Disclaimer: not mine
Ffnet readers - I've turned off PM's due to the spammers continually messaging me about buying artwork for my fics. Sorry guys but they are driving me nuts and take too much time to go through and individually block each time. Pity ffnet won't delete their reviews even when reported. Reported reviews should be deleted.
Chapter 10
Babs watched the people flowing out of the arrivals area, searching for the face she'd seen in photos, Dick leaning against the wall beside her. Selina had been caught up with something so they had come to pick him up. It'd been eight months since Tim had left, only Selina had seen him since then, heading overseas three times to meet up with him. This would be her first time meeting the kid, she'd been in rehab since before Jason's death.
"Hi."
She started and looked up, blinking. "Tim?"
He smiled at her in response.
"Timmy!" Dick grabbed him in a hug, spinning around, and Tim laughed.
He looked so different to the photo! He'd grown his hair out and shot up several inches in height. He'd even…yep, that was a slight tan. Much better than the sickly Victorian child look he'd been going for when he left, or had that been the lighting in the image? Dick put him down and Tim glanced at her so she opened her arms and he leant down for a hug.
"Almost didn't recognise you kiddo," Dick told him. "You grew!"
Tim blushed slightly. "They made me eat a lot and barely had any coffee," he grumbled, making them both laugh. He glanced around. "Aunt Selina?"
"Got caught up, she'll see you at home."
Tim nodded, shifting his backpack. Dick grabbed his bag and they headed for her van.
,
Selina smiled as Tim curled into her side, though he didn't fit so easily now. She smiled as slowly; Tim was half buried in cats as they realised their second favourite human was home. "I missed you, Kitten."
"Missed you too," he mumbled, half asleep. Even in first class, international travel was exhausting.
"Okay, let's get you to bed."
He whined, but got to his feet and she made sure he made it safely to his room. Once he was changed and in bed, she opened his door so the cats could come and go.
She was glad to have him home, she just wished she had been able to meet him at the airport. He'd grown up so much in a few short months but he was still her Kitten and always would be.
,
"Alvin!" Harley grinned, grabbing him up in a hug and spinning around. Sure, they knew his real name now thanks to what happened to his parents, but for his safety they still called him Alvin. "Look at you! You grew! And is that a tan?"
He laughed, ducking his head. "I might have spent the last week on Santorini. There's a new dig at Akrotiri, the man in charge was…was a friend of Mother's. He let me help out a bit and there was also a very nice beach. It's so different to Gotham Harbour."
Harley squealed. "Tell us everything! Is it as pretty as the pictures?"
He grinned and sat between her and Pammy. "Well, I stayed at the Santorini Kastelli Resort in a swim up suite. The pool literally goes right to the sliding door. The bed was so comfy! And the food…"
She smiled and they settled to listen to him talk about the civilian parts of his travels. They wouldn't ask what he'd gotten up to for training.
,
Bruce stared at the boy standing on the training mat. He'd been right to arrange the trip then, it had obviously done Tim a world of good. He looked far healthier and his actual age now. It seemed he was just slow in catching up to his agemate when it came to growth, though maybe Gotham had influenced that as well. Sunshine and fresh air had likely helped along with the regimented meals and training.
And he'd apparently picked up fighting with a bō while away. It was a good choice in weapon for him, it gave him the extra reach that a younger teen lacked, it meant he wouldn't have to get as close to much larger opponents. He could put considerable force into the swings, block other weapons with it, and if injured he'd have something to lean on while walking.
Bruce moved to stand opposite, Tim meeting his gaze. The trip had done his confidence good as well it seemed. Or was that Selina's influence? At least he wasn't following in her footsteps but he still didn't really want the boy to become Robin…he doubted he could stop him now though. He knew Alfred was working on a new suit for Tim, just waiting for the boy's input before sending the designs to Lucius for production. The one thing Bruce had demanded was heavier armour. If Tim was insisting on fighting, then he would as protected from weapons and fists as possible.
"Ready?" he asked, and Tim nodded, shifting his stance slightly. Well balanced, easy to move to either defend or attack…good.
,
Dick watched as Bruce sparred with Tim, they were going to be partners in the field so they needed to be able to work seamlessly together. They weren't there but the way Tim was able to adapt around Bruce was impressive. He'd come on in leaps and bounds while overseas. Had Bruce improved as much? Though he'd been older, was it Tim's youth that had led to such improvement?
He'd been quite acrobatic from the start, not to Dick's level, but far more than a civilian child outside of someone who regularly did gymnastics. Then again, he'd been following them around for years so it made sense. But then there was Selina, neither had said when or how they had met and he had to wonder if she had been training Tim. It made sense given how protective she was of him and would explain how good he was at remaining unseen.
