Disclaimer: not mine

Chapter 7

Tim crouched beside the gargoyle, watching the people and cars below. So far, it was a quiet night. He'd heard whispers of a new figure in Crime Alley, somewhere he'd always tried to watch because of Jason. So far, they hadn't been spotted too much but they seemed to be anti-messing with kids so that was hopefully a good sign.

It felt…weird being back on the streets. The funeral hadn't felt real honestly. His Mom was dead and it just…it was hard to know how to feel. Mama and Dick were doing their best to help him deal with it. It wasn't like she'd been much of a mother, not really. He'd seen the looks on the doctors faces, had gotten his hands on their notes, it wasn't looking good for his Dad either. The longer he was unconscious the lower his chances of ever waking. Part of him dreaded the man waking and trying to take him from Dick and Babs, despite the previous agreement.

He had sent a thank you to Bruce Wayne for paying the ransom and promising to pay him back once he had access to his trust. He'd been surprised to receive a response telling him it wasn't necessary and that he was sorry it hadn't worked. He'd even sent a wreath to the funeral and Tim was sure he'd spotted him briefly at the back. Did he know that Tim was Ghost? He probably at least suspected but he hadn't done anything.

He heard a soft footstep and assumed it was Dick, till he heard a throat clear. He spun around, hand drifting to where his bō was stored. Someone stood across the roof to him, he was in Kevlar and leather, armed, but the guns stayed in their holsters, the man's hands up.

"You Ghost?" he asked, the red helmet distorting his voice but there was something…he recognised the accent though, Crime Alley. Was this the new rising figure there?

"Who wants to know?" he asked, wary but willing to give them a chance.

"Red Hood."

And that had Tim shifting back to the edge, hand moving from his weapon to his grapple. "So much for thinking you might be good for the Alley," he snarled. "We don't need another Joker!"

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Jason took in the lanky, armoured form on the ledge. The gear was nothing like what he'd worn as Robin, designed to vanish into the shadows, a real Ghost. Still as he was, Jason had passed by three times before realising there was a teenager on the roof. He was good, better than the Bat honestly. The old Bat anyway, he had yet to really watch the new one. But the kid didn't react when he scuffed his shoe…did he think he was Dickie? So, he cleared his throat and Ghost spun around, tense, one hand at his back, a weapon?

"You Ghost?" he asked, just to be sure.

"Who wants to know?" the voice was young, mid-teens. The hood and domino did a good job at hiding more of his appearance than just a domino on its own.

"Red Hood," he introduced himself to the kid, it was only polite and he was curious if they'd heard anything about him yet.

He was surprised when Ghost shifted closer to the edge, hand shifting…to where grapple guns were usually carried. "So much for thinking you might be good for the Alley," he snarled. "We don't need another Joker!"

Jason stiffened, rage flooding him, but he forced himself to breath, his body to relax. He was not going to attack a kid! And one well enough informed to know that old alias of the Joker. "That monster took everything from me so I took something back," he growled.

Ghost stared at him, head tilted to one side and Jason caught a glimpse of dark hair, pulled back. B never would have let him wear his hair so long, Dick had only grown his more once he moved out. Ghost's hand dropped from his back and he straightened up, considerably shorter than Jason, maybe 5'6"?

"Is it you?" the teen murmured.

Jason tensed, there was no way…

"Robin?" the kid asked, head cocked to the side, watching him. "It is you…how?" he pushed his hood back, revealing black hair, mostly tied back. The kid was pale, even for a Gothamite.

Jason hesitated; his plans really were in tatters. He reached up to his helmet and unlatched it, pulling it off to reveal the red domino beneath it. That caused a slight twitch to pale lips, the kid almost smiling. And then Jason had to catch himself as a teenager slammed into him, arms wrapped around.

"You're back, you're really here," he was whispering.

Jason hesitantly wrapped an arm around slender shoulders, the other hand petting the kids' hair. Except if he was Tim Drake, which he was surer of now, there was only what, two years between them? It seemed more with the height difference between them.

"Have we met before?" he asked, unsure because a lot of memories from before were fuzzy.

"We were at the same galas."

"You're Tim," he murmured to ensure no one overheard, and Tim tensed but then slowly nodded.

