Disclaimer – You recognise it, I don't own it.

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It wasn't uncommon for the Kents to find strays turning up on their doorstep. Ever since they took in a baby from the fields, it was second nature to them (in Martha's case it had been the case even before then).

They were quite used to their son and grandson (no matter how Clark viewed it) turning up with a friend in tow needing feeding, watering or sheltering. Whether that was for a moment or a while or longer.

They would never turn anyone away.

Certainly not this time, with a far too thin boy. With large bags underneath his eyes. Crutches underneath both arms. And a look in his eyes that made Martha and Jonathan shiver, because of how haunted it was.

He didn't need the two boys standing either side of him to persuade them to open their arms and their hearts to Tim.

They both knew that Tim was special to both Conner and Bart. He was their oldest and truest friend.

"I hate to impose on you, Mr and Mrs Kent," Tim spoke very formally, "But I find myself in the situation where I have been advised to reside with someone for the near future. While I expect that the Titans Tower would be sufficient…"

"Nonsense!" Ma Kent interrupted, "You need help, you have it. Any friend of Conner is welcome here, at any time. And it's Ma and Pa Kent. Or Martha and Jonathan, if you prefer. Come on in, lad. Take a load off. I'm sure you shouldn't be putting too much weight on that leg anyway. I'll get you something to drink. Lemonade?"

"I'd prefer apple if you have it, please. Or orange."

"Fresh apple juice coming right up. Conner, could you tidy the guest room? Jonathan, give him a hand."

"Sure thing, Ma." Conner dashed away, followed by Jonathan at a slower pace.

"I'll head out." Bart declared, "See you guys later." He dashed off, leaving a dust cloud in his wake.

"Now sweetheart," Ma Kent placed a glass down in Tim's reach, once he was settled in the living room, "Is there anyone I could or need to contact for you?"

"The only people who really care where I am know." Tim shrugged, "Those who need to know I'm safe either already know or will know shortly. And those who might need to contact me, know how to do so."

"What about Alfred?"

Tim froze at the name.

"I… I can't…" He tailed off before regaining his conviction, "He has enough on his plate without me butting in. Best he looks after the Waynes. I can take care of myself."

"You're a Wayne too."

"I haven't been one for a long time. It was all just a formality, after all. They couldn't let me keep wandering around unchecked. Not when they knew that I knew. Far too dangerous. And I filled a hole until it could be properly filled."

"You don't believe that."

"Why shouldn't I? It's the truth after all."

"All sorted." Conner interrupted.

Ma Kent turned to glare at him, but Conner just shook his head. The interruption may not have been when she had wanted, but it had been best placed for Tim. Conner wasn't going to let his best friend down again. He was looking out for his friend, first and foremost.

"Let's get you some rest." Conner stated, "You need sleep to heal."

"I need to catch up on my workload." Tim countered, "I'm behind. Fox needs me to catch up as quickly as I can."

"Tim, sweetheart," Ma Kent smiled, "You need to rest to heal. Mister Fox is a very intelligent man. I'm sure that if there was anything urgent, he would have informed you."

"And he didn't." Conner put in, "Come on Tim. Get some sleep. Heal. Get stronger. Everything will be waiting when you get up."

"I've missed a month!" Tim exclaimed.

"You could have lost the rest of your life!" Conner snapped, "Please. For my sake? I was worried about you Tim. We all were. All the Titans have been looking for you. We even braved Gotham for your sake."

Tim visibly wilted.

"You didn't… There was…"

"You're my friend. My Robin. Our Robin. Our leader. Our friend." Conner was firm, "We were worried. We were scared. We feared you were dead… Please… For our sake?"

"Okay. Okay!" Tim snapped, "But I'm fine."

"Yeah," Conner nodded, "Fucked up. Insecure. Neurotic. Emotional. You're FINE alright."

Conner continued to grumble as he helped Tim up the stairs. Martha didn't fail to notice that although Tim was moving his legs, he was bearing only a fraction of his own weight. Conner was giving him his dignity, while not letting him suffer.

It only took a few minutes for Conner to return. A flit of his eyes indicated the kitchen, before the three of them entered it.

"Conner," Jonathan breathed, "What happened to him?"

"I can't betray his confidence." Conner countered, "But this… It wasn't on the job."

"Then what happened?" Martha sighed.

"I can't say." Conner sighed, "But I would expect nightmares. Flashbacks…"

"PTSD?" Jonathan queried.

"To the extreme." Conner agreed, "And he won't admit anything. Because he doesn't. I'll come back to change his dressings. Or Bart might, I… We're still working things out. This has… This has happened really fast. Twelve hours ago, I didn't even know he was alive. I hoped he was… I believed he was. But I didn't know. Then he calls me. Just my name. That's all I needed… That's all I've ever needed from him."

The two adults exchanged glances, as Conner rubbed a hand over his tired face.

"We know you're close, Conner." Martha started to comfort him.

"I have to ask…" Jonathan started.

"No!" Conner exclaimed, "God, no! That would just be weird! Tim's my best friend. He's got my back, no matter what. He's like a brother. I'd like him to be a brother… Is there such a thing as adult adoption? Because he needs it. Besides, I'm dating Cassie and so not going there. I don't know what Tim's orientation is anyway. Default says Straight… But I'm not certain. It definitely comes in the category of Complicated."

"We wouldn't judge." Martha reminded.

