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Jason was sure of exactly one thing in his second life. He hated Tim Drake.
The teen, well he actually looked more like a 9-year-old than a 14-year-old, so the boy seemed to have everything that Jason didn’t. It came as no surprise to him when he came back from the dead and Bruce had already replaced him. Cause, why wouldn’t he?
Tim Drake came from a wealthy family that had lots of money. Tim was well behaved and never caused trouble. Tim got perfect grades. Tim this, Tim that blah blah blah. And the real kicker, Bruce didn’t just train the kid, he adopted yet another black-haired blue-eyed orphan with a foolish belief that Robin is magic and makes you crowbar-proof and immune to dying.
He was everything that Bruce probably wished Jason was. Needless to say, Jason Todd absolutely despised Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne.
So could someone explain to him, why the absolute hell the kid was crying on a rooftop in the middle of Crime Alley? He hadn’t even hurt the kid yet! Well, he might have left the kid with a few broken bones and some internal bleeding back at Titans Tower, but that was months ago. He’s changed since then.
But there he was. Jason Todd. One of Crime Alley's very own former street rats, former son of Bruce Wayne and former dead boy turned pit-mad zombie, standing in front of the replacement Robin as he cries and begs for mercy.
The kid started mumbling something possibly into a com. So Jason leaned down and felt by Replacements ear to find the com and destroy it, only to not find one. The Replacement kept mumbling and Jason leaned down to hear, turning up the speakers in his helmet to hear him better.
“What did you say Replacement?”
The teen gasped at hearing Jason’s heavily modulated voice, and Jason suspected that if the boy wasn’t already on his knees, he would have been now.
“I need help.” Tim, since this wasn’t Robin talking anymore, said, breathing hard as he kneeled on the old rooftop. And Red Hood, not Jason since he needed emotions aside for right now as his vision was becoming a brighter green by the second, crouched down before him.
“Why is that?” He drawled out in his Crime Alley accent.
“Because there’s someone worse out there I need to deal with. Contrary to what you might think, you aren’t the worst person I’ve had to face. And I…” Tim trailed off, glancing away when Red Hood tried to look him in the eyes.
“And you what?” He was starting to lose his patience and the pit was begging for him to draw fresh Robin blood.
“I-I-I…” Tim made a choking sound, his shoulders slumping forward. Crying, Red Hood realized. Tim Drake-Wayne, son of Bruce Wayne and the Bat, was crying. Red Hood leaned closer to get a good look at the Replacement’s face. The cuts on his forehead and cheek seemed shallow enough, but now that he looked, Tim’s domino was missing and his eyes were a pale cloudy color and seemed unfocused. Hood felt his blood run cold.
“They blinded you?” Jason asked now that he was back in control and the pit had somehow disappeared. Things were no longer tinted green and he was no longer filled with the desire to hurt the tiny kid in front of him, but swaddle the tiny child in as many blankets as possible and cuddle him to death. Tim nodded and started to cry again.
But instead of normal clear tears; dark, bloody tears streamed down his pale face.
Jason was pissed. How the hell had someone gotten ahold of his little brother long enough to do this much damage?! And yeah! That's his little brother! No one hurts his little brother unless they have a death wish.
A loud sob brought Jason out of his head and back to the depressing current situation. Tim had wrapped his arms around himself and was rocking his upper body back and forth in an effort to calm himself down. Jason removed his helmet and domino so he could use his real voice.
“Tim? Timmy bird?” No reply. Jason sighed and dreaded what he would have to do next. “Robin report.”
Tim stiffened and stopped his rocking but kept his arms wrapped around himself and his gaze down. “I was patrolling through 4th street since there were rumors of a new up-and-coming gang trying to sell drugs to some teens at the local high school.” Jason realized that they were about one street over from 4th street. “Before I could make it though, ninjas grabbed me and pulled me to the side. I don’t know what happened next, but, um, uh…” Tim trailed off and he started to panic.
Jason tried to get him called down. “Tim. It’s Jason, remember? I am not going to hurt you. I am just going to place my hands on your hands. Nothing else. You do not need to keep talking. We can get the rest figured out later. But right now I need you to breathe with me. Ok?” Jason placed Tim’s small hands on his chest in an effort to get him to breathe right. But all that happened was that Tim started to breathe faster.
Jason was confused. Why wasn’t Tim calming down? “N-No p-p-pulse!” Jason finally realized that his armor was too thick for Tim to feel his heartbeat and match his breathing. After a few seconds, he had striped off the thicker parts of his chest armor leaving him with just his normal patrol shirt.
As Tim’s breathing slowed down, Jason managed to get a few more answers out of the boy. By the time he was breathing normally, Jason had learned that ninjas had pulled Tim to the side. He heard a voice and then all he felt was pain and then nothing. When he woke up all he felt was pain and liquid running down his eyes, and he couldn’t see. He got up and tried to com for help but someone had stolen his com, leaving him stranded. He tried to get somewhere else like a safehouse, but he couldn’t even make it one rooftop before realizing that nothing was going to work. And then, Jason found him.
After he was done explaining everything, Tim sagged against Jason’s chest, exhausted from the past few hours of events. Jason continued to rub his hands over Tim’s back and thought about what to do next.
“Hey Babybird?”
“Babybird?” Tim asked, confused by the nickname.
“Yes Babybird. It is your new nickname since you are the youngest in this crazy family. But we need to get somewhere safe. I can take you to my safe house that is about two blocks from here. Then we can get changed into civilian clothes and make it over to Leslies. And once we get there we can call Bruc-”
“NO! He can’t know about this. Please, you can’t tell him. He’ll be super disappointed in me and kick me out if he discovers that I was stupid enough to get this badly, possibly permanently, injured. So I’ll just leave Wayne Manor and you can go back home and you guys can become a family again. I’ll figure out something else since my parents are dead and I have nowhere to go, but I’ll figure it out. I promise. Just please don’t tell Bruce.” Tim gasped, out of breath from talking so fast.
Jason gave him a moment to recover before calmly explaining that everything he just said was complete and utter batshit (pun intended). “Ok. Listen here bud. One: Bruce adopted you because he loves you. You are his son. Two: I can’t go back to the family because I lost my father and older brother when I died. Three: we are going back to my safehouse, we are getting changed and then we are going to Leslie’s so we can get your eyes looked out and see if the damage is permanent. After that, we will figure out something. I promise.” Jason took a deep breath. “I also want to apologize. For everything that I did to you at Titans Tower. I was under the influence of the pit but I was also being a complete bastard. I don’t deserve your forgiveness but I do want to apologize for everything I did.”
Tim did nothing but nod and hum. “I forgave you a long time ago. I’ve seen Ra’s al Ghul just a few days after emerging from the pit. If he can barely control the pit, then I do not blame you for what you did.”
Jason just hugged his little brother closer. Sirens were getting close and Jason knew that they had to move. “Timmy. I’m going to pick you up and take you to my safehouse, ok?” Again, Tim just hummed his approval. Gently, Jason picked him up and flinched when Tim cried out in pain. Jason just shifted the little bird and felt Tim’s head drop with a dull thud against his armored shoulder.
