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Chapter 2

Jason gently stroked Tim's hair, rocking his little brother, offering comfort and he wasn't at all surprised when he realised the kid had fallen asleep. He could tell Phantom, Danny, was guarding his expression and that worried. What the hell was on that scroll?

He tensed, ready to protect his King and brother, as the door was flung open. A young ghost, teenager in appearance, rushed inside.

"Is it really?" she asked, and then her eyes landed on Tim. "It is," she whispered. Then she dropped into a low bow before the King. "Please your Majesty, spare him. If it wasn't for him, they would have taken me."

Jason glanced down at his sleeping brother, what had he done?

,

"What do you mean?" Danny asked, curious.

"I got caught," she admitted, looking at where Tim slumbered peacefully in his brothers' arms. "They were going to…" she shuddered before smiling. "But then he came. They never even saw him before they were down. I thought…maybe the heroes wanted a ghost to examine themselves, that he was going to… but he was so gentle. He just waited until I was okay with him coming over. He got me free of the trap and restraints, asked if I was hurt. He got me somewhere safe until I could come back to the Realms."

Staying out of the fight was one thing, but to actively help a ghost? If anyone had found out, he would have faced imprisonment at least. He had risked everything to do what was right and now he was offering up everything to end the war.

"He's not in any danger," he assured the young ghost. "My Knight is his big brother; he came to try and work out a way to peace."

"Oh," she whispered, face flushing purple.

"But thank you, I didn't know he had been helping out people caught in the living world."

She curtseyed and all but fled.

"That sounds like Tim," Jason murmured. "Always self-sacrificing…so what price does that scroll have for him?"

"Jason…"

"He's my brother."

"If we use this…he won't be," Dany whispered.

"What?" Jason hissed, holding the sleeping mortal tighter.

"The price…is his existence. To power this will take all he is and could ever be. It would be like he was never born."

"You mean…I wouldn't remember him?" Jason asked, and Danny nodded.

"Your Earth would go on with no knowledge of the Infinite Realms, no Lazarus Pits…and no Tim Drake. The war would never happen and your lives would be different."

"Without Tim…B would have gotten himself killed after I died, or on the most wanted list. If they got past that…it was Tim that found him when he was lost in time… Let me take his place."

Danny closed his eyes, hating it had come to this. But it was the only shot they had to end the war without taking out the Earth, maybe even the whole dimension. Something was egging the war on, something not of the Realms or Earth and he couldn't find it, couldn't stop it, not now. But back then?

"You can't," he told Jason.

"What? Danny…"

"No one here can. Tim only just meets the requirements and too much longer here will disqualify him as well. We're all too touched by the Realms. It has to be someone unconnected to here or magic. He's been exposed to both but in a very limited way."

"There has to be another way. Why can't we just time travel normally and stop all this?"

"You think I haven't tried that? I tried three times before war was declared, Jason. Something wants this war."

,

Jason swallowed, he wasn't scared of Danny, he knew his friend and King would never harm him. No, he recognised that tone, desperation mixed with soul deep grief. He hadn't known that Danny had gone as far as multiple attempts at time travel to stop this. But to sacrifice Tim? Tim who had already given so much for people who had never appreciated him…who should be living happily in his apartment, maybe dating Kon, Bart, or Cassie or something. Those kids were so confusing honestly. He could never tell if they were the closest of siblings or all sleeping together. But Kon and Bart were fighting in the war, that was a surprise unless Tim's disappearance had been handled in a way that made them think it was the Realms' doing?

He hugged Tim even tighter, not surprised he was sleeping through everything given how thin and worn out he seemed to be. Tim grumbled in his sleep but then settled again, one hand clutching Jason's armour.

"There has to be another way," he begged.

He'd messed up so badly when it came to Tim but before the war, they'd been good. Losing that…his mad genius little brat of a brother… he'd had such an impact on the family, on most heroes really. Who knew where Kon and Bart would be without Tim there to back them up, especially Kon in the early days with Clark.

Think! He might not be a genius like Timmy or B but no ex-Robin was an idiot. Find the loophole. There had to be one, Constantine was involved. Two people… "What if more than one person powered this thing? Could it be split between them? Would that stop them being erased?" Surely Tim and Constantine had considered that, but Danny would know more.

,

Danny blinked, split the cost? He looked at the young man sleeping so peacefully, the thought of anyone being wiped from existence was not one that he liked. Would splitting the cost between more than one person stop that? Or just erase them all? He looked at Tim and frowned, he couldn't stay but sending him back could put him in danger of capture…

"That will take time to look into, time Tim doesn't have if he stays here. Every second he's exposed to the Realms lowers his ability to participate."

"Mmm…."

They both looked at Tim as he shifted and then tensed.

,

"It's okay baby bird," Jason murmured, and Tim jerked upright, blue eyes wide as he stared at Jason.

