An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Summary:
When Jason Todd was five years old, his mother, Catherine Todd had a little baby boy. Unfortuntely, tragedy struck and Jason's baby brother was stolen from the hospital shortly after he was born. However, Jason was only ever told his brother was "lost"... which he assumed to mean "dead".
Years later, while collecting his dead son's belongings for storage, Bruce happens upon a cold case file Jason had been working on when he was murdered by the Joker... In this AU, Jason was not looking for his biological mother... He was trying to find his kidnapped baby brother....
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
(A Stardew Valley/DCU crossover fusion)
In the middle of his really bad year, seventeen-year old Tim Drake reached his breaking point. His friends were dead. His parents (all of them) were dead. And Dick had taken away the mantle of Robin to give it to the demon spawn that had tried to murder him. What was he going to do? Go traipsing around the world looking for evidence that his adopted dead father was still alive? Even he wasn't that crazy.
Then he rediscovers a long forgotten letter from his biological grandfather.
---
Author Notes:
This is a canon-divergence from the Red Robin series. In this story, Tim was never "inspired" that Bruce was still alive and never ran away from home to look for him or become Red Robin. Instead of getting inspired by the portrait of Bruce's "ancestor", Tim finds an old letter left to him by his maternal grandfather, who had passed away nearly a decade earlier. In this AU Fusion, Tim takes on the role of the Farmer from Stardew Valley.
Warning: this story is being pantsed rather than plotted, so there is no real plan or end game goal in mind. I'm in the midst of a new modded SV playthrough and am chronicling the journey as I go from Tim's perspective for fun (I may list my mods in the next chapter notes?). There may or may not be cameos from the BatFamily later on. I haven't decided yet on who or when.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Imagine how different the DCU would be if Damian al Ghul did not join the Wayne family until after the events of the Final Crisis.
What if 10-year old Damian was still being raised/trained in the Cradle by the League of Assassins when Tim Drake was in the midst of his quest to find Bruce Wayne lost in time?
What if Tim was the first of the Batfamily to meet Damian after he lost his spleen and was dragged into the conflict with the Council of Spiders by Ra's al Ghul?
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Chapter 2 of Cradle Robber is up on AO3.
"Tim's life has been a shit-storm ever since he ran away from Gotham City to search for his missing "dead" adopted father. Still, even with everything he'd experienced so far since Ra's al Ghul and the League of Assassins interjected itself into his quest for Bruce Wayne, the Fates decided to prove they could still surprise him when he least expected it."
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
Imagine how different the DCU would be if Damian al Ghul did not join the Wayne family until after the events of the Final Crisis.
What if 10-year old Damian was still being raised/trained in the Cradle by the League of Assassins when Tim Drake was in the midst of his quest to find Bruce Wayne lost in time?
What if Tim was the first of the Batfamily to meet Damian after he lost his spleen and was dragged into the conflict with the Council of Spiders by Ra's al Ghul?
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Magia Record: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Side Story, DCU (Comics), Batman (Comics), Young Justice (Comics), Robin (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Kyubey (PMMM), Tim Drake, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth, Selina Kyle
Additional Tags: Tim Drake-centric, Tim Drake is Robin, Tim Drake is Not Okay, Tim Drake Needs a Hug, Tim Drake Gets a Hug, Alternate Universe - Madoka Magica Fusion, Soul Gems (Madoka Magica), Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Magical Boys, Origin Story, No Beta We Die Like Mami, Don’t Have to Know Madoka Magica Canon, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent
Series: Part 1 of Eques Magi: Originem - Magicka Knights: Origin
Summary:
“The Labyrinths of Gotham City are so tightly concentrated, no human born here can escape the influence of at least one or two Witches, if not more. Despite the aura of despair and the constant work of the Witches’ various Familiars, there are still those souls who persist in clinging to hope and will do whatever they can to try and make this city a better place, even though all their efforts will ultimately fail in the end.
"It’s the perfect environment to find a new Magicka Knight.”