Swiftly, Jason jumped gently across rooftops, using just the moon as a light. Once he got to the safehouse, he quickly deactivated the alarms and entered the living room. “Timmy, I am going to leave you on the couch while I get you some clothes.”
“Ok.” Tim just mumbled. Jason sighed and went to grab the smallest pair of sweatpants and sweater he owned. Jason helped Tim get out of his Robin costume and into the clothes which were still too big on the tiny little Babybird in his living room.
After they were ready to go, Jason picked up Tim and carried him down the stairs of his apartment. One of his neighbors, an elderly man who probably suspected that Jason was a vigilante but never said anything, loaned him his car with no questions. During the careful drive (He was legally dead after all, therefore no license) they arrived at Leslies.
The Doctor was not expecting them, but the moment that she saw Jason (wearing a ball cap, and sunglasses) carrying a knocked out from pain Tim, who was also wearing sunglasses to cover his mangled eyes, escorted the two to the normal Bat/Wayne family room.
“What happened?” Her voice was cold and calculating, not letting any emotion seep into her voice until she could figure out what was happening and fix it.
Jason explained what happened to the best of his ability and watched as Leslie inserted an IV into the crook of Tim’s arm and pumped him full of pain meds. Then she proceeded to gently remove the sunglasses and Jason heard her quietly gasp when she saw the amount of damage done to the young man in front of her.
She gently started to examine Tim’s eyes. It was easier to see the damage now that they were in the light. There were deep knife slashes across Tim’s eyes and around the white orbs that were now recognizable as Tim’s eyes. Similar slashes, but less deep, were also evident around the eyes. Dark red blood tear stains were still on Tim’s cheeks and in some spots smeared around his eye sockets and pooled around the caruncle of the eye.
Bile burned the back of Jason’s throat and he quickly moved to the trash can and everything that he had eaten for dinner came back up. Leslie nodded in sympathy and told him to fish a dollar out of her wallet to buy a soda from the vending machine to settle his stomach.
When he returned, Leslie had finished her initial examination and was sitting heavily in the uncomfortable plastic chairs. She sighed when she saw Jason and started to go through everything that was wrong with his eyes. “To be blunt, I don’t think that Tim will ever regain his sight. The deeper wounds will scar but over time will fade to just pale white lines. The superficial cuts will likely not scar but I really won’t know which ones will scar and which one won’t until they are all healed. Other than that, there are a few bruises and smaller cuts. But he does have three cracked ribs. I have him on fluids and on the best pain meds I can give him. All I can do now is just keep him here for observation and call Bruce.”
“No.”
“Excuse me?” Uh oh. The single raised eyebrow. She was taking lessons from Alfred.
He cleared his throat and tried again. “No ma’am, you can’t call Bruce. When I talked to Tim before he passed out, he said that he did not want to see the old man. He is completely terrified that Bruce will be mad at him.”
Leslie ran her hands down her face, frustrated. “I wish I could go back and smack some sense into his asshole parents.” That shocked Jason and his face must have shown it since Leslie continued. “Jack and Janet Drake always taught Tim that if he wasn’t useful he couldn’t be loved. And that showing pain was a weakness. Something that they beat out of him at a young age when they actually bothered to be around their only son. Bruce, Dick, Alfred, and I have been working on helping Tim for almost seven months now, but trying to get Tim to admit when he is in pain or needs help has been a huge challenge. This injury probably just set us back months of work.” Leslie looked over at the sedated teen on the hospital bed.
And before Jason’s brain could catch up with his mouth he was talking. “I want to help.”
Apparently Leslie was just as shocked as he was with his response since her eyebrows nearly shot off her head with surprise, but nonetheless, Jason persisted with his explanation. “I was an asshole when I came back. I could blame most of my anger on the pit madness, but I need to take responsibility for what I did. Ra’s never told me that the kid also had crappy parents. Just told me that Bruce replaced me without a second's hesitation. I guess I shouldn’t have believed the words of a couple hundred year old psycho with a grudge.”
Leslie mulled over Jason’s confession. “Well then. Tim is going to need all the help he can get. But I do need to tell Bruce. Can you stay with him while I call Alfred and get the three of them down here? Thanks!” And before Jason could protest, Leslie was out the door and on the phone to bring the people he had actively been avoiding right to him.
Within 30-minutes, Bruce, Dick and Alfred were all sitting with Tim and Jason was hiding down the hall, watching the room but refusing to get any closer to his old family.
“Ahem.” Jason definitely didn’t jump and definitely didn’t turn around in a panic to come face to face with Leslie. “Go see them. Tim is going to wake up and be in a panic. Having Bruce in there is only going to freak him out more. You want to help and this is how. You can not avoid them forever. Now get in there before I go get Dick and have him come drag you in there. I will even go in with you. That is my final offer.” With one final glare she motioned for Jason to leave first, and then followed Jason out of his hiding spot.
He hesitated outside of Tim’s door, watching his old family interact with their new little bird. He moved to turn around but Leslie pushed open the door and shoved Jason into the room. He landed on his back and looked back to see that Dick and Bruce were looking down at him while Alfred stayed by Tim’s side. Something told Jason that his grandfather somehow knew that Jason was there the whole time.
“Jaylad?”
“Little Wing?” The 22-year old blurted out.
“Here is your other son Bruce. Don’t screw this up.” And Leslie closed the door, leaving Jason with the people he had been actively trying to avoid.
“Get lost Leslie you traitor.” Jason looked back at Bruce and Dick. “Hey B. I’ll be out of your hair in just a few moments. Once Tim wakes up and I know that he isn’t going to freak out, I’ll be on my way.” He stood up and moved to the back of his room, but before he could get there someone was pulling him into a hug. Figuring that it was Dick, Jason moved to get out of the tight embrace, only to get confused when he realized that the arms that were holding him were too big and muscular to be Dicks or even Alfreds.
“I’m glad you're safe.” Bruce. Bruce was hugging him. And all the memories that he had lost after his dip in the Lazurus pit that he thought he would never get back, came rushing back. Every hug, every meal, every nickname, and family event. The 18-year old melted into his fathers touch.
“Dad.” Jason turned around and returned the hug to his father. Thick tears were flowing freely down Jason’s scarred face and when Jason felt a drip on his head he looked up to see that Bruce was also crying.
It was a few minutes before the two broke apart. But Jason refused to meet his fathers gaze until gentle fingers lifted his chin so pale blue eyes that belonged to someone who had seen too much, met bright, glowing teal ones that spoke of death and resurrection.
“Dad. I-I missed you. I’m sorry. Please I am so sorry for all I’ve done. Ra’s threw me in the pit and twisted my mind but I am so so sorry for everything I’ve done.” And just like that Jason was crying again. Bruce helped him into a chair and Dick wrapped his thin, acrobat arms around his little brother's shoulders. Alfred placed his hand comfortingly on his long lost grandson's leg in a grounding manner.
“Jaylad…You have no idea how happy I am to have you back with us. Ra’s told me about what he did to you right after you returned to Gotham. I’ve been trying to think of any way to get you back home. Ra’s showed me everything he showed you about Tim, but not about Tim’s past. He is not your replacement, I would like him to be your little brother. If you're ok with that. I understand if you don’t want hi-”
Jason’s head shot up and interrupted his father. “I want him to be my little brother. And…And I would like to come home. If your ok with that…'' He trailed off and looked into his father’s eyes. The smile that was on his face would put Dick’s smiles to shame.