Tim was thriving, he'd become a lot brighter. He still had quiet moments, grieving his Mother, but overall, he was a lot happier and healthier now than when he'd come looking for Dick. He was ready, he'd been solving cold cases in the Cave since coming back and he had gone over suit design with Alfred and Lucius a few weeks ago. B was pushing for Tim to not start patrols till he was settled back into school but Dick thought he should start before so he had time to get used to the lack of sleep again plus it would be less memorable if Robin and Tim didn't reappear in public too closely together. Tim was doing school online at the moment, he'd be going back after Christmas since there was no point sending him back for a few weeks before the holidays. It would be their second Christmas without Jason…but Tim and Selina would be over, hopefully that would help Bruce.
Babs would be dropping by too which was good…no matter how hard it was to see her in that chair. Whoever had paid for the Joker's death really had done the world a favour. Sometimes, he wondered if Selina had put the money forward, she could afford it and to keep Tim safe…
,
Tim took a deep breath and then picked up the first piece, this was it. His Robin suit. It was pretty different to Dick and Jason's…would Dick be upset? He pulled on the green tight-like pants, shifting around to make sure they felt comfortable. After that was the armoured red tunic with the green short sleeves built into it. The less pieces to the suit the better and easier it was to change in and out of quickly. He pulled on the black boot, liking the fit and how they supported his ankles, so much better than the pixie boots…no offence to Dick and Jason. He picked his came up and then swung it over his shoulders, attaching it to the steel gorget that was built into the tunic, hiding it from sight. Bruce had really gone overboard with the body armour; his suit was the heaviest of the Robins and not just because he wasn't wearing tiny shorts.
"Come on Timmy!" Dick called, and he took a deep breath before leaving the changing rooms.
,
Alfred watched with pride as Master Dick cheered Tim on. He looked quite grown up and distinguished in the new design. How had they ever let Master Dick out in those shorts? This suit offered so much more protection and was nowhere near as bright, the black outside of the cape could be draped to help hide him. Yes, Dick's first suit had been an homage to his roots…but it had also been dangerous. There had been far too little protection in it and, as others had pointed out, made him as noticeable as a traffic light. Tim might be wearing the same colours, but the shades were darker and the cape made to hide him.
And with young Timothy receiving a redesigned suit, Master Dick had agreed on a redesign as well…thankfully. Alfred had not been involved in the first Nightwing suit, he would never have agreed to it. This new one was far more acceptable, even if it lacked the amount of colours Master Dick preferred.
Alfred stepped forward with a serving tray, Tim's own black domino lying on it. He was happy when Master Bruce actually stepped up to attach it, as he had Jason's and before him Dick's first domino.
He nodded at them as they left for the night. "Good luck and be careful."
"We will Alfie!" Master Dick called, starting his bike, even as Tim got into the passenger side of the Batmobile.
He moved to the computer and watched as three trackers went live: Batman, Nightwing, and Robin. The active trackers had been Tim's idea, implemented with Miss Barbara's help, it meant incidents like his first time out as Robin should happen less often since Alfred would have more of an idea of what was happening.
,
She smiled softly as Harley practically bounced on the spot. They knew Batman's route would bring the duo by and all of them were waiting to see Robin's debut while being careful to stay out of sight.
And then Batman appeared on the rooftop across from them, as silent as ever. But at his side was a smaller shadow in the night, moving fluidly and just as quietly.
Selina looked at them and they nodded so she took off across the rooftops, making sure the Bat saw her. He took off after her and Robin paused, glancing around. Harley jumped up and waved and they heard him laugh before taking off after the other two.
"Maybe he shouldn't follow?"
"Oh?" She asked.
"Well…shouldn't we be protecting his innocence?" Harley smirked.
"I doubt Robin needs it and if he does, then he's very capable of breaking up anything inappropriate."
,
Dick set down the last load, smiling as he saw Tim on the floor, wiring things in place at Babs direction. He was glad they were getting along so well; he'd thought they would. Though he did worry for his phone and computer if he ever angered one of them now. He looked around, seeing how her new command centre was taking shape. He didn't like how isolated it would make her but they could always drop by when on patrol. And she'd have the best security in the world. She also wasn't going to be living in the Clocktower, it was just for work purposes.
It felt strange in a way, almost like being back in time when they used to be Robin and Batgirl. He felt horrible for barely being around after the attack on her, he'd been busy with the Titans, Kori, Jason…but that didn't excuse him and he knew it.
"So, what am I grabbing for dinner?" not like they could order delivery to a top-secret base.
"Pizza good?" she asked.
"Souds goosh," Tim agreed, a tool in his mouth.
