Disclaimer: not mine

Dick's mental state is not the best, hasn't been since their Tim died but he can function fine, most of the time.

Chapter 2

"Hey," Tim murmured in reply, the way Dick was looking at him making him uncomfortable, reminding him of the early days after they'd been reunited.

"Is it really you?" Dick sounded almost desperate.

"I'm not your Tim, Dick, I'm sorry." He hated seeing Dick hurting but he couldn't fix it. "I saw the article…was it really a car bomb?" he asked softly and Dick shook his head.

"It's my fault…I should have listened, should have believed him," Dick choked out and Tim pressed his hand to where a large scar once rested, Dick's eyes widening. "You were…but you didn't die?"

,

How had this Tim survived and theirs died? What had been different for him?

"I was stabbed by an assassin from the Council of Spiders in Iraq. I was with three of Ra's assassins, two died and one had her throat cut. I came too, managed to bandage us both up with my cape, somehow drove back to the city and got us to the Wayne hotel suite but passed out. Tam Fox found us and then Ra's men did. I woke up post-op next to the Lazarus Pit, Ra's playing mind games. He had Tam so I had to cooperate, I led the League against the Spiders but, well, Ra's gave me full computer access," Tim explained briefly, and that expression was so familiar.

Tim had obviously made Ra's pay for letting him access the systems, for forcing him to lead the League to keep her safe. "What did you do?" he asked.

"Blew the generators in every base I could as we escaped. Ra's chased us to Gotham, tried to kill a lot of people and take over WE since Hush was pretending to be Bruce. But he expected me to handle it like B, alone. So, I told him, I'm not Bruce, I have friends."

He couldn't help the short laugh at that. "Bet he loved that." Maybe…their Tim had been alone and that was why he'd died? Tim could pull the impossible if someone's life depended on him, maybe that had made the difference.

"Kicked me out of a high-rise window," Tim answered, and Dick flinched.

"He what?!" had that been when, why, Tim had been turned? But surely the damage from that kind of fall…

"Hey, it's okay." Tim leant against the door. "You caught me, Dick, right as I blacked out from the injuries I got fighting him. And I know, if things went like they did back home when your Tim left and during his journey…he never blamed you, Dick. You were his big brother and he loved you. He wouldn't want you to blame yourself."

Dick pressed a hand to his mouth, hearing Tim say he loved him, that they were brothers…he fumbled with the control panel and the door slid open, not caring about the consequences.

"Dick?" Tim's eyes were wide in shock but Dick stepped inside, wrapping his arms around him, feeling the coldness of his body and ignoring it. The vampire was stiff for a few seconds but then arms hesitantly wrapped around him, a head resting on his shoulder.

"Timmy," he sobbed, and Tim's grip tightened, easily taking his weight.

"It's okay Dick, I've got you," Tim whispered, voice gentle.

Dick shivered when Tim nuzzled his throat but couldn't bring himself to tense, not when he was finally getting to hug the little brother he'd driven away. But Tim didn't try to bite him or hurt him, he was…comforting him?

"I'm sorry I'm not him," Tim murmured. "If I could bring him back to you, I would."

,

"How is our guest, Master Bruce?"

"Awake," was the tense answer as he sat at the counter, Alfred passing over a cup of coffee, waiting for more information. "He…he acts so much like my son," Bruce murmured. "If he's telling the truth then he's been a vampire for four years, their timeline is ahead of ours, he's twenty-three."

Alfred nodded slowly. Four years…so he was nineteen when turned, had lived two more years than his grandson had. "Then you believe he is at least an alternate version of Master Tim?"

Bruce nodded slowly. "He's too much like Tim in ways that can't be taught. He claims he doesn't kill to feed, that he helped set up places to supply blood…a part of me wants to believe him," he admitted.

Alfred nodded, gripping his shoulder gently. "Perhaps you should contact Mr Constantine?" If anyone could confirm if the boy was genuine, surely it would be him. He was the closest to a vampire expert they had and Alfred had no doubt that he'd added to that knowledge since the last time it had been needed.

Bruce grimaced but nodded, obviously reluctant to call the man but it had to be done. He moved to bring up the Cave footage on the nearby tablet and froze, Alfred quickly shifting to see. On the screen, Dick was inside the cell, wrapped around their guest, shaking with sobs they couldn't hear since there was no sound. Alfred felt a spark of fear but the vampire wasn't attacking, no, he was holding Dick up, hugging him tight, his lips moving so he was speaking to him. The va…Tim shifted back to sit on the bed, holding Dick as he cried. Alfred leant against the desk, his heart aching. If this truly was an alternate of his grandson…a non-evil vampire…how much worse would it be to say goodbye when he returned to his own world?