“You are always welcome at the Manor. It’s your home.”
Jason smiled and leaned into his fathers touch one more time. For now, everything was right with the world. He had his father, grandfather, and big brother back. He could go home and stop living in his run-down, mold-infested enclosure the landlord called an apartment.
After a few moments of peace, Jason spoke up when he got another look at Tim. “Dad, Tim doesn't know that we called you. He begged me not to call you, but Leslie had to since you're his legal guardian. He’s scared things won’t be able to go back to normal. Did Leslie tell you anything?” Bruce shook his head. “I found Tim on a rooftop in Crime Alley panicking with his eyes cut up and crying blood. I took him back to my safehouse, and on the way he told me the ninjas pulled him to the side. All he saw was glimpses of blades and green and gold. I knew who it was the moment he told me, but I didn’t say anything so the name didn’t send him into another panic attack. Then I got him changed and brought him here.”
“Wait. Who was behind it?” Dick asked with confusion. Jason knew that Bruce knew who he was talking about, but he was surprised that Bruce hadn’t told Dick.
“Ra’s al Ghul.” Alfred surprised all of them with an answer.
Jason nodded his confirmation. “Has Tim ever had a run in with the League of Assassins?”
Bruce nodded. “For some reason, Ra’s has always been obsessed with Tim. His mind and his puzzle solving. I don’t know why Ra’s would go after Tim’s eyes though.”
“I do.” A new voice emerged from the shadows. A tall, sun kissed woman dressed in an emerald green dress that flowed down to her knees and then flowed longer in the back with a jean jacket and gray converse shoes with a small child following behind her.
Bruce nodded. “Talia.”
“Beloved.”
“What are you doing here أم?” Jason asked the woman who practically raised him after he was thrown in the pit and discovered what her father had done.
“I came to offer an answer and an explanation. First an answer to your question. My father has been obsessed with Timothy since he first became Robin. He views the teens mind as a new puzzle to be figured out. It disgusts me how much he has become obsessed with Timothy. He blinded him because he wanted to see how he would work around this new obstacle. I was not aware of his plans until after he had already arrived in Gotham. This explanation is mainly just for you Bruce. Come here Damian'' She motioned for the small boy beside her to step forward. Then she turned to Bruce. “This is Damian Wayne al Ghul. Your son. Believe it or not beloved, I am just a pawn in my father’s twisted games. I never asked to be born to a madman and I certainly never asked to become an unwilling participant in the unjust and cruel things that he does. When I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to leave, to be with you. With you I felt something that I had never felt before. Safety. But my father found out about my plans and promised me that if I left, he would make me watch as he trained Damian to become an emotionless weapon. So I stayed and taught Damian that everything my father taught him was wrong and unjust. And I could do nothing but stand by and watch as my father made all of your lives miserable. I tried to help where I could. When my father first kidnapped Timothy, I had one of my personal ninjas rescue him and smuggle him back to your arms, beloved. But Ra’s al Ghul has gone too far.” She looked down at the little boy by her side who was looking up at her with fondness and love. Then she looked over at Tim, laid up in bed with thick gauze over his eyes and sighed. “So when I heard about what my father did, I got us out of that hellhole and to Gotham as fast as I could. But I need to leave. Ra’s is going to discover that we are gone and come after us. I can think of no safer place for Damian right now then with his father. When Ra’s finds me, and he will, I will vow my allegiance in return for your safety. But I must go.”
Talia turned towards her son and knelt down to his level. “أحبك يا بني” Then with one final hug and a gentle kiss onto Damian’s forehead, she turned to leave. “Take care of our son Bruce.”
But before she could make it out the door, Bruce lunged forward and grabbed her arm tenderly in his hands. “Tals. Talia please wait. We can protect you. Stay with us. Stay with me and my sons and our son. Your father is dangerous and he will hurt you. Stay here in Gotham, please.”
Jason was shocked. He knew that Bruce was gentle, but he was surprised with his father’s amount of care when dealing with his ex. He watched with anticipation as Talia made her decision. She looked back and forth between himself, Bruce, Dick, Tim, and Alfred. As if their presence would help her make a decision. When she looked back down at Damian, the kid had the biggest set of puppy dog eyes plastered on his face. It was like the kids had been taking lessons from Dick or something even though they had never met! But those sad eyes worked, and Talia sighed before moving closer to Bruce. “I will stay. It will be better to fight off Ra’s if there are more of us anyway.”
Bruce pulled her into a hug and then pulled away a moment later so he could get down and meet Damian. “Hi there. I’m Bruce.”
The kid stuck out his hand and looked his father in the eyes. “Father. It is an honor to meet you and my brothers.” Bruce shook the kid's tiny hand and then pulled the kid into a gentle hug. “Father. What are you doing?”
Jason looked over to see Dick’s heart practically break at the sight of Damian not knowing what a hug was. He wasn’t all that surprised though that the kid wasn’t all that used to positive physical touch. As much as he loved Talia like a second mother (not counting Sheila) she wasn’t all that good at tender and loving touch, spanning from years of hurt and abuse at the hands of her father and his followers. But Jason also knew that that wasn’t her fault and he could see that she was trying. When he was with the League and was able to see Talia, but never Damian, she would always try to give him gently motherly touches like hugs or soft kisses on his forehead or bandaging his wounds with care. It made him smile to see his family almost all back together.
Speaking of almost back together, Jason looked over at the bed when he heard a soft groan. Instantly, he moved over to the side of the bed by Alfred and whispered gently into his little brother’s ear. “Timmy?”
“J-Jay?” His voice was so tense and scared that Jason swore he felt his heart break with the kids' voice. “Why is it so dark?”
Instead of answering, Jason moved closer and nearly onto the bed so he could help Tim sit up and lean against the pillows. And again instead of answering, Jason answered Tim’s question with another question. “What do you remember?”
Tim thought for a moment before answering. “Ninjas and fighting and trying to get away. I think I heard Ra’s? I don’t remember that much.”
Jason shook his head even though Tim couldn’t see him. “That’s right Babybird. Ra’s ambushed you and hurt you. Do you know where you are?”
This time he answered much quicker. “At Leslies! You drove us here in your neighbors car, even though you have no license which is something that I don’t think Brucec would really approve of. But who else is here? I can hear rustling of clothes and chairs squeaking so I know that someone else is here.”
Bruce scooted forward and grabbed Tim’s hand, paling when Tim turned his bandaged gaze towards the touch. “It’s just me and Dickie and Alfred bud. Along with two new people for you to meet. And if you say anything even close to resembling an apology, I will have to let Dick cuddle you before I get to. And I know you secretly love my hugs.” Tim giggled. Full on giggled. “I am so sorry that you thought I would be mad. I’ve been so worried these last few hours until Lelsie called me. I would be so sad If I lost my Timmybird.”
Tim nodded his understanding. “Is Talia here?” Everyone, including Talia herself, looked shocked.