"Tim Drake. You…you were my Robin. Does Wing know you're back? He's missed you so much."

"He has?" he didn't believe it, but the ki…Tim nodded.

Tim tugged him into a corner and then reached up to pull his domino off, surprising Jason but he slowly removed his own as well, letting Tim studying him. "You really grew," he murmured, and then his eyes widened. "Lazarus Pit," he gasped.

How?! He stared dumbly at the kid.

"Your eyes, the white strip… but how? It shouldn't have worked, you…you were dead."

"Since I remember clawing my way out of my grave, something brought me back. The pit just fixed the brain damage." And maybe he shouldn't have told Tim that, the kid going pale, and then he was being hugged again. He definitely was Dick's ward!

"I'm sorry," Tim whispered, and Jason sighed.

"Not your fault kid."

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He was real and alive! Jason was back! But the Lazarus Pit…that meant the League of Assassins. Ra's or Talia? And Jason was even hugging him! His Robin was hugging him. But if Jason had dug himself out…why hadn't they seen evidence of the disturbed grave? They visited it at least once a month which meant someone covered it up. The LoA? He doubted the cemetery worker would, not the grave of even an adopted Wayne, unless…had they reported it to Bruce and he'd covered it up? That would be…bad. Right when it seemed they might be able to reach out to him with the help he' given to try and save his parents.

"So, you came back to help the Alley?"

"And kill the Joker," Jason growled.

"You want to…" he swallowed, staring up at Jason, seeing that his eyes looked greener. But…the Joker had killed him, if anyone had the right to do it, it'd be someone that monster killed, right? He shivered at the thought of getting close enough to do it though. He couldn't, how could Jason?

"You know Harley," Jason pointed out, and Tim stiffened, pulling away.

He found his arms wrapping around his chest, hugging himself, watching Jason warily. With the Pit fuelling his anger at Joker…

"I'm not going to hurt you Tim."

He shifted nervously, not sure what to do, not realising he was rubbing at his mouth.

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Jason noticed the kid rubbing at his mouth and felt his stomach sink. The Ghost was never spotted when the Joker was out… keeping him away? "What did he do to you?" he asked, feeling sick, and Tim stared at the roof.

"He grabbed me at the bus stop," Tim whispered.

Yeah, this was not going to be good. He sat down to make himself less of a threat, not wanting to loom over him. Tim glanced at him when he moved before hesitantly crouching nearby, out of reach and in a position that he could quickly move from. He studied Tim as best he could in the low light and with the heavy-duty suit and when Tim shifted his sleeve shifted to reveal a sliver of skin…very pale skin. He closed his eyes as his anger surged. And this was why Joker had to die, if Bruce had done it then Tim wouldn't have been hurt.

"How long did he have you?" he asked as gently as possible.

"Months," Tim admitted. "Harley helped me, he was going to hurt her and I…I shot him. Mama…Harley, got me the better makeup a few years ago and Wing paid for plastic surgery to reduce the facial scars. I still talk to Black Canary, Harley managed to contact her to help me."

Wait…years? "How…how old were you?" he asked.

"Eleven," he whispered, "two years before you…"

So, Tim had been a victim even before him and they'd never known about it. Two years…so either before Bruce had found him or while he was in training. That could explain how he'd missed the Joker having a kid.

"Why keep you alive? Uh, no offence."

Tim just stared at him and yeah, that was probably dumb. "Mama wanted a family. He…" Tim shivered, and Jason held his hand up to stop him.

"I'm sorry Tim, I don't want to talk about what he did to me and it was over in minutes. I'm sorry no one realised he had you."

Which made him wonder how his parents didn't realise…was that why Dick had custody before they got kidnapped?

"Why were you looking for Ghost?" Tim asked quietly.

"The kids in the alley trust you, I've seen you giving out food and a very nice trafficker take down. I was looking for an alliance."

Tim looked at his guns. "Are you going to kill people?"

"Yeah."

The kid chewed his bottom lip. "I can't…" he shook his head. "I'll keep helping the people who need it, but I can't be involved in killing."