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica, DCU (Comics), Batman (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Young Justice (Comics), Robin (Comics), Teen Titans (Comics)
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bart Allen & Tim Drake & Kon-El | Conner Kent & Cassie Sandsmark
Characters: Tim Drake, Conner Kent, Cassie Sandsmark, Bart Allen, Kyubey (PMMM), Damian Wayne, Jason Todd, Ra’s al Ghul
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Madoka Magica Fusion, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Kyubey is Awful, Tim Drake is Not Okay, Meta, Metafiction
Summary:
Post-Kyubey, Tim Drake has had a very challenging time dealing with being a Magicka Knight and being Robin.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: DCU (Comics), Young Justice (Comics), Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Bart Allen & Tim Drake & Kon-El | Conner Kent & Cassie Sandsmark
Characters: Kyubey (PMMM), Tim Drake, Kon-El | Conner Kent, Cassie Sandsmark, Bart Allen
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Madoka Magica Fusion, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Crossover, Meta, Metafiction, Kyubey is Awful, Tim Drake is Not Okay, Conner Kent is not okay, Bart Allen is Not Okay, Cassie Sandsmark is Not Okay
Summary:
Inspired by the original Tumblr post created by Marundy-Robot that sparked the existence of this AU, here we have a description of Kyubey’s history with the Core Four Young Justice team of Tim Drake, Cassie Sandsmark, Conner Kent, and Bart Allen.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: DCU (Comics), Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magika | Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kyubey & The DC Universe
Characters: Kyubey (PMMM)
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Madoka Magica Fusion, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Metafiction, Kyubey is Awful
Summary:
Notes on how the existence of the Incubator known as Kyubey (From Puella Magi Madoka Magica) is woven into the DC Universe of this crossover/fusion AU.
In Hindsight: Chapter 8: In the Present... Fathers and Son
In Hindsight: Chapter 8: In the Present... Fathers and Son by C_R_Scott
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tim Drake/Tam Fox, Jack Drake/Janet Drake, Janet Drake & Tim Drake, Jack Drake & Tim Drake, Lucius Fox/Tanya Fox, Tim Drake & Tam Fox
Characters: Tim Drake, Tam Fox, Janet Drake, Jack Drake, Lucius Fox, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth
Additional Tags: Tim Drake-centric, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Family Feels, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Childhood Memories, Childhood Sweethearts, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Good Parent Janet Drake, Bad Parent Jack Drake, no beta we die like robins, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent
Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter
Story Summary: What if Tim Drake was originally raised by his maternal grandmother for the first eight years of his life due to "circumstances" involving his biological parents? What if Tim's grandmother was also the next door neighbor and occasional sitter for Lucius Fox's family?
Chapter Summary: Still in the present day, Bruce watches over Tim as he sleeps away some of the emotional exhaustion of the morning. Some unexpected information is dragged into the light, and Bruce improvises what to do and say once his son wakes up.
...
How long had it been since Bruce last watched Tim as he slept?
The Wayne patriarch sat quietly on the window seat of Tim's bedroom, but kept his eyes on bed. Barely an hour earlier he'd managed to lead his physically and emotionally exhausted son out of the Nest and back into the living room of his house. Tam had led the way and gave a brief impromptu tour as she showed them to the master bedroom. Tim was barely coherent during most of the walk, and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he passed out. The boy didn't even flinch when Bruce pulled the comforter over him, tucking it over his shoulders. While Alfred asked Tam for a more in-depth tour of Tim's new home, Bruce remained behind.
Tim looked so drained and despondent, even in sleep. It broke Bruce's heart to see his boy this way. The last time Bruce saw this side of Tim was on his first night at the Manor after his biological father had been murdered.
And once again, even now, Jack Drake was the source of his son's misery.
Bruce heard a quiet knock from the bedroom door. After a quick glance at Tim to ensure he was still asleep, he got up and walked to the door.
"Yes Alfred?"
