, pressing his hands to the wood floor. He wasn't there, the floor there was concrete. Slowly, he pushed himself up and stumbled over to the couch, carefully accepting the mug.

He lifted it to his lips and took a sip, licking his lips as he swallowed. Wow! It was even better than the one Nightwing gave him!

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Babs chuckled at his wide eyes; glad he was coming out of his panic. "That is Agent A's formula, good huh?" she asked gently, and he nodded enthusiastically.

She knew Alfred would love Tim, but could they be safely introduced? Maybe, Alfred was pretty good at keeping secrets, but from Bruce? Maybe wait till Tim was in a proper home, however they worked that out.

She noticed he fidgeted a lot once done drinking so she grabbed a tablet and began testing his hacking and coding skills. He was good and he learned very fast, it would be nice to have another brain on the team. She smiled as he gradually leaned into her side, falling asleep again. Ever so carefully, she lowered him back onto the couch and covered him with a blanket.

She went back to work once sure he was deeply asleep, smiling when a few hours later her security picked up Nightwing entering through the roof. He walked down the stairs from the upper level a while later, out of uniform. He spotted Tim on the couch and smiled softly.

"How'd it go?" she asked quietly.

"Okay, the League is going to talk with Batman," he offered as he slumped down on a chair.

"It had to be done," she promised, taking his hand, and Dick smiled tiredly.

"I know." He looked over at Tim again. "We should all stay off the streets here until it's done."

"Think we can keep him busy and tired out enough to keep Ghost from tailing Batman?" she asked.

"I think he could use a few days in Blüdhaven for training while his gear is being prepped," Dick suggested.

"I'll have him called out of school. He needs a full physical Dick, a meal plan to get him up to the proper weight."

Dick nodded.

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Leslie smiled as Dick walked in, gently guiding a child she assumed was her patient. She received a rather perplexing call from Barbara about Dick bringing in a child for a full check-up. The child had a large, hooded sweatshirt on, concealing their face, and Dick was guiding them very gently. So…likely traumatised and scared.

She smiled gently. "Hello, I'm Dr Thompkins, but you can call me Leslie, okay?"

That got a shy nod and she led them to the exam room. Dick whispered something and the kid nodded before stripping out of the outer layer, revealing a young boy with black hair, pale skin, and blue eyes.

"I'm Tim," he introduced himself.

"It's nice to meet you Tim," she smiled at him. "Now then, first thing first, are you hurt at the moment?"

"No Dr…Leslie."

"That's good to know." She opened up a new patient file and wrote his name down. "Can you tell me your age?"

"Thirteen."

That…was concerning. The quality of his clothes and accent did not suggest street kid. Neglect? She glanced at Dick, seeing the tightness around his eyes, he knew then. Which meant her report would likely be evidence at some point.

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Tim clutched his bag close, following Dick from the car. He couldn't believe he was going to be staying with him! Only for a short time but still. He followed Dick upstairs from the garage and to his apartment. It was…messier than he expected but spacious.

"Okay, so the guest room is over here." He opened a door in the hallway and Tim moved inside the room, carefully putting his bag down on the bed. "Kitchen is free for you to use, let me know if there's any specific foods you like, I need to do a grocery run. Bathroom is down the hall; my room is the door opposite."

Tim nodded. His parents slept at the other end of the house to him which was good since his nightmares wouldn't disturb them so having him just across the hall? That could be bad, he hadn't considered that when he'd agreed to come. But the idea of training with Nightwing himself, he couldn't say no.

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Tim was obviously nervous but was soon settled on the couch with some old case files to go over, testing his detective skills. Dick put a plate of cookies down with a glass of milk, ruffling his hair, getting a shy smile.

"Okay, anything else for the shopping list? Favourite ice cream? Fruit?" he asked, but Tim shook his head. "I'll be back in a while; you've got my number if you need me."

