Disclaimer: not mine

Poor Tim is now a vampire captive and mind whammied so he's not in for a fun time. Non-con warning.

Chapter 8

He stared at the bleeding human lying limp on the metallic floor, the boy unable to do anything, pupils constricted to pinpoints, face slack as blood dripped down from where he'd dug his claws in, his mind lost under the compulsion. They would teach that half breed his place and have fun doing it.

He glanced around the massive underground construct, it was impressive and would be almost impossible to breach by mortal means, at least without setting of a massive set of alarms. It had been interesting to note the boy had somehow sensed he wasn't alone, exposure to the half breed perhaps?

To leave the mark here or the apartment above? They'd observed the two and there'd been no evidence the brat knew of the base or at least he'd never been in it. And there was no sign of even his faded scent among the metal. So, the boy was hauled up and taken away and he went up to the apartment to make sure their message was received.

,

Bernard groaned as the ringng of his phone woke him, reaching blindly for it. "'lo?" he mumbled.

"Bernard? It's Tam Fox," came the very awake voice of Tim's assistant and friend, and that woke him up fast.

"Tam? Has something happened?" he asked, knowing Tim was going to work today.

"Tim never showed up and he's not answering his phone, did he go home last night?"

"Yeah, he dropped me off and headed up with no plans to go back out. He said he had some computer work to do but that was it," he offered as he got up and yanked his jeans on, then a shirt, shoving his feet into shoes. He was exhausted when we got back from Hong Kong, slept almost twelve hours. He was fine while we were at the Manor but seemed pretty tired again when we got back here. Maybe he forgot to put his phone on the charger and slept in. I'll head up and yes, I'll have a panic button just in case," he promised since they both knew the odds of Tim both forgetting to charge his phone and sleeping in.

"Alright, let me know what's going on. If I don't hear from you in twenty at the most, I'm calling Mr Wayne," or Batman in other words…did she know that Bernard knew?

"Okay. Talk to you in twenty," he agreed before hanging up. He tucked his phone in his pocket and grabbed one of the panic buttons Tim had supplied him with that would alert the Wayne's if he needed help. If someone had hurt Tim…he licked over his teeth to be sure his fangs weren't showing and then used his passkey to get up to the penthouse.

There was nothing out of place in the hall, no sign someone tried to force their way in which was good, right? He inhaled but didn't smell anyone recent except Tim and his scent was hours old, so when he'd come home. Which meant if he'd left, it hadn't been through the door. The soundproofing on the apartment was too good to let him hear Tim inside sadly.

He drew up the power that let him travel, ready to move in case there were bad guys inside and they tried to shoot him or something. Then he unlocked the door and stepped inside, freezing in horror and shock as he took in the bloody mark on the wall. No…

He inhaled, taking in the scent, vampire, male, unfamiliar. So not even someone he'd pissed off at some point. Great. A note was under the mark and he cautiously picked it up, reading the contents, snarling in rage.

Bernard forced himself to calm and then went to the fishtank, finding the switch. Hopefully his coming down the elevator wouldn't set off the alarms, but Tim's scent in the apartment was too thin, too old. He hadn't been attacked here which meant his base. Sure enough, his scent was stronger in the elevator.

He stepped cautiously into the metal cavern and thankfully, no alarms sounded but he snarled, knowing his eyes were glowing, fangs extended, claws digging into his palms as his hands curled into fists. Vampires…at least five. No blood but Tim had been there. He moved to where the computers were set up and then knelt, able to tell Tim had lain on the floor for some time, able to smell his pain so he was likely injured but not bleeding. And then the slight floral scent that came with being under vampire compulsion. It apparently smelt differently to everyone, why he smelt flowers he had no clue.

They'd taken Tim. And their message was all too clear, either he came alone, or they would kill Tim, slowly and painfully. Damn it, what was he meant to tell Tam? He had to call her otherwise the Bats would show up and that would not end well for anyone. Theoretically, it was possible to compel someone over the phone, but he'd never tried it. Could he?