,

Damian entered the house and frowned, sensing the tense atmosphere, growing concerned. "Alfred? Father?" He called out and the two emerged from Father's office. "What has happened?"

"Damian, you need to stay out of the Cave for now, we have a…guest. I've called Constantine to come and see them but I don't want you exposed to them until we're sure they're safe," Father explained.

Constantine? That suggested something magical or supernatural was downstairs. "I understand," he agreed. "Where is Richard?"

"Keeping an eye on our guest."

Damian nodded and headed upstairs to change out of his uniform. He put his bag down and slipped out of his jacket, removing his tie before attacking the buttons on the shirt. Something that was once so easy now took a lot more work and concentration. The prosthetic arm was better than anything to be found on the market, specially made for him, but it still wasn't the same as his real arm. He massaged his shoulder before dressing in casual clothing, but presentable enough for visitors should Constantine come upstairs.

He knew he was lucky; he had lost his arm but he was still alive. Unlike Brown and many others in the city. He knew it was amazing that she was the only one of them to die and sometimes…he wondered if things would have been different if Drake had been alive. He'd gone over his old case files, had finally accepted just how brilliant his mind had been, maybe he would have seen what was happening earlier. He couldn't say he missed Drake, they'd never truly known each other, but he could see now the role he'd played in the family and that they could love them both.

He sat down to do his homework but then paused, fingers hovering over the keys. What would it hurt? He brought up the Cave cameras, where was Richard? His eyes widened as he took in the occupants of one of the containment cells. What was Richard doi…that was impossible, wasn't it?

,

Bruce stared at the two in the cell, the vampire watching him warily even as he gently rocked Dick. A pale finger pressed against closed lips, indicating quiet. Had Dick…fallen asleep like that? It seemed to think so and who better than to detect the changes from consciousness to sleep than a vampire? It…he carefully stood, cradling Dick as if he weighed nothing and then quietly approached the still open door.

Bruce cautiously took Dick from him, Dick shifting in his sleep, revealing his tear-stained face. He stepped back, activating the door again, but there was no escape attempt, the vampire returning to the bed to sit.

Bruce settled Dick on a bed in the medbay and grabbed another bag of blood for their guest, he wasn't sure how often he needed to feed or how much but a well-fed vampire was surely safer than a starving one. He slid the bag through the slot and it…he approached to take it, but sat, fidgeting with the bag.

"He still blames himself for your Tim's death," he spoke as Bruce turned to leave and Bruce froze. "I can literally smell the grief and guilt on him, that's dangerous."

Bruce turned to face him. It was dangerous to see the look on his face as concern for Dick. Tim would have hated the way Dick had changed since his death but this wasn't Tim, not their Tim.

His eyes briefly went red and Bruce tensed slightly, but there was no way out of that cell, not even Clark could get out. "If I was anyone else, I could have killed him because he was too desperate to have his brother back. I hope what I told him will help him, but I don't know…"

"What did you tell him?"

"That it isn't his fault. That if his Tim was anything like me, then he never blamed him, loved him. I could never hate him."

There was something in his voice on the last…. "What did he do to you?"

Tim stiffened and then sighed, slumping back, staring at the floor. "You don't want me to answer that," he whispered.

"Yes, I do," he stated, and Tim laughed bitterly.

"Still as stubborn as I remember," his voice was bleak, and he looked up. "It was Dick, Bruce. They turned him and we never realised. He let them into the Cave and did nothing, could do nothing as they ripped you apart. And I can never forget the feeling of his claws ripping into me, of him finding me later…"

Bruce felt sick, seeing the grief and anger but also love…. "He's your Sire," he breathed, and Tim's head jerked in a nod.

"He's my big brother, I love him, but sometimes…I can't be in the same room as him. The whole time I was hiding out, I could feel him calling to me, he left me to turn alone and it was the only thing he could do to keep me free. But in the end…neither of us could fight her," he finished in a whisper.

,

He was surprised to get called in by the big bad bat, they hadn't really spoken in almost two years, not since…well. That was just another regret to add to his long list of them. So, it had to be an emergency for Bruce to call him. Which meant he went immediately, dropping everything.