"Not dreaming?" Tim asked shakily.

Jason carefully shifted his hold on Tim, meeting his eyes. "No kiddo, you're not dreaming."

"Not a kid anymore," and of course that was what Tim would argue while half asleep and looking so sickly.

Danny chuckled and Tim tensed.

"It's okay Tim" he murmured. "He won't hurt you," he promised.

Tim shifted so he could see Danny who smiled gently.

"He's right. I even had one of my subjects break in here to beg for your safety."

"What?" Tim stared at him in shock.

"You've saved at least one ghost since the war started; she came to speak for you."

"Oh," Tim whispered. "I was in San Francisco, heading for the tower to see what the Titans planned to do. I heard yelling… they…they were taunting her, telling her what they were going to do. You know the kinds of things we've seen…and I almost threw up," Tim admitted.

Jason swallowed. Tim had followed them for years as an untrained kid, he knew the streets of Gotham better than even most of the other Bats, the same way that Jason had known the Alley. And the things a kid would see there and then on missions with his team… for Tim to nearly lose his lunch it had to be utterly horrific.

"Despite the Supers, Bats, other heroes, people still rarely look up," Tim smirked slightly.

"That's my baby bird," Jason praised.

"Took them out as fast as I could, couldn't risk them getting a look at me. She…she was so scared. I don't know why she ever let me close but she did and eventually she left, came here, I guess. And I went to the Tower. Cassie was packing, told me she was leaving with Diana. I didn't tell her anything just to be safe but I think she knew. Bart and Kon weren't there. Some of the others were but what they were saying…so I left, I knew they wouldn't help. Three months later there were sightings of Superboy and Impulse in the field." And the pain in Tim's voice over that was very obvious.

"Do you think whatever's pushing war could have done something to the heroes? Participating in this makes no sense and the ones who left are basically all magical in some way," Jason pointed out. Was it possible something had caused most of his family to act insane? But then how was Tim spared?

"Can I?" Danny asked, reaching out a hand to Tim who looked at him, Jason nodded so Tim looked back to Danny and nodded.

Tim shivered as Danny touched his forehead, he'd forgotten how cold Danny could feel to the living.

"Interesting," Danny murmured.

"What?" Tim asked, sounding worried, and Jason tightened his hold.

"You've been protected magically but there's residue…something attempted to get into your mind right around when the war started."

,

"Protected? Shouldn't John have seen that?" Tim asked.

He couldn't have been the one to do it, he would have said something, and they hadn't been close back then. Who did he know who had that kind of magic? Raven? They were both Titans but once again, not the closest. Cassie called in a divine favour maybe? But surely, she would have covered Kon and Bart too.

"Constantine's good but he's still a mortal magician. Whoever did this is a lot more powerful."

"So which magic user likes you?" Jason asked and Tim thought about it.

"Well…unless it was in payback for helping save his familiar." But surely not. They'd clashed since then after all. "How long has it been in place?"

"Years. From your Robin days most likely."

"Timmy?"

"Klarion, I helped him save his and others' familiars. We worked together to save them and then return them. But we've fought since then."

"Then he's a good contender. Your helping like that would have created a magical debt, he'd have to repay it or face consequences. This way, he repaid it and, in a way, likely to never be used."

"So, it would rule him out as the person pushing the war?" Tim asked. That was good. Klarion could be evil, was often very chaotic, but sometimes when it was Earth endangering, he stepped in on their side.

"He's not powerful enough for this, not alone," the King answered. "And now we know the heroes are likely not acting out of their own free will."

"Will this affect the deal?"

The King shook his head. "No, it's not the right kind of magic. However, you can't remain here much longer."

"And we need to talk about you being a self-sacrificing idiot," Jason growled, literally growled.

Tim couldn't look at him, he'd known it would hurt Jason but… "The war has to end Jason."

"Jason has come up with an idea that may save you the worst of the payment, but time is needed to research it. Which means we need somewhere outside of the Realms but safe for you to stay until then."

"I've got some safehouses in Europe," Tim offered.

"No, too risky if this being works out what is happening. I will send you to another world where you will be safe."

Tim stared in shock and horror. "Another world?" he clung to Jason.

,

Danny nodded. And he knew what world to send him to, his original one. And that was how he knew something was interfering because what were the odds of two different Earth's naming an organisation that hunted ghosts the GIW? His world must have been rushed, a trial, and in the end peace had prevailed. And they even had heroes these days so Tim would be protected.

"It is another version of Earth, with different heroes, but they will keep you safe," he promised. He trusted Jason, trusted that Tim was earnest in his desire to stop the war, but he did not trust the human so far as to tell him that this Earth was his original home.

The heroes would help protect Tim and his old Fraid could keep a distant watch since them getting close would just expose Tim to more ectoplasm.

"Phantom?" Jason asked, and he shook his head.