The older gentleman glanced into the room first, assuring himself with brief once over of the slumbering teenager before motioning for Bruce to step out of the room. With great reluctance, Bruce followed the old man out into the hallway, closing the door behind him.
"I wanted to let you know that Miss Fox has left to return home, and I'm on my way out to return to the Manor. Timothy's kitchen is rather sparse on ingredients, so I'm going to prepare some meals and bring them back for when he finally wakes up." Then Alfred brought out a medication bottle and placed it in Bruce's hand, his expression gravely serious. "Before she left, Tamara asked that as soon as Timothy wakes up he is to be reminded to take a dose of this. She said normally he takes it first thing at the office during the work week, but because he never made it there this morning he will need to take his dose as soon as possible."
Bruce's brow furrowed as he read the prescription label on the plastic orange bottle. "Amoxicillin?" His eyes shot back up to Alfred. "Why is Tim on a daily regiment of antibiotics?"
Alfred frowned deeply. "I do not know. I didn't press Miss Fox for clarification as I didn't want to upset her further than she already was this morning. She also appeared to be operating under the assumption that I already knew Timothy was taking this medication."
Bruce shook his head. "What is going on? First we find out Jack was lying to Tim for years about his grandmother, and now Tim is keeping secrets from us regarding his health?"
"From the label, it appears that Dr. Thompkins was the one who prescribed the medication. I should still be on Timothy's HIPAA release forms regarding his medical records. I'll call her on the way to the manor and try to get some answers."
"Thank you Alfred. Please keep me posted." Nodding, Bruce turned away from Alfred and returned to Tim's bedside, sitting down beside him. He gently stroked the teenager's hair from his face, concerned gaze softening as he watched his son sleep.
...
For a few hours, Bruce kept vigil over his son. Though a part of him was very curious and wanted to explore the remodeled movie theater in greater depth, he did not want Tim to wake up alone after everything that had happened earlier. So he spent the next couple of hours on his phone distracting himself as best he could by going over Tim's Neon Knights reports that he hadn't had time to review earlier as well as other Wayne Enterprises related work that had been on the backburner for far too long, now that he was taking the time to review everything.
That is, he did so until a text message alert popped up on the screen. It was a message from Barbara.
"Call me."
With reluctance again, Bruce stepped out of the bedroom and into the hallway. He placed his Bluetooth headset on and dialed up Barbara.
"What have you got for me?"
He could hear typing in the background. "Not much... yet. But I definitely get the sense that something was shady happened and was buried back when the original custody arrangement with Tim's grandma was severed. Fortunately for Tim, the ground is soft and I'm prepared to dig."
Bruce allowed himself a small smile at the fierce determination he could hear in Barbara's voice. He knew he could count on her. "What about why Tim was in his grandmother's custody to begin with? Was it just due to Jack and Janet's constant travelling due to their work, or was there something else?"
He listened to Barbara sigh, and there was a pause in her typing. "Definitely something else," she finally replied with an unhappy tone to her voice. "I'm sending you a couple of docs. One of them is the original custody arrangement, initiated when Tim was just two years old. 'Officially'--" Bruce could practically hear the air quotes around the word. "--the paperwork says it was due to the fact that they were travelling constantly for work, that it was more practical for the wellbeing of their son to stay in one constant, stable location and his grandmother was kind enough to open her home to him."
"And the reality?"
"I don't know for certain yet, but I think there may have been some domestic abuse happening. The rest of the docs are some of Tim's medical records from when he was a baby until he turned two. There are a worrying number of reports due to various 'accidental injuries' during this time period, that essentially dried up the moment Tim was in his grandmother's care."
Bruce could taste the bile rising up in the back of his throat as he read over the reports. On their own, if they were one-off occurrences, it would be easy to dismiss the injuries as just "accidents". Nothing was life threatening or permanently damaging, but as time went on, there was a definite pattern and a gradual trend of escalation regarding the severity of the injuries and how frequently they were occurring and requiring visits with his pediatrician or the children's hospital emergency department.
All before Tim even reached the age of two.
...