“How did you know that I was here Timothy?” She asked with genuine surprise.
“I could smell your perfume. There are only two people in the world that I know that like that smell and only one is still alive. The other person was my mother before she died. And when you had Pru get me out of Ra’s hands last time, she vaguely smelled of it. When I asked how she was allowed to wear perfume as a ninja, she told me that her Master was very fond of the smell.”
She smiled and reached out towards the child to touch his shoulder. “You truly are a genius Timothy.”
“Tim.”
“Tim.” She corrected me. “And the other person with me is my son, Damian.”
The boy in question moved forward. “It is an honor to meet you Timot-, Tim. My mother and grandfather always spoke highly of you.” Damian shyly smiled and moved back towards his mother’s side.
Then Tim remembered that he couldn’t see? “Bruce? Why is it so dark?”
Bruce audibly and visually gulped and rested his hand in Tim’s hair from where he was brushing it until it slid down to cup his son’s cheeks. “Tim…I am so sorry. Leslie doesn't think that there will be anything that she can do for your eyes. The damage was so extensive and precise. She isn’t sure if you will be able to see again. But you will get through this. I swear, I will do everything in my power to help you.”
Bruce watched as Tim absorbed the words and processed the new information. And if Bruce was being honest, he was expecting tears (well, blood in the form of tears), shouting, denial, possibly even physically hurting himself or whoever got close to him. But instead, Tim just sits there and seems to think.
He was probably on the verge of overthinking when Leslie walked in, took one look at the two new people, shrugged, muttered something about “damn bats”, and made her presence known to Tim. After he figured out where she was at, she explains that she is going to remove the bandages and test his eyes to see if there was even a slight chance he could regain his sight.
She poked around his eyes for a few moments. Feeling around the cuts and testing his eyes' reaction to light. Then she wheeled him off for some tests and scans to see if the damage went too deep. While the three (Jason went with at Tim’s insistence) were gone, Bruce got to know his son better.
“How old are you?”
“8-years old. Soon to be nine in a few months.” Damian said with little enthusiasm.
“What do you like to do?” It was a basic question, but Bruce was honestly curious.
Talia leaned over and whispered into Damian’s ear a little louder than necessary so Bruce could hear. “He is not like your grandfather, my child. He honestly wants to know.”
Damian visibly relaxed at his mothers reassurance, while Bruce internally fumed with anger and plotted out all the ways he was going to make Ra’s next few lifetimes a living hell. “I love to paint and read. And take care of animals. I love dogs even though I have never had a pet. Did you know, a dog’s nose is its fingerprint? I always wanted one but Grandfather ensured that I did not become attached to anything. Including mother sometimes.” The kid shuddered at his own words and one look at Talia promised that he would get an explanation later.
‘He likes animals. I can work with that.’ Bruce thought to himself. “Well if you like animals, perhaps you can help me with something?” Damian nodded, eager to please his father. “Unless Leslie can fix the damage done to Tim’s eyes, he is going to be blind. And even if she can fix it, he will still have trouble seeing for a few months. I would like to get Tim a seeing eye dog, but I need your help. And you seem to know a lot about dogs and I could use someone who knows what they’re doing. Would you like to help me?” Damian was practically bouncing up and down with and flapping his hands excitedly before he realized what he was doing and stilled his body and stood up straight.
“That sounds acceptable, father.” Damian nodded with a voice that sounded much too old to belong to an 8-year old.
“You can be excited if you want. And if it makes you feel better, then you can flap your hands all you want. I used to do it and I know that Tim does it too.” Bruce smiled down at his flabbergasted son. Hesitantly, Damian flapped his hands and timidly watched his father for any sign of hurt. When he realized that he wasn’t going to have his hands smacked, the little boy flapped them harder. Talia visibly relaxed at seeing her son so at ease with his father.
Around then, Leslie returned with Tim in his wheelchair, scans in her arms. Bruce picked up the small teen and placed him gently in bed, moving over so Dick could go back to cuddling his injured little brother. “Well. I have good news and I have bad news. What do you want to hear first?” She smirked, knowing very well what would next take place. Dick had somehow roped Jason into a game of Rock Paper Scissors. The winner picks what to hear first. Jason and Tim always voted bad news first, voting to end on a good note, while Dick always voted good news first so it starts off right.
Even though Tim couldn’t see, he cheered for Jason once he discovered what side his big brother was on. Damian looked just plain confused until they promised to teach him the game later. Leslie and Alfred watched with anticipating smiles, and when Team Jason and Tim won, Alfred discreetly forked over a $20 bill to the older lady.
“Never bet against me Alfred. Ok then. Bad news first. Unfortunately, Tim is 100% blind in his left eye. The good news. I think that I can get at least 90% of Tim’s vision back in his right eye. It will require me cashing in a favor, placing a few calls and Bruce paying probably a small fortune to fly this guy out here, but I am confident that with this guy's help, Tim should be able to see out of one eye. I just need the go ahead to start.” Tim looked shocked but nodded his approval, looking at Bruce even though he wasn’t able to see with trepidation.
“Leslie, place the call. I will do whatever it takes to get this guy out here. But, who is it?”
Leslie just smirked. “His name is Dr. Morse. Let’s just say that he is an old acquaintance of mine. I bailed him out of a tight spot a few years back and he promised me a favor with interest. And I think now's as good a time as any to cash it in.” And without another word, Leslie left. Phone to her ear and barking orders at a few straggling interns.
Dr. Morse was on the next flight out from Seattle to Gotham, on a private jet courtesy of Bruce Wayne. When he arrived at the clinic the next day, Tim was asleep and curled in on himself in pain. Jason and Dick had to carefully help him unwrap himself and then help him sit up. The bandages had been replaced the night before after the scans and now they were being removed again. “I just want to take a look at what I am working with here..” Dr. Morse said as he flashed a little ray of light into Tim’s eyes. “What did you say happened again?”
Bruce sighed and explained the cover story. “Tim was walking home from a night out with Jason, which you will be signing a non-disclosure form since Jason doesn't want to be announced as alive yet when they were ambushed. A few of the goons who attacked my kids held back Jason and made him watch as they slashed their blades across Tim’s eyes. Once they were gone, Jason got them here as fast as he could. I am hoping that you will be able to fix his right eye.” Bruce let the doctor get back to work. “I sure am paying you enough.” Jason snickered after he heard his father mumble that under his breath. But Jason knew it was an empty threat since Bruce would give up all the money and wealth in the world in order for his kids to be safe and healthy.
After a few moments, Dr. Morse backed away from Tim’s eyes and told Tim that he could lean back and get some rest. Once Tim was resting with the help of some heavy duty painkillers, he turned and faced the rest of the family. “From what I can see, Dr. Leslie was right to bring me in. I should be able to fix his right eye’s vision but we have to get him into surgery right now.” He gave the family a moment to decide and then rushed out of the room to prep and OR the second after Bruce gave his permission.
Leslie entered the room and gave Tim a local anesthetic and handed Bruce a packet of papers before whisking Tim out of the room and off to surgery.
