Disclaimer: not mine

Once again warning - pm or review offering art services for sale and I will block your account. Don't waste my and your time.

Chapter 6

Diana took her seat, nodding to Bruce where he stood at the head of the table. She was sure she knew what this meeting was about. Tim Drake…or the alternate of him who was currently in the Batcave. She could see the worry in his expression only because she'd known him so long. Had he come to them to try and send the boy…vampire home? Would he tell them what Tim had become?

She had said nothing to Cassie, it would hurt her too much to see another version of the boy she had cared for. It had to be so hard for the Bats to house him given what had happened. Even with Constantine's spell backing up his words, it had been hard to leave him with at the Cave. No matter how good they were, they were still human.

She smiled at Kal as he entered, hiding a smile as she saw the beads on his cape. Had he noticed what his son had done? She wished she could do something for Lois, but such healing was beyond the little she knew. Still, Kal was doing well as a single father and she knew Bruce supported him. Jon and Damian were friends, even with Damian having retired due to his injury.

"So, what's up?" Barry asked, leaning back in his chair and Bruce looked at him.

"On Friday afternoon, Tim Drake knocked on the Manor door."

And the room exploded with noise. Bruce did so enjoy causing drama.

Bruce raised a hand and they slowly settled. "With Constantine's help his story was confirmed. He is not the Tim Drake of this dimension. He woke in the city and became suspicious when his comms wouldn't connect…and then he came across the Memorial Studio."

That would have been a shock. But it also explained why he approached in civilian clothing and during the day. Would Bruce tell them his species?

"He survived the attack that killed our Tim and is twenty-three. He believes the time difference will make returning him harder. He doesn't know how he came to be here; he remembers a fight at the docks and then nothing till he woke."

"Bruce," Kal murmured in sympathy.

To have any version of his son back but to know it was not forever…but would they want it to be knowing what Tim was?

"His death was not the only difference. There are people from his Earth who don't exist, both among the heroes and civilians of Gotham. But the overall main events seem to mostly line up, such as my being lost in time."

"You trust him?" Hal asked, staring at Bruce.

"To a point. His worlds technology is more advanced. He is currently developing a new prosthesis for Damian and is allowing us to study his gear. There is one thing that makes trust…difficult…" he hesitated and that got everyone's attention.

"This Tim…is no longer human and hasn't been since he was nineteen, when his Bruce was killed."

,

Clark stared out at the stars. A clone…in another world, someone had cloned him. It made him feel sick to think of, but Bruce said that apparently, he had eventually accepted the boy. That was if they could believe Tim…Tim who was a vampire. The thought of the boy who called him Uncle turned into a bloodsucking monster…

"He still has his soul."

He glanced over at Diana.

"I was there Kal, John wanted me there as backup. He does not kill to feed and still works as a vigilante. He…he was nothing like those we fought. If not for the lack of a pulse, he acts so human. He was so gentle with Dick, pointed out to Bruce that Dick needs help dealing with his guilt and grief over our Tim. Dick…he went into the cell before we had any proof. Tim could have killed him, drained him, long before anyone could reach them, could have escaped. But all he did was comfort Dick," she explained gently.

That…that sounded like the boy he had known. But could they afford to believe it?

She gripped his shoulder. "Do not judge him based on what happened. Meet him, see what he is like for yourself."

,

Tim stood on the rooftop, enjoying the cool night air and the feeling of his domino. His comm had been tuned into the local frequencies so he could communicate with the Bats. He hadn't seen her yet, so hearing Cass over the comm had been good, though he'd remained quiet. He knew she wasn't ready to have anything to do with him and that was understandable, he would take things at her pace unless there was an emergency. Only B and Oracle knew he was out. Well, Alfred would know, the man knew everything going on in the Manor.

Damian was in Metropolis with Jon and Dick was on patrol somewhere in Gotham. Bruce was on his own patrol but Tim knew the man would be tracking him, to make sure he only did what he said he was. Tonight, he was going to try and reach out to Jason. He closed his eyes, stretching out his senses. He knew his brother, but since everyone else's' scents were slightly different he assumed the same would be true of Jason. He stood on the edge of Hood's territory, sorting out the scents and sounds…there! He took off, practically flying over the rooftops.

He stopped and then growled softly as he took in the sight. The Red Hood was in trouble, cornered and badly outnumbered and…was that a werewolf? He knew there was more than just vampires but he hadn't seen much…not since his Young Justice days when they seemed to run into all sort of crazy things.