Jason nodded, he was just a kid, no matter what he'd been through. And if what he'd said meant what Jason assumed…he had to have the fear of becoming like the Joker, killing would make that worse, even working with someone who killed. He slowly reached out and ruffled Tim's hair.

"You're a good kid, Timmy," he told him, seeing his surprise at his words. "Here's my number, you ever need anything, you call. I'll let you know what areas are too dangerous."

"Really?" he asked, and Jason nodded.

"We're brothers after all."

Tim blinked and then he lunged forward, Jason catching him. "Brothers," he whispered. And then he gave Jason his number in return. "What about Dick and Alfred?" thankfully, he didn't mention Bruce.

"I'll think about it," was all he could promise.

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Kon blinked as Tim threw himself down on his bed, the door now locked so Tim could peel his domino off. "Everything okay?" he asked in concern at the rather dramatic entrance. Tim hadn't been around much recently, not since the funeral which was understandable.

"Promise not to tell?" Tim asked, and Kon moved to sit beside him.

"Tim?" he asked, alarmed.

"Please Kon."

He stared at Tim and then nodded, whatever it was, it had to be important.

"As long as you're not endangering yourself, I promise," that was the best he could do.

"Robin's alive."

Kon blinked, brain stuttering to a halt. What?! "Say again?"

"Robin, the second Robin, he's alive and back in Gotham. He…it's horrible Kon…he had to dig himself out of his own grave, then he got grabbed by the al Ghul's and shoved in a Lazarus Pit."

He felt sick. For a human to break out of a coffin and then make it up through six feet of compacted soil and grass…most probably wouldn't make it. But he was Robin. And having been to Wayne Manor…there'd been the adopted son who died several years ago. "Jason Todd?" he asked, and Tim nodded. "How'd you find out?"

"He came looking for Ghost since I work in Crime Alley. He was looking to ally with a non-bat but…I can't. He uses lethal force and I just can't…"

"Is that…why you won't sign on the team fully?" Kon asked hesitantly. It's not like they were off killing everyone or anything but they did kill when they had to.

But Tim shook his head. "You're careful and it's only the worst of the worst, usually in alien invasions where there's literally no other choice unless we want the world overrun, even I've…I don't like it, I hate it," Tim murmured, and Kon moved to wrap around him, Tim curling into him. "But killing street level threats…"

"I get it," Kon whispered, relieved it wasn't why Tim wouldn't join.

"I don't want the attention from the Justice League," Tim admitted, "Black Canary knows about me since she's my therapist. Superman knows about Tim Drake and Ghost but doesn't know I'm the same person. But Batman's kept me as secret as possible, it's safer for me that way. I like helping you guys but I can't work fully with you and do my work in Gotham."

"Just don't ever ghost us," he asked.

Tim nodded. "Batman would tell you if anything happened to me. You're…you're my closest friends, I couldn't just leave you."

Kon tightened his grip, leaning his forehead against Tim's. He wanted so badly to kiss him but he shouldn't. Tim stared back at him, eyes soft, lips slightly parted. He wanted to say something but Tim…Tim had never indicated he wanted a relationship or if he was interested in guys or girls.

"Kon?" Tim whispered.

"I…" he swallowed.

"Do you…want to kiss me?" he asked, and Kon froze.

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"Do you…want to kiss me?" he asked, heart pounding.

Kon was beautiful and so caring once you got passed the shield of arrogance. He really liked Kon, had been drawn to him from the start, but he'd never thought Kon would reciprocate. He was a mess, even if he'd improved over the years, he still had relapses.

"Do you want me to?" Kon asked, voice trembling slightly.

Tim shifted closer, tipping his head back a little in offering. Kon moved one hand from where he was holding him to brush some stray strands of hair back before resting on his cheek. Tim shivered but leant into his hand. It felt…really nice. He'd gotten more used to nice touches since meeting Dick which made it so much easier to let Kon hold him, hug him or just rough house like normal teens. And then hesitant lips brushed against his.

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Dick smiled as he spotted the ring on Babs' finger. Tim had been right, of course, she'd said yes. He'd had to put off asking by a bit due to the attack on the Drakes but now they were engaged. He pressed a soft kiss to her hair, just listening to her breathing softly, deeply asleep. Now they just had to plan the wedding. Wally would be his best man and he'd offer for Tim to be a groomsman but he wasn't sure he'd agree since the wedding would likely be fairly publicised and understandably, Tim tried to stay out of the press. Would Bruce agree to attend? He'd helped with the Drakes, had sent the wreath for the funeral, and he liked Babs.