Dick didn't like leaving Tim alone but it had been smarter to leave shopping till after he had the list of doctor prescribed foods. Leslie had not been happy with Tim's condition. She also didn't like him wearing makeup all the time, but who could blame him? Hopefully Tim would get comfortable enough around him and Babs to leave it off, let his skin breath more often, get some sun and vitamin D. And staying in Blüdhaven for a while would hopefully help too since the Joker and the signs of his victims weren't so well known.

He headed out to the shops but messaged Clark on the way to let him know that he had left Gotham to avoid the fallout. Clark answered quickly to acknowledge it, he'd suggest Dick be out of the city when they approached Bruce which made ensuring Tim was safely away even easier. Part of Dick wanted to be there when they confronted Bruce but the rest of him was glad to be well out of the way.

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Clark sent back an affirmative to Dick before pocketing his phone. "Dick's back home," he told Diana, and she nodded. As the two closest to Bruce, they were the ones that were going to approach him first.

They had been discussing whether to approach him in the Cave or Manor and decided on the Manor. Clark rang the bell and Alfred opened the door, surprised to see them.

"Master Kent, Miss Prince, is Master Bruce expecting you?" he asked as he allowed them inside.

"No Alfred, but we do need to speak with him."

"Of course, please wait in the library and I shall inform him of your presence."

Diana sat and Clark moved to the windows, waiting for Bruce. He'd never imagined being in such a situation, Bruce had always been so level-headed…or at least appeared as such. He was not looking forward to the confrontation, Bruce was very territorial when it came to Gotham so just them being there without calling in advance was going to have him annoyed. When he found out why they were there… Clark had scanned the manor and was pretty sure that any Kryptonite was in the Cave.

Bruce finally appeared and Clark had never seen him looking so rough. When was the last time he shaved or slept? It hurt to see him like that but he couldn't forget the files Dick had shown them either.

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"Are you patrolling tonight?" Tim asked sleepily.

"Not tonight kiddo," Dick answered, a hand ruffling his hair.

Tim was really starting to like hair ruffles. He yawned, rubbing at his eyes, and let the gentle hand on his shoulder guide him down the hall.

"Clean your teeth and wash your face Casper."

That made him freeze. Wash…he couldn't… and then Dick was kneeling in front of him. "Hey, it's okay Tim." A soft thumb rubbed the skin beside his mouth, where his scars were. "You don't need to wear this around me Timmy, I know what's under there and it's okay."

Tim bit his lip, struggling not to cry, he was really tired and he was scared Dick wouldn't be nice if he did see. Dick opened his arms in offering and Tim swayed tiredly before slumping against him, Dick standing with him in his arms. Tim lay his head on Dick's shoulder, fighting to keep his eyes open. He didn't struggle when he was set down and a cloth gently moved over his face several times, removing the makeup he always wore.

"There you are," Dick murmured, smiling softly. "Teeth now, then bed. It's been a big day."

Tim was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.

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Dick made it to his bedroom, muffling his cries in his pillow. Poor Tim. He didn't think it looked that bad but Tim was obviously very self-conscious about his appearance. His face was paler than the rest of his skin, the scars around his mouth stood out against such pale skin. But it wasn't just around his mouth, it looked like a knife had been taken to his face, cutting straight down. It must have been so painful…Tim was so brave.

He figured Harley must have patched him up, gotten him to someone with medical training since the wounds appeared to have been stitched at some point. They weren't good enough though for the kind of money the Drakes had. How had Tim hidden the wounds so well even with his parents gone so often? A plastic surgeon could likely do a lot more to fix the damage, but would Tim take that to mean he thought the scars were horrifying? He didn't want Tim to think that, he wanted him to feel better about himself.

One look at him in Gotham without the makeup and whoever saw him would know that he had been a victim of the Joker. And among the elite, that kind of thing would see him ostracised since of course they were never kidnapped or captured by the madman. Yeah right.

He checked his phone but no update yet from Clark or Diana. He just hoped Bruce would listen.

TBC…