John arrived in the Cave to see Bruce at the computer. "What's the emergency?" he asked, and Bruce motioned to a cell. John walked over and a dark-haired figure looked up before standing. He stared in shock at the young man before him, that wasn't possible… "Did you fake his death?"

"He claims to be from an alternate earth," Bruce explained, the boy watching them both, obviously unable to hear them, the cells sound not on. "He's also a vampire but he looks and acts differently to the ones from before."

A vampire?! "Has he hurt anyone?"

To his surprise, Bruce shook his head. "Not so much as a threat or growl, he even had a chance to kill or get loose and didn't take it."

Well, that was interesting. But vampires could play the long game if they wanted, playing tame to integrate himself with the family was something one would do.

"He says he doesn't kill, that they have things set up to meet their needs without needing to harm anyone," Bruce murmured.

"How'd he get here then?" John asked.

"Said he was in a fight at the docks in his world and woke up downtown in ours. He came here supposedly looking for help to get back. As soon as he stepped inside, the wards triggered. But he came during daylight."

John nodded, mulling it over. Vampires were soulless monsters interested only in feeding, pleasure, power…but the being watching him…didn't seem to fit that. "Alright then, let's get to work," he murmured, pulling out the chalk he always carried.

He drew out the symbols methodically, perfectly, there could be no mistakes. He double checked everything and then glanced at Bruce. "Call Diana, I'd like her lasso as backup."

,

Tim watched as John marked a familiar spell on the ground, the same one their John had used to ascertain his species of vampire and if he still had his soul. But there was more too, so what else would he be checking? He hadn't recognised the man at first, he was used to the sarcastic slob who chain smoked. This Constantine still wore a trench coat but it was a lot cleaner and neater looking, his face clean shaven and not a cigarette to be seen. Was this a difference or something that had changed since due to an event? Though the fact Bernard hadn't been born suggested this was a more different timeline then he'd first thought.

And then Diana stepped into view and Tim wondered, would she accept him like his Aunt Diana had. What…what about Cassie? Did Kon exist here? The odds of Luthor managing to create him in every world where he tried were slim, he might not have even tried here. He hadn't been able to bring himself to check.

He saw her freeze, staring at him with wide eyes. "Hello," he greeted, knowing she could read his lips.

He was surprised when she nodded slightly in return, moving to join John and Bruce. It wasn't a surprise when Bruce approached the cell, Diana at his side.

"Sit down," Bruce ordered as the sound came on, and Tim obeyed.

Diana entered the cell, lasso in hand, and he remained seated.

"Hands or full wrap?" he asked as she eyed him.

"Will you cooperate?" she asked.

"Yes," he agreed, holding his hands up, clasped together, and the lasso wrapped around them tightly. He winced at the slight burn and how tight it was wrapped. But he stood when directed and walked carefully across the spell work to stand in the middle.

Diana waited for a signal from John and then pulled the lasso back. He had no reason to try and struggle, he wanted them to see that he wasn't their enemy.

,

John watched the vampire warily as Diana led him into the spell work, he seemed utterly docile, truth or an act? They'd know soon enough. He didn't try to escape even before the spell activated trapping him within. The circle lit up, the spell working, and the boy within began to glow softly with a golden hue.

He felt his jaw drop in shock as he stared, that…that wasn't possible.

"John?" Diana looked from him to the boy.

"He…he has his soul."

"A soul does not mean goodness," she murmured, and he nodded.

He activated the next stage of the spell, seeing the vampire wince a little as he was forced to drop his human appearance - eyes changing to red, fangs emerging, nails sharpening to claws, but that was it. Nothing added up which seemed to back up what Bruce had learnt. A third spell and the vampire shimmered green…so he didn't belong in their universe, and then the last spells activated.

"A kill count of five," John stated.

"I've turned five people," was the soft answer.

"Who?" he pressed.

"Bernard Dowd, Barbara Gordon, Sebastian Ives, Harry Milton, and Tania White."

He only recognised one of those names, glancing at Bruce.

"Sebastian was one of Tim's school friends…he had cancer, I think. This Tim mentioned turning a Bernard earlier, said he was a meta and willingly gave him blood. I've never heard of the other two."

"Harry was a victim of the Joker, we got there before he died, he had a wife and newborn daughter, so I offered to turn him. Now he has a job at WE and lives with his family," the vamp…Tim spoke up. "Tania was a friend of Steph's…she knew what happened, showed up asking questions and refused to quit. She's training to be the new Batgirl with Cass' backing."