"Right, Timmy don't electrocute yourself while I'm gone. Usual?" that got nods so he headed out. Tim's usual was weird but that was why they all got their own pizzas, leftovers were fine, even if Alfred would frown.
Tim needed all the normal teenage stuff he could get, like the occasional junk food. And friends, he needed more friends. Friends in the community would be great since he wouldn't have to hide but there was even more of an age gap between him and the Titans then there'd been with Jason. Did anyone have a younger side kick anymore? He'd have to ask around. The kid deserved to be on a team one day, have the kind of crazy experiences Dick had. Jason hadn't gotten that chance, not really.
Dick wondered if he should go back to the Titans. Him and Kori had split while Tim was overseas. Dick was just being pulled in too many directions, grieving, and it wasn't fair to her. But it was coming up on a year since he left soon and he felt bad about that.
,
Tim stared at the news article. That wasn't Superman. Way too young for starters. So who was he and where did he come from? Yes, Clark Kent had a son, but the kid was a toddler or something. Tim had checked Clark's old school records to be sure but Kryptonians didn't grow that quickly. Another survivor? But how? So, he started digging. And what he found made him feel sick. Did the Justice League know? Did Ms Lane?
He made sure he saved all of his research and then handed it to Bruce.
"Tim?"
"The new super, he…they cloned Superman. It's not his fault, obviously, he didn't ask to be made…born? But this has to be shut down. What if they make an army of Kryptonian clones or something?"
"I'll look it over and take it to the League," Bruce told him, turning away, but then he paused. "Good work."
Tim grinned and ducked his head. Things with Bruce were still weird and Tim was very glad he didn't live at the Manor, though he did sometimes stay over after patrol, but they had improved since he'd gotten back from his trip. Bruce was more accepting of having Tim as his Robin. He was still really awkward about it and sometimes he messed up, called him by the wrong name but that was fine.
,
The entire League stared as Batman swept into the meeting room and at his side…a child in cape and domino. Robin…a new Robin. Very few outside of their circle knew that the second Robin had been killed by the Joker and most had thought he would be the last but it seemed they were wrong. This Robin was older than most seemed when they started out. Had he been in training this whole time? Or was this something very new?
,
He paused in flight as he spotted a figure on a rooftop. Was it a jumper? He moved closer to observe and blinked. They had a cape and domino mask, that meant a vigilante? But he didn't recognise them from anything he'd been taught. The colours…were close to the one from Gotham…Robin? What would a vigilante be doing in Metropolis?
What was he meant to do? And then the figure waved at him, he'd been spotted. Odds were good that this person couldn't harm him anyway, so he approached.
"Hi," the stranger greeted once he was within human hearing range.
"Hello, do you need help getting down?"
"No, I'm good. I'm Robin so rooftops are kind of what I do."
"I thought Robin wore shorts and bright colours?" he asked, and Robin grinned at him.
"Change of uniform. And come on, those shorts in a Gotham winter? I have no plans to freeze, thanks anyway."
He found himself smiling back at the vigilante.
,
Diana hung back with Bruce, letting Robin make first contact with the young clone. She shared Bruce's anger at their friend being cloned. So far, this Robin seemed rather different to his predecessors, quieter. But he seemed to be handling first contact well, so far.
"You said there would be no more Robins," she murmured, feeling Bruce glance at her.
"It was not my decision," he finally answered.
,
Tim sat on the edge of the roof, letting his feet swing, as he talked with the clone. He could fly, did he have all of Superman's powers? Personally, Tim didn't think he was a full, true clone, not when he was made from two peoples DNA. He kept his body language relaxed and open; he thought the super was nervous. That was just weird since Tim was baseline human and the only kryptonite that he had on him was in a lead lined pouch, so it couldn't be seen or felt. He didn't think it would be needed but better safe than sorry.
He still couldn't believe he'd been chosen to reach out, though the closeness of their age, at least physically did make sense. Better to be faced with a fellow teen than an adult like Bruce.
By the time he jumped, hearing a yell of shock from 'Superman', he felt better about him. He fired his grapple, swinging away, feeling a little bad for freaking him out. He didn't think the title of Superman would stick with the other teen; some papers were already starting to call him Superboy. But to not have a name…that made Tim angry. It would have taken them two seconds to give him a human name and the scientists hadn't even bothered.
,
It seemed that with the appearance of a new Robin, teenaged heroes suddenly began popping up. A new speedster appeared from nowhere, except apparently, he'd been sent back from the future and was Barry's grandson. And then Wonder Girl made her debut, a demi-god rather than an Amazon. A few weeks later Arrowette appeared as well. It seemed like there might be a new generation of Titans after all.
TBC…