Tim's eyes opened slowly to the pitch darkness of his bedroom. His brow furrowed as he glanced around after sitting up, dislodging the comforter that had been tucked around his shoulders. He plucked at the still warm, very inviting blanket as if he wasn't quite sure if it was real or not before turning his attention to the glowing numbers of his bedside alarm clock.
"Why am I in bed at two in the afternoon?"
He rubbed at his eyes, which felt gritty and itchy. To his surprise, he felt a slight change of texture on his skin beneath his eyes. It was a feeling he was quite familiar with.
"Was I crying?" he thought as he felt the remains of the dried tear tracks on his cheeks before reflexively scrubbing them away with the heel of his hand. "Why was I--?"
Then he froze.
His bedroom door had opened and he recognized the silhouette of his adopted father in the doorway against the daylight filtering in from the hallway.
Then Tim's short term memories from the morning caught up with him, and is breath stuttered audibly in his throat.
"Oh... I remember..."
Bruce had paused when he saw Tim sitting up in his bed. His startled expression quickly bled into concern. "Sorry," he apologized as he stepped further into the room, closing the door partway to dim the light, though he didn't shut it all the way. He shoved his phone into his pocket. "Did I wake you?"
Tim shook his head without a word as he focused his gaze firmly on the quilted lines of the comforter. He felt the mattress shift as Bruce sat down next to him.
"How do you feel?"
The young man dared to glance up at Bruce's question. He opened his mouth as if to answer, but nothing came out. Tim was startled by his lack of words. There were so many thoughts and feelings twisted up inside his head. Heartache... Confusion... Anger... Regret... Betrayal... Surprise... Grief... There was so many conflicting things churning in his mind, like a pot threating to boil over.
But he couldn't find his voice for any of it.
All Tim could do was close his mouth, bowed his head, and let his expression communicate how miserable he felt.
Suddenly, the bed shifted again and Tim felt a strong arm wind itself around his back as a hand gently clasped his shoulder. He tilted his head upward to see that Bruce had moved to sit beside him and drew him into a one-armed half-hug that gave him a choice of either leaning into the embrace or escaping it if it was going to be too much for him. Tim was stiff for a moment as he processed the unspoken choice he'd been given. Then, slowly, he relaxed into his adopted father's embrace and leaned against him with a small sigh.
"Having a hard time processing everything?"
Tim nodded.
A low hum of acknowledgement rumbled from Bruce's throat that Tim could feel. A corner of his lips twitched upward even as he closed his eyes wearily. It felt nice. He felt safe.
"Do you want to talk about anything right now?"
The teenager thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. Now that he felt safe and comforted, the tendrils of sleep that had slipped away earlier were returning to drag him under once again. He was still so very tired.
Bruce seemed to guess that his son wanted to go back to sleep. "Before you pass out again, Tam said you need to take these." He reached over for the nightstand and grabbed the orange bottle.
Tim blinked at the bottle in drowsy confusion, though once he recognized the label of his prescription, his eyes widened. His posture had stiffened and he looked at Bruce with a guilty hesitant expression. "I-- I can explain..." he forcefully croaked out in a barely audible tone.
His father shook his head to stop Tim from speaking. "Is Leslie fully aware of what is going on and why you're on this medication?"
Tim nodded.
Bruce gave him a small reassuring smile. "Then, we can talk about this later," Bruce said "As long as you're not in any immediate danger, we can postpone this conversation. But since this involves your health, especially your immunity if I'm recognizing this medication correctly, I don't want you going out on patrol until we clear the air about this, alright?"
With a resigned sigh, Tim nodded again. "Fair."
Once he'd taken his antibiotics, Tim made himself more comfortable again in his bed. After resting his head on his pillow, before he could allow himself to drift off, there was one question he had to ask his father. "Bruce?"
"Hm?"
"Who else knows?"
"Alfred was with us earlier, though I'm not sure how aware you were of everything that happened in your Nest," Bruce revealed, to which Tim nodded thoughtfully. "Barbara knows as well." At Tim's confused look, Bruce clarified. "I asked her to investigate how... all this happened. Was it just oversight or was it something malicious?"