And now the family had several hours to kill before Tim’s surgery was complete. When Bruce looked around, he realized just how exhausted everyone was. Talia and Damian were passed out on one of the plastic hospital chairs. Dick was nodding off, only to snap back awake every few minutes. Jason was resting his head on Alfred’s shoulder but looked a few minutes from completely nodding off. “Why don’t you all head back to the Manor? It is going to be several hours before Tim is awake. So go home, get some rest and eat some real food. Damian can take the room next to Tim’s.” Talia was now awake and listening to her beloved while holding a sleeping Damian. “Talia, you can either sleep in my bed tonight or I can have Alfred set you up with a guest room.”
She nodded but didn’t seem to care much. She slowly stood up, carrying the sleeping child with her and followed Dick and Jason out of the room, followed by Alfred. “Why don’t you come home with us Master Bruce. Get some rest.”
Bruce thought about it and eventually folded and followed his father out of the room and to the waiting car.
Once they got home, Bruce carried Dick to his room and placed him in bed. Talia carried up Damian and placed him into his new room, heart swelling with happiness and safety. Jason ended up crashing into his old room while Bruce and Talia collapsed onto the master bed with exhaustion.
Everyone slept for several hours. When they awoke, they were greeted with the heavenly smell of Alfred’s homemade pancakes and sausage. When Bruce and Talia emerged downstairs, every one of their kids (Talia had already mentally adopted every single one of her beloved’s kids) fighting over who got which pancakes, blueberry, regular, or chocolate chip.
A quick glance at the clock showed that everyone had been asleep for around six hours, but it was only 8 O’clock in the morning. Just as they were sitting down to breakfast, Bruce got a phone call from Leslie’s office. “Hello?...Yes. Yes, thank you.” He hung up the phone.
“Who was it B?” Dick asked with his mouth full of chocolate chip pancakes with nutella and syrup.
“Leslies office. Dr. Morse has just finished Tim’s surgery and we can visit at noon when visiting hours start, which gives Tim plenty of time to wake up while we are still there.”
Everyone’s spirits seemed lifted at Bruce’s news.
At around 11:30, the whole family, including Talia and Damian, made their way to Leslies. When they got there, Tim was waiting in the normal Wayne family room. Eyes bandaged and skin pale. It hurt Bruce to see his child look so weak and fragile. His normally brave and curious child had been reduced into something unrecognizable. A child that now held so much fear and tension that it practically radiated off his very being.
And even when asleep, high on painkillers and with almost half of his face wrapped in gauze, Tim still looked scared.
Leslie ran in real quick to give them a rundown before sprinting off to deal with yet another emergency. Bruce was sure that she could have given Barry a run for his money with how fast she was talking. But she did make it clear that Tim would not be awake for another few hours and that they were more than welcome to wait if they wanted to.
And of course, none of them wanted to leave.
After about three hours of waiting, Tim started to stir and mumble in his sleep. But it was another hour before he was fully awake. As in, shooting-up-out-of-bed-in-a-start, awake.
“Tim! It’s ok. It’s just us bud. Me and Bruce, Dickie, Alife, Talia, and Damian. Just us. You are safe. I promise.” Jason tried patiently to calm down the panicking boy. Once Tim recognized who was talking to him, he relaxed back against the bed, suddenly exhausted.
“Jay? Did it work?” Tim asked desperately. It took a moment for Jason to realize what Tim was talking about before realizing that he was talking about his surgery.
Jason really wished he hadn’t spoken up, not wanting to answer his little brother's question. “We don’t know yet Babybird. But the fancy, douchey doctor guy that Bruce hired seemed really confident.” he drew out and smiled when he was rewarded with a small laugh. Tim scooted over and looked over towards where Jason’s voice was with a scared and hesitant look on his face. “Do you want me to sit with you?” Tim blushed but nodded. Once the two boys were situated, Jason wrapped his arm around Tim and smiled sadly when Tim practically melted into the touch as if it might suddenly vanish. A quick look at Bruce practically confirmed what Jason was thinking. Timmybird is touch starved. Just then, there was a knock at the door and in entered Dr. Morse. “Speak of the douche and he shall appear.” Jason muttered just loud enough for Tim to hear.
If Dr. Morse looked over at them with questioning looks as to why Tim started snickering once he entered, well, too bad.
After a quick look at Tim’s healing right eye, Dr. Morse checked over his vitals and smiled over at Bruce with a smile that was about as greasy as Dick’s hair during his Robin days. Jason rolled his eyes in annoyance at the way the man practically fell to his knees to kiss Bruce’s shoes in hope for a better paycheck.
“Well it seems as if the surgery worked. Timothy’s eye is reacting perfectly to light stimulation. It should only be a few days before he starts to regain his vision. I do have to warn you though, your sight will not be what it once was. So I wouldn’t do whatever it was you were doing when this happened.” Dr. Morse chuckled as if it was funny.
“I was fighting ninjas that were armed with knives and whips and literally twenty-four different types of poisons all because their leader has some weird obsession with my brain.” Tim deadpanned.
Talia and Bruce looked shocked that Tim would say that until Dr. Morse started to laugh. “Of course you were buddy.” He moved to pat Tim on the head until Jason slapped his hand away with a scowl and a look that promised a world a pain if he so much as touched one little hair on his brother’s head. Bruce was silently thanking God that Dr. Morse was smart enough to back away. He really wasn’t in the mood to deal with lawyers at the moment.
Eventually, Dr. Morse bid them farewell, leaving behind his business card with his address highlighted. ‘Just in case Bruce wanted to make any donations’, as Morse had put it.
“Leslie, I don’t know how you put up with that man. And I also now want to desperately know what you did that earned someone like that an IOU.” Jason spat out sarcastically the moment the family doctor entered the room.
She laughed and smiled darkly. “I’ll never tell. But I can tell you that after another 24-hours of observation, Tim is good to go home. And that next week I got you an appointment with one of the eye specialists here in Gotham that is much nicer than Dr. Morse. She is the one that is going to be treating Tim’s vision from now on. Any questions?”
Everyone shook their heads and remained silent. “Ok then. I know that if you have any concerns that you can and will use any means to get a hold of me. I will see you all tomorrow for Tim’s discharge.” and she turned on her heels and marched out of the room.
Even though the news was better than what was previously assumed, Tim remained oddly quiet. “Is everything alright little one?” Apparently Bruce wasn’t the only one to notice since Talia spoke up. TIm just shrugged and turned away from their voices. “Is it ok if I approach you Tim?”
The boy in question thought it over before timidly nodding. Once Talia had passed off Damian to Dick who was more than happy to hug the small child (she secretly knew that Damian loved the hugs and kind touch) she moved to the edge of the small hospital bed. She reached over and gave the small boy her hand so he knew where she was. “What is wrong my ابن? Are you in pain?” Talia moved her unoccupied hand up towards Tim’s hair and she gently started to stroke his long black hair, smiling when Tim leaned into the touch like a kitten.
To everyone's surprise, soft sobs started to make their way out of Tim’s mouth. His frail little body was shaking with the amount of effort it took to contain his tears. Talia scooted closer and pulled the crying child into a hug. Bruce had to admit, motherhood looked good on Talia. “Shhh my ابن. Don’t cry.” She started to gently rock back and forth and whispered gentle affirmations into Tim’s ear.