Knowing each other since they were teens and dating on and off since then meant that he had met Commissioner Gordon many times outside of the mask or various rich person shenanigans. He thought the man liked him so hopefully he'd be happy for them.

Alfred was very happy, had given them a wonderful dinner in celebration. He seemed to be looking forward to having a wedding to organise. Alfred did love organising big parties. And before Bruce withdrew from the Manor, they could have gotten away with something smaller but people paid more attention to him these days, especially since he was known to live in the Manor.

Tim should be home in the morning; Dick wasn't sure why he'd gone to the YJ base but he'd be sixteen soon enough and Dick trusted him to spend nights at the base with his friends when he wanted to. The team would keep Tim safe if anything happened. It had been good to see Tim excited by the idea of his proposing to Barbara, that he'd braved the shops to help him chose the ring, he knew Tim would be happy she said yes.

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Babs smiled as a sleepy Tim joined them at the table. "Morning kiddo, when did you get in?" she asked.

"Fifteen minutes?" he slumped down in his seat sleepily, hair damp and makeup off. He must have changed and showered in the Cave before coming up.

"Didn't sleep well?" she asked in concern, hand resting on the table, and she saw his eyes widen. She smiled when he actually jumped up, cheering happily, eyes bright now. That was one way to help him wake up.

"I told him!" Tim laughed.

"Oh?" She laughed as Tim spun and then knelt beside her chair, taking her hand to study the ring.

"Mmm, he wasn't sure you'd say yes. I told him you would."

She hugged him, ruffling his hair. "Glad one of you had faith in me."

His smile turned shy. "You like the ring?"

"I do," she promised and she did. It was beautiful, understated and something that wouldn't easily get caught on cloth or anything. A single standard diamond but with a smaller black diamond on either side. "Did you help him pick it?" she asked, and Tim nodded, moving to take his seat as Alfred entered with their breakfast.

Dick finally joined them, ruffling Tim's hair before kissing her and taking his seat.

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"So?" she stared him down.

"So, what?" his answer was wary.

"You and Ghost in your room, all night?" she teased and he went red.

"It wasn't! Nothing happened. He just needed to talk and some comfort," Kon hurriedly explained. "He found something out and needed to talk with someone about it. I even found out why he won't sign on with the team fully. He's worried it'll interfere with his work in Gotham and…he's not comfortable with the Justice League knowing about him," Kon shrugged.

"Oh," Cassie whispered, relieved that it was nothing their team had done.

After he'd told them his name, shown his face, she hadn't thought it was them…but he hadn't shown Secret or Cissie, then again, he didn't know them very well. They were newer to the team and Tim hadn't done many missions with them so it would take time.

That Tim didn't want the Justice League to know about him… was it because of the original Batman?

"We did kiss though," Kon murmured, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Wait…. "What?"

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Harley grinned and joined the figure on the roof. "Hey kiddo."

"Hi Mama," Tim grinned at her. the hood and domino really kept her from seeing much of his face which was annoying.

"Someone's cheerful tonight," she teased.

"Batman and Oracle got engaged!"

"Really! Well tell them congrats from us!" Good on them.

"Are you going to get married Mama?"

"That's enough of that," she mock-scolded, reaching out to tug him into a hug. "You doin' okay?"

He nodded, leaning into her. "I uh…I might…have a boyfriend?" he murmured and she squeezed him.

"Is he big and dark haired with pretty blue eyes?" she teased, and he groaned. "Well, he better treat you right or I'll steal some of Lex's Kryptonite!"

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Jason watched as Dick took out the Mad Hatter's goons, the Rogue himself not present. It was strange to see Dick in the Batsuit but he wasn't acting like Bruce, not like Nightwing, but not as harsh as the original Batman. Dick had made the role his own. Good. He got why Dick had taken the cowl; the fear of Batman helped keep things under control.

Tim said Dick missed him but would he really want to see him?

TBC…