And then Jason went down, the scent of his blood filling the air. The wolf lunged and Tim leapt, intercepting, claws sliding easily through fur and skin, ripping their throat out. The others froze, staring at his crouched form in shock. He made a move as if sheathing a blade, not wanting them to realise he'd used claws. He straightened up and extended his bō, letting a confident smirk form.

"Last chance to run," he warned them. Jason was alive and breathing but loosing blood fast so he had to make this quick. Which meant when they aimed their guns at him, he was not at all gentle in taking them down, using more strength and speed then he usually would against humans but not enough to give himself away.

Thankfully, Jason was out cold and also had some zip ties on him since Tim didn't have enough to cover everyone. But before restraining them, he pulled out Jason's medical supplies, packing the wound with gauze to slow the blood loss.

"Crow to Oracle," he called once done.

"Go ahead.

"Ran into a gang with military grade weapons. They're out cold and could use a pickup, pinging location."

"Police on the way," she offered after a moment. "Any injuries?"

"Not for me, there's a dead werewolf on scene. They've mostly got concussions, a few dislocated limbs, maybe a break or two."

"Understood. Be careful."

He signed off, smiling slightly even though he doubted the warning was out of real concern for him. She was way too wary of him still to truly care beyond ensure he wasn't draining anyone. He cleaned up, making sure the werewolf didn't look like he'd been killed with claws and then lifted Jason. Hopefully he had some of the same safehouses.

,

Waking up in pain was nothing new, but waking up at all was a shock once he could think. He'd been alone, outnumbered…so how? He groaned as he tried to move, hand moving to his stomach, finding he was wrapped in bandages, no armour or shirt. He lifted the blankets, relieved to find he wasn't fully naked. Wait…how had he gotten to one of his own safehouses? Cause he recognised the bedroom.

And then he heard soft footsteps approaching. He forced himself to relax, feigning sleep, hearing the door open. The person crossed the room and set something down.

"I know you're awake Jason."

He couldn't help it, eyes snapping open at the familiar voice. He stared at the figure beside his bed, that…that was impossible. "Who?" he demanded, hand reaching for where one of his knives were hidden. "Don't you dare…"

The stranger raised their hands in surrender, because it couldn't be. He was dead and gone, cremated so there was no chance of a Lazarus Pit miracle. "Calm down, you'll pull your stitches." And that expression was so familiar. "I'm Tim Drake, just…not the Tim Drake you knew."

What? He frowned in confusion, and the person…Clone? Shapeshifter? He wouldn't put it passed Ra's to have cloned the kid…they grabbed the chair from the corner and moved it closer to the bed, sitting down. They weren't in any armour, just sweatpants and…was that Dick's old shirt? He picked up the glass and held it out to Jason.

"It's just water. You've been unconscious for over a day and you lost a lot of blood. I thought I was going to have to call in help."

"What do you mean, not the Tim…" he coughed.

"This isn't my Earth," he answered. "Your Tim died while looking for Bruce. I survived the attack then, made it back to Gotham. I'm twenty-three so time is moving differently between our dimensions, which is going to make getting home harder. And you're even more paranoid than my Jay, took a lot of work breaking in here."

Jason stared at him. Not his Earth…dimensions? "That's not real."

Tim or not-Tim snorted in amusement. "Freaked Bruce out by giving a CR code cause he made them and never taught any of you since there's never been any proof of the Multiverse here. Well…till now. He called Constantine and Wonder Woman in to confirm everything if that helps. I'd say you can ask O but they said you don't go on comms. And no, they don't know I'm with you or that you're hurt but Bruce and Oracle do know I was looking for you."

"Why?" he asked and it hurt…those months where Tim would parallel his patrol route, when they'd stop for chilli dogs together…then he'd messed up by attacking him…but he'd found Tim's note, months too late to save the kid. Tim had written that he would see him when he got back, that B was alive…that it was okay, he wasn't mad. If he hadn't gone off world to get his head on straight…maybe he could have been there when Tim really needed him.

"Because no matter the dimension, you're my big brother. Events with you seemed to be the same in both, till your Tim died. Which means…you asked him to be your Robin, didn't you?" he asked, and Jason swallowed.

"Tim?" he stared at the stranger with his little brother's face. Twenty-three, six years more of life then his Tim had gotten…not that the kid looked it. Baby face…no… he frowned, studying him closely. "When was the last time you got some sun?" Sure, Timmy had always been pale, but not this pale.

And Tim grimaced slightly. "We do tend to work night," he offered, but there was tension there.