,

Tam hung up the phone and blinked before going back to work. It would be good when Tim was back in the office in a few days, but he deserved the time off after having to spend his days at work and nights searching for Cass. Maybe she should invite him and Bernard out to dinner next week? She'd like to get to know him better since it seemed him and Tim were really going to last. She was happy for them, she hadn't been able to deal with how Tim was on a case, how he could be so calculating but Bernard didn't seem to have the same issues that she'd had.

,

He drifted, voices fading in and out, unable to move or speak, thoughts scattered. Cold…naked? Hands…no…pain…pleasure…

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Fangs pierced warm, soft flesh, drinking hungrily from the naked, pliant human. And then she drew back, gagging, coughing, clawing at her face.

They watched in horror as she writhed before going still…his blood had killed her! Well, if they couldn't have their fun with him that way… they could all smell it on him, for someone so famous it was surprising to find he was still a virgin. But not for much longer.

,

He stared at the dead vampire, she had drunk from the boy and died, painfully. The brat wouldn't have known how to do that which meant he'd found outside help to try and protect his human. So, they couldn't drink from him, that didn't change things. By the time the half breed showed up, his lover would be a well-used toy.

Being with a human was bad enough, but one that was famous and a vigilante? That was pure insanity and needed to be punished.

He looked out at the main floor where Timothy Drake-Wayne, Red Robin, lay sprawled over a table, his body moving limply as the vampire on top of him had his fun. A warm body always made for an interesting time. He would need to compel him again; the boy was mentally strong and he suspected had brief moments of awareness at least. But it wasn't enough to change his fate. He would never leave the warehouse alive. The manor of his death was up to his lover…not that they'd apparently gotten that far yet. Maybe he should let them before killing the vigilante?

,

Tim's paranoia might have rubbed off on him but he couldn't afford to lead the Bats where he was going. He knew Oracle existed, though he didn't know who it was behind the computer, her identity was harder to guess. But if she had half the access to Gotham that he thought she did…then she had full access to every camera in the city. He'd ditched his own clothing in the rubbish after changing into some he'd bought from Goodwill. He could have donated them but that might be risky if he'd missed any trackers. He'd even grabbed some glasses to help disguise the shape of his face. The fact he was fighting to stay human helped shift his eye colour a bit.

And now he was leaving the barber, rubbing away the cut strands. He'd been due a haircut anyway, it might take a bit to get used to the new style but hopefully it was enough to throw off any surveillance attempts. All electronics had been left back at his apartment so they couldn't track him that way. He'd bought a cheap burner and put through one call, to Hong Kong. He couldn't ask for help but he could seek advice. Having her agree with his thoughts on why they had taken Tim had not helped his anger and fear but she'd had a few suggestions, had called on a vampire who had been in the military when human for more advice.

Bernard might be a 'civilian' but that did not mean he wasn't capable of being dangerous. He'd taken martial arts since he was a child, could use some weapons, even small guns. And he was a pro at being sneaky when needed. But getting into somewhere with who knew how many other vampires and then out again with an injured and compulsed human? The odds weren't good at all. But he had no allies in Gotham. Jason? Would he count to them as human? He definitely was different but how different? Calling him would be risking Tim's life…and he didn't have his number. He could be anywhere in Crime Alley or even elsewhere in the city if not doing Hood work.

Would Tim even still be alive when he got there? If they tried to feed off him and at least one vampire died…, would they kill him in retaliation? Maim him? He knew they wouldn't plan for Tim to come out of this alive, they were probably planning to kill both of them.

,

Bruce was relieved when Cass finally woke up, groggy, but she was awake and aware. So, they moved her to her room and made sure she was comfortable. She'd been happy to know Tim had been the one to come for her and understood why he wasn't there waiting. Hopefully Tim would come to visit tomorrow when Damian was at school, though Dick had come to visit so there was no guarantee.

,

Pain snapped him back to awareness, ripping, tearing…get off! It took too long for his mind to put together what was happening him to him, choking on a scream that wouldn't come out. His body wouldn't respond to his desperate attempts to fight. What was happening…

"Awww…is the little human aware?" a voice taunted but he couldn't respond, body moving limply in time to his attackers.

He…he didn't want this…why couldn't he move?