"You can't be around him Jason, you're too tied to the Realms. Where Tim will be, they have a communications method so you can talk," he assured them. "Say goodbye for now." He moved away to give them privacy.

He'd need to check an unprotected human but he was sure there were two powers behind the mental coercion and one of them…if it was him then Danny had no choice, he had been given too many chances.

,

John swallowed as a scroll glowing a familiar shade of green appeared. It had been too long surely, had they not accepted the deal? Had he sent Tim to a senseless death? Would he soon join the battle as a ghost or remain in the Realms like Jason?

There was only one way to know. He reached for the scroll and broke the Royal seal with trembling hands. His eyes widened as he read it. That…that was good. That the king was willing to look at alternatives… but that someone or something had affected the others' minds… he would need to summon the JL Dark for the first time since the war began. They would be better able to track something like that from this side after all. And when they found them. But how had Tim, oh, someone had protected his mind…Klarion! Well, that was very unexpected. Then again, rogues had odd reactions to the kid. Some seemed to want to adopt him!

,

Jason hugged Tim tight. "We'll find a way out of this Tim," he swore, he was not letting Tim be wiped out. "Even if it just kills you…you could be here and find happiness."

"It was selfish to want to see you again. If I hadn't then it could all be over and you wouldn't have known."

"Tim…without you I'd have never come back to the family and B would be lost. We are not better off without you." He really hated the Drakes for the mess they'd made of Tim's self-esteem, not that their family had helped to fix it. "You heard the King, we can call, you won't be alone. We'll find a way. You know how many ghost lawyers there are?"

That got a shaky laugh. "And it they can't?" Tim looked up at him and Jason realised the kid had grown since he'd last seen him. He was what…nineteen? Twenty? Not really a kid anymore, but he'd always be Jason's little brother.

"They will. You are not going to sacrifice your existence for those bastards, their fault or not," he growled. He hugged his brother again, sensing Danny returning.

"Time to go," his friend announced. He reached out and a portal formed. He handed Tim some papers. "For those on the other side. Just try to relax, I think you'll enjoy it."

"Thank you," Tim answered, bowing awkwardly.

Jason hugged him again and then Tim stepped through the portal.

,

He wasn't surprised to see a portal open; he didn't mind the young king popping in to talk or just de-stress. "Hey ki…" he blinked, that was not Danny. Oh, the young man looked a bit like his human form but he was not the King.

"Uh, I think these are for you?" the young man offered, holding out the green papers.

"On the desk," he motioned, just to be safe.

His outfit was interesting but he looked like a stiff breeze might knock him over.

"So, who are you?"

"Tim Drake, sir."

"Don't sir me kid, the name's Tony," he told him, picking up the papers. Ah, he'd been sent to them to keep safe while some things were worked out in the Realms. A hero in his own world…the world currently at war with the Realms but he had sided with the ghosts…come up with a…okay, better keep an eye out for suicidal tendencies. Then again, if he died here then he couldn't be used for the spell. Still…

,

"John? Why did you call us?" Zatanna asked as she took a seat.

Instead of answering, he passed her a scroll that felt like…the Realms. She read it in shock and then passed it along.

"John, what did you and Tim do?" She asked in shock.

"Don't put this on me, I tried to talk him out of it," he denied, lighting his cigarette. "But yeah, he found a way to fix this mess at the cost of his entire existence. Except it seems the King has an idea to do it without sacrificing Tim. Oh…he'll probably still die, but he won't be wiped out. But the even bigger issue is who the hell messed with everyone's minds! Look at who left, and we're all magical to some degree which means mental protections the average bloke lacks. So, we need to find them since they seem to be on this side."

Thankfully, everyone agreed.

,

Tim found himself inside a very high-tech lab and in front of him was a man maybe Bruce's age? Not as tall or well-built but the way he moved said he could handle himself. He was also covered in grease, a streak down the side of his head, wearing some old jeans and a tank top.

"So, who are you?"

"Tim Drake, sir."

"Don't sir me kid, the name's Tony," the man answered, picking up the papers.

Tim remained still, waiting for him to read, wondering how much the King had written. From the look on Tony's, a lot.

"Well, that explains the clothes," Tony murmured. "How old are you?"

"Nineteen, almost twenty." No point hiding it.

"And you're willing to just…"

"One life for millions, trillions if they chose to end my dimension."

Tony snorted. "Definitely a hero. Welcome to Avengers Tower, Red Robin."

TBC…

Yep, Danny sent Tim to the Avengers. He won't be there long so it won't be a long crossover. It's post the first movie but other than that ignoring the timeline. The existence of ghosts and Danny being the first superhero since Steve was lost in the ice, would change things.

And those who wondered about adding people in guessed right on a way to spread the price around. They have to be from Tim and Jason's earth, so who would volunteer when most of the heroes are mind altered to fight against the Realms?