After a while the cry died down to the occasional hiccup. Red, bloody tears stained Tim’s face and Bruce reached over with a few tissues to wipe off his face. It just about broke his heart when Tim flinched away from the touch until he realized that it was just in fact his adopted father.
“I-I want to go h-ho-home…” Cried Tim.
Bruce got on the other side of the bed, cradling his son and Talia close to him. “We will go home. Tomorrow morning we will get you discharged and go home.”
“STOP! Please stop!” Tim cried out. Lashing out and trying to get away from Talia and Bruce. When he started to get too close to the edge, Jason jumped up out of his chair and caught the Babybird just before he fell. Tim shrieked in terror and started to beg Ra’s not to hurt him, mistaking Jason for the Demon’s head. “Please. Don’t hurt me. Just make it stop. Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop.” Tim reached up and tried to grip his hair in blind panic before Jason pinned his arms to his side, effectively trapping the small teen in an embrace.
“Calm down Timmy. It’s me. It’s Jason. Ra’s isn’t here. Just your family. No one is going to hurt you.”
Tim continued to cry even after Jason’s explanation. “I want to go home. Please let me go home.” Chanted Tim over and over again.
“And we will go home. I promise.” Jason swore.
“Stop making promises you won’t keep.” Wailed Tim who was now attempting to curl up into a fetal position, even though he was still pinned to Jason's lap by strong but familiar arms.
If he could see, Tim would see the confused look on everyone’s faces. Promises they wouldn’t keep? What was going on? “Tim. what do you mean promises we won’t keep?” Bruce dared question.
If anything, Tim wailed harder before answering. “I can’t go back to the Manor since y-you don’t need me anymore. I’m permanently blind in one and I might only possibly gain my vision back in the other. And now you have Damian and Talia and Jason back. You don’t need me. My job is done. It really is nice of you to offer to drop me off at an orphanage tomorrow, but you don’t need to waste your time like that. I’m sure Leslie has already called my social worker. I-I’ll just m-m-miss the M-M-M-Manor.” Tim got choked up towards the end and started crying once more.
And then Bruce figured it out.’Tim thinks that we are getting rid of him! This is wrong. All wrong.’
Bruce sighed and gathered up the limp teen from his second eldest’s arms. “Oh Timmy. You're Not going anywhere. The Manor has been and always will be your home. I made a promise to you on the day of your adoption. Do you remember what that was?”
Tim thought it over for a moment because sucking in a deep breath and answering. “Y-You promised to love m-me. And that you w-would never abandon me.”
Bruce hummed his approval and started to wipe away the bloody tears on his child’s face. “And I will stand by my promise. The Manor is your home. Just as much as it is Dick’s home and Alfred’s home and Jason’s home. And Talia’s and Damian’s if they would like.” He hesitantly looked up to his son and the love of his life. Talia’s eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open.
“Beloved. Do you have any idea what you just said?” She asked in shock. Bruce only nodded and replied with a happy yes for those that couldn’t see.
“I have never stopped loving you, Tals. I wanted to take you with me all those years ago. But Ra’s told me that if I ever got near you, he would kill you. Now that I am a part of the Justice League, I know I can protect you and our sons. So what do you say? Talia al Ghul and Damian Wayne al Ghul, would you do me the honor of being your family and your home?”
Damian was already nodding and climbing off of his big brother's lap so he could get onto his fathers. “I would love to stay with you father! You and my brothers give me hugs and don’t make me train for hours on end. And you don’t hurt mother.” The small child turned to Talia and unleashed his greatest weapon. Puppy dog eyes. “Please can we stay mother? Father will protect us and he doesn't hurt us. And you already call Tim, Dick and Jason ‘my sons.’ Pleeeease?” Begged Damian. And to make matters worse, Dick went and kneeled down next to Damian so he, too, was facing Talia. Together they unleashed their puppy dog eyes and Bruce watched in amusement as his beloved's mask cracked and shattered as she gave into her children’s pleas.
“ALRIGHT! We can stay.” Talia smiled and blushed a deep red when Bruce leaned over and gently kissed her cheek. Then he laughed when he got a good look at his two eldest who were doubled over pretending to gag.
“Boys!” Bruce scolded with no real heat. If anything, it made the two laugh harder, which then changed to three laughing children once Jason explained what they were doing to Tim who was super confused. But Bruce would do anything to hear Tim laughing once more. He smiled and watched with fondness as his three eldest taught his youngest about their rock-paper-scissors good or bad news game. Bruce looked over when he felt pressure rest on his shoulder to see Talia resting her head, a happy and content smile resting on her face.
The rest of the day was spent with funny stories and relaxing. Every few hours, Tim would drift back off to sleep only to wake up far too soon screaming or gasping for breath after a nightmare took over his mind. Alfred came and went throughout the day. Running errands, picking up clothes and food that was not from a vending machine.
One by one, the boys all fell asleep, all resting on Tim’s hospital bed and curled protectively around their brother. Bruce definitely didn’t (did) snap a few (dozen) pictures. The family was greeted the next morning with bright sunshine streaming in through the bulletproof window. Leslie entered the room a few minutes past nine, bringing with her a mountain of discharge paperwork and a pen. She handed off the stack of papers to Bruce and explained to Alfred and anyone who wanted to listen about the necessary care that Tim would need until his appointment with the eye doctor next week. Just as she was wrapping up her spiel, Bruce gave one last signature on a giant check so Leslie could get some much-needed updates for her clinic, which hopefully included some comfier chairs.
“Alright then! Tim is all good to go. I hope that I don’t have to see any of you for a while. You all get hurt far too much.” Leslie deadpanned before gathering up the mass amount of papers Bruce had just finished signing and left the room. She then returned with a wheelchair as it was hospital policy. Tim grumbled but shut up once Jasoon pointed out that he had not yet gotten used to his new walking stick. And he was still weak from surgery.
Once Tim was seated in the wheelchair, Dick got behind and started to push the old, worn out chair. Jason got into the car first and then helped Tim get in and seated. Then he buckled his little brother until they could get Tim used to the positions of everything in the car. The ride home was quiet. Within minutes of leaving, Tim was fast asleep. Head resting on Dick’s shoulder while his older brother ran his long acrobat fingers through his hair, effectively knocking out the small teen.
Even once they were home, Tim didn’t wake up. Bruce ended up carrying him upstairs and laying him down in his own bed before taking a seat in the nearby chair so Tim wouldn't be alone when he awoke.
Bruce honestly expected the rest of the family to disperse once they were home. But no. all of them took positions around Tim’s bed, ready to leap in and help at a moment's notice.
Eventually the whole family ended up going to sleep in Tim’s room. But all of them woke up at different times to make sure that Tim was actually still alive. Once everyone was up and ready for the day (Tim needed help with finding everything, but he insisted on getting ready by himself) and breakfast was all eaten and cleaned up, Tim and Jason got to work.