"You're our toy now," the woman cooed, a clawed finger tracing down his face, even as he struggled to focus his vision enough to make out her features. "How long till your body breaks? It's been days already."

Days? Everything was blurry…Cass? Safe… Ber? He couldn't remember… he could feel tears of pain slipping from his eyes, his mouth hung open and he couldn't even close it, throat dry. Days…they'd be looking…they'd find him…B…Jay…just hold on.

Then his head was being turned, red eyes filling his vision. "Under you go bird boy," a male voice commanded. Red eyes…so pretty…he felt kind of floaty, body tingling with pleasure despite the agony he'd been in…pain fading…

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Bernard watched the warehouse, a special herbal mix soaked into his hair and clothes to disguise his scent he blended into the homeless youth scattered about the area. He was running out of time and he knew it, sooner or later someone was going to realise Tim was gone and then they'd try to contact Bernard and find he was gone too…a full-on search would be launched. Tim had been taken last night and the sun was beginning to set, who knew what they'd done to him. But rushing in would only get them both killed.

He knew Tim was alive, could hear his heartbeat. So, he knew where in the building he needed to get to, he just had to find a way in. Tracking other vampires when they obviously had been using the building for a long time was more difficult and he didn't want to break in only to find himself in a room full of enemies.

But eventually, he found his access point, not as close to Tim's location as he would have liked but it was the best of the lot. He pulled out the small stone and rubbed some blood on it before slipping the chain under his shirt. Once he moved away from the humans, his own heartbeat would serve as a beacon…if they heard it. The charm was meant to hide his life signs, let his pass as a vampire. So long as he'd gotten it right, he'd been working of diagrams and photos sent to him from the Hong Kong group.

He leapt silently upwards, grabbing onto the overhang, swinging himself up onto the roof. He carefully pulled away the broken slats and slid into the shaft, whatever the warehouse had been built for had needed good ventilation so it was big enough, thankfully. Overt power usage wouldn't be hidden by the charm so he had to keep the rescue as physical only as possible. Making his way down a metal shaft without making noise was not easy but he couldn't just drop down without knowing what was at the bottom.

He came out in the basement, covering his nose at the stench, fighting back the urge to be sick as he took in what he was smelling. Bodies…all in different stages of decomposition. So this was what happened to their 'meals', those that weren't turned or kept for fun anyway. But Tim wasn't among them so he moved on, making for the door he could just make out, not looking down since he didn't need anymore nightmares.

He made it out of the corpse room and found himself in a hall, breathing in the less death-smelly air gratefully, and trying to catch a hint of Tim's scent…in the hall…that way. He crept along, finding the stairs and another hall, Tim's scent was in both. Being kept down here and taken upstairs for fun? That made the most sense, so where was he now? He closed his eyes, focusing on his hearing, trying to decide if his heartbeat was above or on the same level…same. So, he turned down the hall till he came to a locked room. There was no choice but to break the lock which would be a giveaway if anyone came to check but he'd just have to deal with it.

He opened the door, glad for the enhanced eyesight that let him see in almost pitch-black conditions. The room was empty except for a crumpled body at the back, moving slightly with every breath. But the scents… he moved across the room and very carefully turned Tim over, supporting his head as he did, seeing the vacant, peaceful expression and constricted pupils, he was deep under.

Bernard made eye contact with Tim, knowing his own eyes were red now. "Tim? I need you to wake up, come back to me Red," he murmured, throwing everything he had into trying to overpower the other vampires hold on Tim. He kept talking softly, he had to get some kind of response, Tim being deadweight would slow them down too much.

There was a half-healed bite on his throat so at least one vampire had learnt a rather nasty lesson. But how long would they leave Tim alone, especially when it seemed they had been…enjoying his body. The scents were sickening, but none of it was Tim's fault.

,

Voice…gentle…calling…

"Can you hear me, Tim? Come on, fight," the voice whispered. He knew it…who? "Tim? That's it, come back to me. I know it's hard, but you're strong and stubborn."

There was a gurgling noise…him…he'd made it… a hand stroking his hair. Warmth wrapping around him…tired…he was so tired…

And then glowing red filled his vision fully. "Come back Tim. You're Tim Drake-Wayne, Red Robin," the voice seemed to reach inside him, pulling.