"What happened to Steph?" Bruce asked.

"She was turned at the beginning when she went to get her mom out, it was a trap. She survived the Justice League taking out the vampires in control but she was later killed protecting Jason. He still hasn't forgiven himself for that."

"You work with Jason?" Diana asked, surprised.

The Red Hood working with the bats? That sounded impossible but…hadn't it been close to happening back before Bruce's little trip through time? If that had ended differently enough that Drake survived, had it been enough of a change for the family to reconcile?

"Well, yeah?" he looked between them. "Why wouldn't we? He's our brother. He was there when the attack happened, he got Damian out and sent him back to Talia to keep him safe when B… she sent him to school under a fake id but Ra's eventually tracked him down so Dick, Bernard, and Jason went with me to help Damian. Bernard did his best to save Talia but we were too late, but we were in time for Dami. He won't come back to Gotham but he calls or emails me and Jason so we know he's alright."

,

Bruce felt overwhelmed. Talia was dead? "Ra's?"

"Dead, with no chance of revival. We made sure of it," his eyes flashed red again.

Jason was part of the family? That felt like an unachievable dream, would it have been different if only Tim had survived? The thought of his children coming together to protect their youngest brother…

"Constantine?"

"He's telling the truth," the man answered. "He's not from this dimension and has his soul too."

Bruce stared at the vampire locked in the spell circle. "If we let you our, will you hurt any of us?" he asked.

"No. You might not be the people from my world, but you're still my family," Tim stated firmly, meeting his eyes.

He looked from John to Diana and then nodded. "Let him out."

,

Tim stepped carefully out of the spell circle, shaking off the last of it. He really didn't like magic, rubbing his arms absently to try and get rid of the sensation.

And then Dick emerged from the Medbay, if the layout was the same, looking dazed and half asleep. "B, what…" then he saw Tim and immediately moved to him. "You're real," he wrapped Tim up in a hug before anyone could stop him, and Tim returned the embrace.

"Hey Dick," he murmured.

If he needed to breath then he'd be having difficulties doing so with how tight Dick was holding on. He looked at Bruce over Dick's shoulder, wanting him to realise that something needed to be done to help Dick move on.

"Dick," Bruce called, and Tim felt Dick's hold tighten.

"It's okay," Tim promised, muzzling at him.

Dick let go, looking over at Bruce whose expression had softened.

"Head up Dick, Damian's home and looking for you."

Dick hesitated, looking between them and Tim.

"No one's going to do anything rash. Constantine proved he's telling the truth," Bruce assured him.

Tim squeezed Dick's hand. "It's okay, go on," he smiled at Dick who left reluctantly. Tim sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You see?" he asked, and Bruce nodded.

"He still grieves for Tim," Diana murmured, and then looked at him in apology.

Tim shrugged. "I'm not him, I get it. Did you change your gear or have you always worn that?" he asked curiously, obviously surprising her.

"There's been no change."

"Huh," another difference. He'd never seen Diana in a uniform that included pants. What other differences were there between their worlds?

"Do you need us still, Bruce?" she asked, and B grunted a no. Well, that was the same.

Soon, it was just the two of them left in the Cave.

,

Bruce felt uneasy being alone with Tim but Constantine had tested him thoroughly, he hadn't told a single lie, he couldn't when in the spell circle. Which meant he truly meant them no harm. Was this what his son would have looked like as he grew older?

"B…ruce," he corrected himself, and Bruce realised why, he likely didn't think he had the right to call him B like the others.

"B is fine," he offered.

That got him a small smile. "Can I use the shower? My wounds healed but…"

"Of course, there's clothing in the lockers. We'll do what we can to get you home," he promised. As tempting as it was to keep Tim with them, they couldn't. He had a home, his own family. And they had no idea if Tim could even survive in their universe long term.

"Thanks B," Tim murmured, heading towards the locker room but then he hesitated. "Can I?"

It took Bruce a few seconds for him to work out what Tim was asking. It was hard, he could see his son but also a vampire… but he lifted his arms and Tim darted in, wrapping himself around him. Bruce hugged him back, forcing himself to ignore the coldness of Tim's body.

"Come upstairs when you're done. I'll explain to Damian," he promised.

Tim nodded and headed to clean up.

Now to tell Damian what was going on, would he take it well?

TBC…