While Tim was in the hospital, Bruce had the Manor renovated to accommodate someone that was newly blind. The stairs now all had grips on them so there were slips. Handlebars were stationed strategically around the house so that way if Tim needed help to get his bearings, he could. As a child, Tim had taught himself braille after going through all the other language books in his house. So now there were signs placed around the house all in braille so if Tim did end up getting lost, he could hopefully find his way back. Alfred had placed all the irreplaceable values down in the basement so nothing would be destroyed. Tim was embarrassed when he was informed, insisting that he could just stay in his room so they didn’t have to accommodate him, but was instantly shut down when Bruce and Alfred insisted it was no problem.
Currently, the two brothers were at one end of the hall by the family bedrooms. Damian and Dick were watching from the side just in case. Bruce had somehow managed to rope Talia into a date at the boy's insistence and a promise that no one would die, get gravely injured and the house would not catch fire while they were gone. Really the boys just wanted them out so they could preform their own version of PT. which included several landmines (smoke bombs or stink pellets) scattered around the hallway that Tim had to avoid with his cane. If he stepped on any of them, he had to explain to Alfred and Bruce what they were doing.
And it worked. None of the obstacles were stepped on. Though Tim did take nearly half an hour to make it a few feet down the hall out of precaution. So the next day, they tried again. This time, they used just different size stuffed animals or plants or whatever they could find for obstacles that wouldn't wind up with them being grounded for the rest of eternity.
“Ok Timmy. Follow my voice.” Since losing his vision, Tim’s other senses had been kicked into overdrive. And between that and being the adopted son of a detective, he was very good at being patient and listening for small things that normal people would miss. Tim took a deep breath and started to maneuver his way down the hall. This was day four of practicing and Bruce had figured out what they were doing after day two when he caught them attempting to pick up broken pieces of glass. Now Bruce had been roped into their antics by following behind Tim to try and create a bit of distraction to see how well he could focus. He didn’t like having to distract his son from all his hard work, but Tim had insisted on the added challenge. Talia watched from the side with Dick and Damian. Both her and Damian had a whole new wardrobe and bedroom supplies after Bruce had handed over his credit card and gave them free rein. And of course, his oldest three boys just had to join Tals and Damian with their shopping. He still isn’t sure how they had managed to spend $86,000 in one afternoon. All he knew was that Amazon packages were being delivered just about every hour on the hour.
Tim made his way down the hall, white cane moving back and forth as he made it towards his brother. The bandages were gone, but the scars remained. Dick and Jason had picked out a giant pair of black out sunglasses in burgundy red frames for Tim one afternoon. The glasses rarely left Tim’s face.
Tim’s appointment with the new eye doctor was just three days away, and Bruce was aware how much Time was mentally and physically preparing himself with the possibility that he will never see again. So that night, Bruce walked Tim down to his office and talked with his son. It broke his heart to hear how ready Tim was to never see again. Dr. Morse had told them that it was a possibility that the surgery wouldn't work, but it was slim to none. And even though the odds were amazingingly in their favor, Tim still was preparing himself for a world of eternal darkness. “Tim. I love how prepared you are, but the chance that you wouldn’t see again are small.”
“I know. But it never hurts to be prepared. I learned that early on Bruce. You know that.”
He did know what Tim was talking about. “But things have changed so much since then. You no longer have to worry about whether or not your parent’s will remember to order food or pay the water bill. Let me take some of your worries. I did when I adopted you and I will now. Let me worry about the small percentage. You worry about what you want to do first once you can see again.”
Tim’s breathing sped up. “But what about Ra’s and being Robin and protection Gotham and-”
“Tim. Talia and I will worry about Ra’s. Right now, Robin can take a break for as long as you want. And if you never want to touch a mask ever again, I won’t make you. I will still love you even if you aren’t Robin.”
It was visibly hard for Tim to accept, but he nodded and agreed to what his father said.
The rest of the days continued much like the ones before. Within a week, Tim had mastered his walking stick and was often seen wandering around the house, exploring and taking note of where things were. Family movie nights changed to Family reading nights. Jason or Bruce would read out loud and create a story in everyone’s minds.
The new doctor, Dr. Green, was kind and honest. She walked into the room with a smile plastered on her face. Jason briefly wondered if she was related to Dick in any way by the way they both seemed to smile kittens and rainbows and puppy dogs. But if there was one thing she didn’t have in common with Dick, it was that she didn’t sugar coat every little shitty thing that went wrong. In fact, right after introductions, Dr. Green got right to the point.
“Tim’s vision is already returning to his right eye. The left eye will never regain sight. But I can say, with the way that Tim is healing, his right eye should rully regain vision within three to four months. Of course, I will book in bi-weekly appointments just to check in with the eye’s progress, but there is nothing I can do except track his progress and make guesses on when his vision will return. I’m sorry that there is nothing more I can do.” Jason instantly liked this lady. Straight to the point, honest, kind and understanding. He secretly wished more people were like her while also wondering if she was single. Bruce shook her hand as she left for her next appointment.
The ride home was quiet and uncomfortable. Tim and Jason sat in the back since the young teen refused to let go of Jason’s hand as they made their way out of the hospital and even once they got to the car.
“I’m sorry.” Tim blurted out once they were about half way home.
Bruce looked shocked. “What? Why are you sorry?”
“I can’t do anything for another four months! I can’t help as Robin or on cases or running coms or anything. I’m useless!” Tim let go of Jason’s hands and reached up to grip his hair in frustration. Quickly, Jason unbuckled and reached over to capture Tim’s hands on his own so he didn’t end up hurting himself.
“Tim, I want you to listen to me closely. Are you listening?” Bruce asked, looking in the rearview mirror to look at two of his sons.
“Mhmm.”
“You do not have to be a vigilante to stay in my house. And at the moment you might not be able to do much, but that does not make you useless. You are adapting and changing to your new problems, which last I checked, is doing something. Therefore, not being useless. Learning to use your cane may not be something that is helpful to vigilantes, but it is helpful to the Waynes. You are teaching all of us patience and lessons on how to accommodate and help you better. Again, not being useless. If anything, it has been helpful and worthwhile watching you learn and also teach us. Do you understand?”
“Yeah…”
Bruce nodded even though Tim couldn’t see but could probably hear the fabric rustling indicating a nod. “Good. Now when we get home, there is something waiting for you. Nothing bad, but prepare yourself.” Bruce refused to give any more information.
When they got home, everyone was waiting outside. Tim could hear and smell everybody waiting for them. Alfred with his warm vanilla-y freshly baked cookie smell. Dick with the constant scent of gymnastic chalk that never seemed to leave. Talia and Damian both smelled the same but a bit different. Talia smelled like flowers while Damian also smelled like that but not as strong and spicier. Usually from the strong spices, he was constantly helping Alfred use it when cooking. Jason smelled like leather, cigarettes, and gunpowder. To anyone else, it would smell daunting. But to Tim, it smelled like safety. Bruce smelled like his aftershave and Gotham.
There was a new scent though. It smelled young and like dawn dish soap. And a wet dog. But why would there be a dog? Tim continued to ponder the question until he heard gravel crunching and smelled Dick’s chalky smell coming closer with the wet dog smell and a bundle of fur was plopped into his unsuspecting arms. Tim spluttered and held the squirming bundle closer until what must have been a paracord leash was placed in his hand and Dick helped place the squirming animal on the ground so Tim could gather his bearings. “Surprise! It’s a dog!”