"I know." Conner smiled, "But I'm not. What Tim and I have got… I'm not sure it has a label. We're closer than brothers. Same as with Bart. We're more than just friends. It's not the same as soldiers. I don't know how to explain it. But it's not the same as with others. I'm nowhere near as close to anyone else as I am with those two. Even with Cassie, we're not as close. And she gets that… But whatever it is we have… It's one hundred percent Platonic."

"Okay." Jonathan nodded, "Do we need to contact anyone about the wounded bird we have upstairs?"

"No." Conner snapped, "The Bats have only been looking for him for a few days. The Titans? We've known he was missing for a month! And we were looking long before the Police got involved. He's not… He doesn't… He's better off here. With people who care about him. I'd've taken him to the Tower, only we'd end up leaving him alone when we headed off to school each day. This was safer… I know you'll be here. You'll take care of him. The way he needs to be taken care of… But will never say. Because he's not used to other people taking care of him."

"We'll take care of him." Martha promised.

"And promise me," Conner breathed, "Promise me that you won't tell the Waynes where he is. I don't trust them. Two out of four have tried to kill him at some point or another. And the other two… Didn't do anything to stop it."

"We won't say a word to them." Martha declared, even as Johnathan opened his mouth to protest, "We promise."

"Thank you. I love you."

"You haven't said that for…" Jonathan blinked in shock.

"A long time, I know. Just… I'm glad I have you. And not someone like them. And I don't say that enough."

"But we know you do. And that's enough for us." Martha smiled, "Get going, Conner. You don't want to miss out on your own rest or fall behind on your school work."

"And don't let Bart do it this time." Jonathan reminded, "He's good but we'd rather you failed as yourself than passed because of someone else."

"Besides," Martha laughed, "His handwriting is very different to yours."

"I know, I know." Conner snorted, "I'll see you later. Tim's asleep. I won't disturb him. Don't open his door when he's asleep. Not even just to check on him. He sleeps light."

"That's to be expected." Martha smiled, "Go. We'll keep you updated."

"Bye. Love you." Conner smiled, moments before he dashed away.

The couple sat for several long moments.

"We're really not going to tell Bruce?" Jonathan asked softly.

"We made a promise." Martha replied.

Then she smiled.

"However, Alfred's not a Wayne."

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"Wayne Residence. How may I assist you?" Alfred spoke crisply, hoping against all hope that he caller was the one person in the world he wanted to hear from.

"Alfred," Martha's warm voice reached his ears, "I just called up for a chat. And to try and steal that cookie recipe of yours."

"You know I believe in keeping family recipes in the family, Martha." He replied smiling slightly, despite his disappointment.

"Not even if I inform you that I have someone here who would very much appreciate them. And has been missing them for quite some time?"

"He's safe?" Alfred breathed, "Master Tim is safe? He's with you? How is he?"

"Safe. Hurting." She sighed, "He doesn't want to disrupt the family. He doesn't count himself as family."

"I suspected as such." Alfred responded, "I have been remise in my duties. I have not let him know how special he is. How much I love him."

"I thought that was the case." She agreed, "He won't come back. Not yet anyway. He's still hurting."

"Take care of him for me?"

"As if I would do otherwise. You need to tell him you love him."

"Unfortunately, if I do so now, he will suspect it is due to his current circumstances."

"And if you don't he will think that you don't care at all, Alfred… That boy needs someone. He's hurting. And not just the physical."

"How bad is it?"

"I don't know… But he believes that he is a replaceable part. A stand in until something better came along. Always temporary. Never permanent."

"Never." Alfred's voice was filled with anger, "He is my grandson. No matter what he may believe."

"Then you had best find a way to prove it Alfred. All of you. You're going to get no help from Tim's friends. My grandson won't let us tell the Waynes where he is."

"However, I am not a Wayne."

"Exactly. You kick those boys into gear. If they don't, they'll lose him. Forever."

"They are aware of that fact."

"No, they're not. That boy just came into my home on crutches. His back is too tender to lean back in a chair, so something happened there. He's tense. Like he expected me to just turn him away. I'll keep him here for as long as I can. However, I doubt it will be as long as I'd like. He's already stated that he would be just as happy at the Tower."

"Over my dead body." Alfred's tone was just a shade away from lethal, "He would not get the care and attention he would require to recuperate there. He would also involve himself in cases long before it would be advisable."

"Agreed. His two best friends are apparently going to organise all of his dressing changes."

"Which implies that he has wounds that require dressing." Alfred latched onto her meaning.

"I will attempt to get him to let me sort it out."

"I would not anticipate success in that endeavour. Master Tim has always been exceedingly private in nature. He would rather suffer pain than ask for help or allow another to see him in pain, if he could prevent it."

"He's not come up against a determined Kent before."

"He has faced down Conner."

"I'm not Conner. I'll take good care of your boy, Alfred. You just make sure he knows that he still has a home to go to when he's ready."

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Please Review.

I write stories because I can't draw. I have all these images in my head that I cannot reproduce. So I try and describe them with words. If anyone else would like to try to translate what I have written into what they think I saw in my head, they have my permission. I only ask that I be notified of it, so that I may look and go "OOoooh!".

Many thanks to my reviewers:

Loftcat27 – Thanks. The compliment is much appreciated.

Red-Hot Habanero – I usually alternate between the mother and the kid sister.

Inthenightguest – Thank you. I'm glad you appreciate the work.