Jason reached out, grabbing his hand to find it was cold. He froze, heart rate picking up. No…

"Jason!" Tim's raised voice snapped him into focus, and he realised a cold hand was resting against his cheek, worried blue eyes staring into his. "That's it, breath with me," he coached, and Jason found himself matching the exaggerated breathing. "It's okay, you're safe."

Was he? Cold and pale…and if Jason's timeline was the same…then where were the scars he'd given Tim? He lifted his hand, grabbing Tim's wrist, pressing his fingers into the pulse point…nothing…no…

"I'm not going to hurt you Jason," Tim murmured, not pulling away.

"Vampire," he snarled weakly. He was in no condition to fight…why hadn't he killed or turned him already? Unless…how long did it take to turn? Was that why he felt so weak? Was he dying…again?

"You're safe Jason," the vampire told him. "I've seen the files, Babs showed me. I'm not like them, vampirism in my world is very different. I'm still me. You can even ask Constantine; I have my soul. I don't kill to feed, back home we set up safe places with donor blood and stuff. Here, Bruce is working on a better way to store it and a synthetic version, not sure how successful that'll be though."

"He let you in the Cave."

"More like I woke up in a cell," it shrugged slightly, it's expressions so human, so…Tim. "I didn't even sense the protections till Alfred let me inside and then something knocked me out. Honestly, with what was in those files…I'm surprised I woke up again. I guess my id and the code was enough to make Bruce curious enough to wait. They gave me a room, not your Tim's room, but another one. I'm working on a new prosthesis for Damian since my world's tech is more advanced."

Jason stared at it…him…it? He didn't know what to think, what to believe. He wanted his little brother back so much…he'd meant it, when he'd asked him to be his Robin. Being the Red Hood, working alone…he missed having a partner and he knew Tim could have been him, could have balanced him. The kid didn't have the same stick up his butt about killing that B did but he wasn't violent like the brat…though he'd settled a lot since the attack. Losing an arm would do that to a person, being forced to step back from Robin and fighting and been good for him. Just because he didn't work with them didn't mean he didn't keep an eye on them. He'd played his own part in stopping what went down two years ago. And…he felt bad for Stephanie, outside of Tim, she'd been one who didn't bother him. She understood.

"You should eat something," the vampire stood, stretching till it's…his back popped. "Be back in a bit."

"You're cooking," he stared at him, getting an eye roll in response.

"Hey, I'll have you know I can handle the basics. Just took getting turned to do it but…well, my Jason said that if he was feeding me then I better return the favour."

"He…I…"

"It took a while to get everything set up. At first, Bernard let me feed off him. He's a meta with fast healing so it was fine. Then he taught you all how to draw blood since we were in hiding and then running for Metropolis to alert the JL. But since Bernard was turned, I can't feed from him anymore. His blood and yours has…an extra kick. We figure yours is because of the Pit. So, you like to keep us all stocked in case of emergency."

"All?" he asked.

Tim winced. "Food first." And then he was gone.

,

Tim pulled out the thermos he'd brought, drinking a few mouthfuls of the mixed blood bag and fresh. Not Dicks, Alfred, Damian…his eyes widened. Bruce? He shook his head and went to work prepping dinner for Jason. Maybe he should just make a PowerPoint of his world's history since the attack, it'd save time. He hated seeing that look in Jason's eyes…not when he remembered his big brother holding him, letting him feed directly the last time he'd been hurt. But this wasn't the Jason he knew. Their lives diverged completely after Tim left on his quest.

He finished up the food and headed back, finding Jason sitting up, that explained the groans he'd heard. "You should have let me help," he chided, setting the tray over Jason's lap.

Jason eyed the food warily and Tim huffed.

"It's safe and edible."

,

Bruce checked again; Tim hadn't activated the panic button. He must have bunkered down somewhere for the day, or had it been cloudy enough for him to be out and about? Maybe, he'd found Jason? He was worried, how would Jason react to Tim? Would he shoot first at seeing an older Tim? Assume he was a clone? And when he found out Tim was a vampire…

He sighed, he couldn't deny it, despite his mind saying to remain wary…he wanted Tim to be his son, to stay with them. But Tim had a family and life in his own world, it wasn't fair to want him to stay. And here, he would likely always face prejudice from some among the community. He'd seen the horror and disgust on too many faces when he spoke to the League about Tim. Diana had backed him but who else would come around?

"Bruce."

Speaking of the League. "Clark."

"Is he here?" It seemed odd to see Clark wary but it was understandable.