“I think he figured that out, Dickie.” Jason drew out. “But what he doesn’t know is that Alexandra is actually a seeing-eye dog and a therapy dog.” He explained.
Tim was shocked and at a loss for words. Never had someone do something so kind for him. “Thank you,” He said in shock.
…
Turns out that Damian was the one that picked out the dog. Alexandra was one of sixteen different dogs they could choose from, but the boy insisted on her. Later Tim would find out that it was because Alexandra meant helper in greek. But Tim wouldn’t care if her name was Muffin Chops. He was just happy to have a dog. And one that helped guide him around the halls and grounds of Wayne Manor.
Around two weeks after Dr. Green’s initial timeline of Tim regaining his sight, Talia and Bruce were rarely seen around the house. They spent hours upon hours cooped up downstairs in the Batcave. And everyone could tell that something was happening. After almost three days of no patrol and hushed conversations, Jason reported back to his siblings what he had seen. “Something is seriously wrong guys. I just saw Bruce comforting Tals in the living room. She’s crying and nearly hyperventilating. Have any of you heard anything?” Everyone shook their heads no.
Alexandra was resting her head on Tim’s lap as he stroked her fur. Damian was curled up beside him with his own newest acquisition. A baby calico kitten that he had rescued from an alleyway a week before. Bruce folded like a stack of wet cards in a hurricane after Damian had asked to keep the small animal. Meanwhile Dick was half listening, half texting Babs about their date that was coming up.
Luckily for Jason’s curious mind, the two parental figures in his life divulged everything during dinner.
“Ra’s al Ghul is dead.” Announced Talia with no warning. The room went deathly silent. Jason hesitantly glanced over at Tim who even under his large sunglasses, had visibly paled about three shades lighter. The fork that was loaded with steak had stopped halfway to his mouth.
“How?” Bruce was not expecting Tim to be the one to speak first.
“Ever since Damian and I’s departer, I had left Pru in charge in my place. Unfortunately for Ra’s, even though he controlled half the League's ninjas while I controlled the other half, all of them had been swayed over by Tim. In just the few times Tim had been to Nanda Parbat, he had managed to gain the loyalty of almost every single member of the League of Assassins. When they discovered what Ra’s ordered to be done to Tim, they all rebelled, led by Pru. Ra’s may be an excellent fighter, but he is no match for over ten thousand highly trained ninjas. And there is no Lazarus pit that can bring back ashes scattered to the far corners of the world. Ra’s al Ghul is no more. He will never hurt us again. And I have been given control of the League of Assassins. Though if I have my way, the league will be disbanded and all of Ra’s centuries of work will be destroyed within one quick order.” Talia sagged back against the dining room chair, emotionally exhausted.
“I’m sorry Talia. He may have been a sadistic asshole, but he was still your father. I kind of know a thing or two about grieving for a parent that hurt you.” Jason sympathized.
Everyone was quiet until a thump and a crash caught everyone's attention. Tim was on the floor hyperventilating, gripping his hair with white fists and crying. Alexandra was laying on the boy, replacing Tim’s grip on his hair with her fur so the boy didn’t hurt himself. His plate was shattered on the floor, Tim’s dinner mixed in with the glass shards. “Tim!” screamed Bruce and Talia at the same time, the first ones to recover from their shock.
Together the two parents removed Tim’s tight grip from Alexandra’s fur and helped bring the boy back out of his head. It took a while, but eventually Tim stopped shaking and crying and simply passed out. Too exhausted to stay awake. But Bruce knew that it was also because a huge fear had just been taken off his shoulders. For weeks, everyone has worried over Ra’s inevitable attack. Everyone had been preparing for the worst case scenario and waited tensely for an army of ninjas to arrive. But the constant fear that had been lingering over everyone’s heads was now gone. It was refreshing as well as exhausting. For the first time, everyone could breathe properly. Take a breath and not have to worry about whether or not it could be their last before all hell broke loose.
Bruce carried Tim off to bed and returned to all the boys requesting a mandatory movie night.
But about fifteen minutes into Toy Story (Dick was aghast that Damian had been living with them for almost four weeks and he had yet to see the movies and vowed to fix that), Bruce noticed that Talia hadn’t come back downstairs from checking on Tim. After peeling himself away from three out of four of his kids, Bruce made his way upstairs. After checking on their room and finding it empty, he checked on Tim’s room.
“-sorry for everything my father did to you, Tim. I wish that I could have been braver and stronger and left when I first found out I was pregnant with Damian. Maybe Damian would have grown up in a normal household, grown-up knowing his father. Maybe we could have been a family, the seven of us including Alfred. Maybe Bruce wouldn’t have lost his son to a madman with a bomb. Maybe you wouldn’t have lost your sight. I’m so sorry طفلي. Maybe one day things will get better.” If Bruce was a stronger man, he would have gone in and comforted his beloved. But Bruce was not a stronger man.
Instead, he stayed and listened to Talia confess everything she had done wrong and apologize to a sleeping boy. Bruce stayed rooted outside of Tim’s door so he could stop his girlfriend when she left. He was not expecting to see Talia leaving the room with a small suitcase.
When she saw Bruce, she looked down in embarrassment at getting caught. “I am leaving. Ra’s is no longer a threat, I do not need to help protect you-your children. I will leave Damian here with you. Please raise him right. Do not let him grow up hating the world around him and thinking that he has to don a mask to fix it. Goodbye beloved.”
But before she could get around Bruce, he grabbed her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. “Maybe things could have been different. Maybe if I had not benched Jason he wouldn’t have died. Maybe if I hadn’t adopted Dick he would have become Robin. Maybe if I had realized what was going on at the Drake house earlier, I could have prevented Tim from growing up alone. Maybe if I had ignored your father and gone back for you, we could have been a family. But maybe we could start over now. Maybe we can become a family of six. Seven including Alfred. Maybe you will accept my invitation to stay here at the Manor and become a mom to those four wonderful boys and live a normal life?” Bruce asked with trepidation.
She thought it over and then looked Bruce in the eyes. “Yes, I will stay. We can be a family.”
And they sealed their promise with a kiss.
Bruce brought Talia's suitcase back to their room and returned to find the hallway empty. When he peeked into Tim’s room he found the two of them, both asleep on the bed. A mother curled protectively around her son.
‘If you can't beat them, join them.’ Mused Bruce as he kicked off his shoes and joined his girlfriend and son in bed.
Later Dick would lead Jason and Damian into Tim’s room to find their three missing family members. There they found Bruce curled protectively around his beloved and third child. Talia was holding Tim carefully while also being held by Bruce. And Tim was fast asleep in the arms of the two people who may not be his Mother and Father but his Mom and Dad.
After snapping a few dozen photos and sending off copies to Alfred and everyone else he knew, Dick climbed into bed on the other side of Tim. Jason picked up Damian who looked highly uncomfortable with the uncertainty of what he should do, and climbed into bed beside his brothers. It was the best night's sleep that they had had in a long time.
Over the next few weeks, Tim’s sight returned in his one eye. He was a long way away from being fully recovered, but they took it just one day at a time with patience and empathy