Tim…yes, he was Tim…Red Robin… the voice…Bernard? But he couldn't move still. He tried to speak, a noise coming from his throat.

"What have they done to you?" Bernard murmured. How could it be him? He felt himself being moved, cloth, clothes? "That's better, gotta warm you up. I know you're confused, probably scared, but I've got you. I need your help Tim, you need to try to walk, okay?"

Walk? More movement and he slowly realised he was upright now, arm thrown over Ber's shoulders, an arm firm around his own waist. And something in his head screamed to pull away, touch hurt…but Bernard wouldn't hurt him…would he?

"Can't go out the way I came in, no way I can carry you up that shaft without making a racket. So, we've got to find a ground floor exit." Bernard stepped forward and his body moved with him, dragged. "Come on Tim, one foot in front of the other, you can do it. Walk!" Bernard growled the command, and Tim's leg moved. "I hate this," the other whispered, sad…why was he sad?

His head hung limp to his chest, unable to lift it, all he could do was put one foot in front of the other, obeying. He drifted away, hearing the voice on and off. So tired…cold….

,

Bernard hated commanding Tim to walk but while he seemed at least semi-aware, he had no control of his body. He hadn't been able to break the other's power over Tim's mind, but he had been able to weasel his way in, to be able to order Tim's body to respond. Did Tim even recognise him? If he could keep Tim far enough away from whichever one had compelled him, then it should wear off naturally over the next few days, either that or he had to kill the vampire since Bernard doubted that they'd break it of their own free will.

Tim wasn't even shivering despite being freezing, that could not be good for his health, especially with his missing spleen. He thought Tim had tried to talk, but it seemed he'd been told not to speak or move, at least. Had Tim been aware of what they were doing to him? At least he seemed to be warming up a little with Bernard's coat over him and being held to his own body. He might not be as a warm as a full human but at the moment he was warmer than Tim!

Getting up the stairs was awkward but Tim just kept walking, steps dragging but still making them. Every step they took without being discovered was one step closer to freedom. He wished he could have simply gone back up the shaft with Tim, after this he had to tell him everything anyway after all, he'd been planning to tell him as soon as they had the time, so displaying inhuman strength to carry Tim out would have been fine. But the metal would have made way too much noise and offered no protection. As soon as they left the stairs someone would realise Tim's heartbeat was too close though. So, he slipped the stone charm off and put it on Tim. His quieter, slower, heartbeat was less likely to be immediately picked up on, and his scent was still hidden.

Bernard eased the door open, getting Tim through, and then shut it again. The more normal things appeared, the more time they had. It was a large warehouse but there didn't seem to be anywhere he could get Tim out on this side. Could he risk just transporting? Could they follow if he did? And…he'd never done it with someone else. He could kill Tim trying so that was not a good idea.

So, he moved forward, supporting Tim, hearing the small breathy noise he made, hating to hush him but noise now was too dangerous. There were a few halls and it'd take too long to check them all while helping Tim along so he carefully settled him behind some crates and moved off to try and find an exit. He had to find one! But all of them were boarded up or impossible for him to manage with Tim…except one. And between it and him was a large open area…the perfect trap. Damn it!

,

Alone…cold…Ber? No, couldn't be…wanted…Tim Drake, he was Tim Drake-Wayne…so tired. Then the warmth was back, pulling him up, holding him close, lips pressing to his forehead.

"I love you," Ber whispered. "There's only one way out," scared, he sounded scared.

Their eyes met and he was falling into red, one word echoing through his mind. RUN.

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They reached the room and Tim obeyed, running. Laughter sounded and a guy appeared before him, Bernard reacting in an explosion of violence, strikes aimed at every weak point, claws digging deep into cold flesh. If it took his death for Tim to make it out and to Wayne Manor, then so be it. Oracle would spot him on cameras at some point since he was running blindly for the Manor, taking the easiest path. They'd call in whatever occultist worked with the Justice League and help him recover.

He just had to buy Tim time, keep them focused on him.

TBC….