"No, he went looking for Jason, to reach out to him." And Clark relaxed a little. "He's not a threat to you Clark, his kind of vampire can't pierce your skin with their claws or fangs. It was your family that led the counterattack to take back Gotham."

Clark shrugged slightly and Bruce got it. Their vampires magic made it so they could bite a Kryptonian and survive ingesting their blood. Relax around one vampire and he might slip up around the wrong one.

"Is he really like Tim?"

"He's six years older, with even more trauma, but he seems happy enough with his life. He saw his Bruce brutally killed, had to fight of his Sire's mental attacks and then succumbed to his Grandsire and turned his civilian best friend, before managing to kill his Grandsire. He's been in charge of the Gotham vampires since then. I think, in a way, being here is something of a vacation."

Clark shook his head, a flicker of amusement there for a second. "You left something out of the debrief."

Bruce nodded. "His best friend in the community is Kon-El."

Clark froze. "To be Tim's age…did we…have another son?" he asked shakily.

Bruce was not looking forward to telling him, was it even relevant? But he had noticed some of Tim's more obscure searches. "The boy was related to you."

"Bruce."

"He's your clone," he stated, and Clark's eyes went wide. "He was made using your DNA and also a human. Tim didn't give their name. And it's why Tim's never been as close to you as our Tim. The you there, didn't react well at first. And Tim sided with his friend. Your alternate also listened to Dick when Tim insisted that I was alive, straining things further."

Clark nodded. "Do you think, Kon-El?"

"Tim has been researching and I noticed searches that seem to be designed to see if the project went ahead here. There is also another missing from our world, Bart Allen. He may show up though as he was originally from the future. It could be that he simply hasn't come back yet."

"Allen, related to Barry?"

"His grandson apparently. So, if another Speedster suddenly shows up, it may be him."

"Even more Titans," Clark murmured.

"Apparently the three boys plus Wonder Girl were actually a team called Young Justice first. They had several other members come and go but then eventually merged with the Titans. He was surprised that our Tim was only ever a Titan."

"I'm not sure if his world sounds better or worse," Clark admitted, and Bruce nodded. "I want to meet him."

"I'll tell him and call you."

Clark nodded and then he was gone.

That could have gone a lot worse, but it seemed Clark was at least willing to give Tim a chance.

,

Jason lay in bed, mind spinning. How was he meant to sleep with Tim in the apartment? And yet…he'd been unconscious, totally vulnerable, and all he'd done was patch him up. To know in another world, he was Batman, had given up the guns and taken the cowl to spare Dick from it. Dick…trying to imagine him the way Tim had described was impossible. Dick ruthlessly slicing Tim open and then turning him…abandoning him as he died…but he'd done that last one to give Tim a chance. He'd fought the control of his Sire to give Tim a chance and that was what had let them win. Babs agreeing to be turned and Steph…poor kid, dying in two worlds. He remembered joking about Tim taking over the world once, this Tim had control of the Gotham vampires, kept them from killing, a benevolent dictator.

Tim's death wasn't the whole reason he'd backed off from the Bats but it was part of it, once he'd managed to get the whole story. Tim had been abandoned and betrayed, had stayed true to his beliefs and mission and he'd died alone. Maybe the grief should have pulled him close but if they could turn on Tim like that…he was the Red Hood, a killer, even if he didn't kill as much these days.

"Jay, you need sleep," Tim murmured, and his head jerked up to see the shadow in the doorway. He hadn't heard him. "I can go, you're not at risk of dying now…you can call someone else to help you."

Jason stared at him. "Show me," he said, and Tim frowned, before his eyes widened.

"You sure?" Tim asked, and he nodded. He flipped on the light and moved closer, taking the chair again. "It's still me," he murmured. Blue eyes suddenly became red, fangs poking out from under his upper lip, clawed hands resting in his lap.

Jason slowly reached for Tim's hand and the kid let him, let him study the sharp, lethal, claws. "You don't look like them," he whispered. He was different. he stared into red eyes but there was no rage or bloodlust there, just a soft sadness. "Timmy."

Tim offered a shaky smile, vampiric features fading away. Jason squeezed his hand and then tugged. Tim didn't offer any resistance and soon Jason had his arms wrapped around his little brother, feeling his cold body move with gentle breaths. Did he need to breath or did he do it out of habit? He could ask later.

"Missed you kid," he murmured. This wasn't his little brother, not the kid who had stubbornly yelled at him and yet it was.

Tim shivered and then melted against him. He was shocked to hear a soft noise, was he…purring?

TBC….