"But I can--"
Bruce shook his head. "I could never ask you to investigate your own father. That would be too cruel." Bruce said sadly. Then he reached out to stroke Tim's hair in a soothing gesture. "And... I don't want you to focus on Jack right now. In fact, I want you to take a break from Wayne Enterprises and being Red Robin as well, at least for the rest of this week."
Tim felt the words of protest rise up in him almost like a reflex. He tried to sit up and was fully prepared to launch into an argument right then and there about being benched. He paused though, when Bruce pressed a hand to his shoulder to stop him, and he could see the naked compassion in the older man's eyes.
"There's someone else who deserves your undivided attention right now, especially if you want them back in your life again."
Tim's breath got caught in his throat, and despite having felt like he cried himself out earlier, he could feel his eyes begin to tear up once more. New thoughts and feelings surrounding his grandmother began swirling around in his head, robbing him of his voice just as the earlier thoughts had done so, though these were nowhere near as angry, raw, and painful as the ones when he first woke up.
Bruce's smile was equal parts reassuring and wistful. Tim stared at Bruce's face trying to read the unfamiliar expression. He could tell that love was feeding the look his father was giving him, and it made him feel warm inside. But there was... something else hiding behind Bruce's blue eyes... a melancholy that he couldn't decipher that made his own heart ache to see.
Before he could ask Bruce about it, much to the teenager's surprise, his father leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to the crown of his hair. "Get some more rest," Bruce instructed as he rose to his full height and turned to leave the room. "I'll be here when you wake up."
Still stunned by the impromptu display of affection, Tim could only nod numbly as he watched Bruce step out of the bedroom and close the door behind him. Though his thoughts and emotions still churned inside him for a time, eventually sleep reclaimed him.
...
Author's Notes:
Author's Note: Bruce is trying really hard to be a good father in this story. A part of him both wants to ensure Tim is reunited with his grandmother, since it's clear the boy loved the woman. However, there is a part of him that is afraid that once he has his grandmother back, Tim might decide to leave him and the rest of his adopted family behind to remain with her. However, if that is Tim's choice, who would he be to deny him? What would Bruce do if he was given a chance to have his own mother back in his life? What about any of his other children (who had decent caring mothers...)?
#tim drake#tam fox#tim/tam#red robin#fanfiction#wip#rr: in hindsight#batfam#batfamily#lucius fox#bruce wayne
(Feel free to run with one of these as a prompt if you want. If you can reply with a link to the piece is love to read them)
Psychic emotional link: Soulmates can't communicate with words, but by emotions (for good or ill). Distance no barrier to emotional communication between soulmates. Loving soulmate connections are best, but abusive ones do exist. Death of one soulmate can cause significant damage emotionally to the survivor. There are "ways" to sever a soulmate connection w/out death, but there are still consequences. People can have more than one soulmate in a lifetime, but can can only share a link with one person at a time.
Taboo inter-species soulmates: two different species of sentient brings have a soulmate link (ex. Angels/Demons, merfolk/human, harpy/centaur, etc...) However, soulmates are supposed to be restricted to same species. Inter-species connections are considered taboo.
Soulmate familiars: people have soulmates, but it's with animals. These are animals that, when they find their special human, they can both share their lifespan and speak with their partner. These familiars can lead people to compatible life partners or found families to create clans of similar or otherwise compatible species.
Brainstorming ideas for future In Hindsight chapters:
Tim's reunion with Nana definitely will happen soon. He'll be taking some much needed time off from vigilante work to reconnect with Susan. There maybe some background family fears that he'll quit the vigilante world entirely.
All the batkids eventually adopt Susan as their unofficial Nana too (they do so one at a time in their own time); Tim doesn't mind sharing because it makes her happy
There may be thoughts of the grandkids "parent trapping" Susan and Alfred because they all see how well the two get along together. Cass starts shipping them. first, then drags Tim on board. Dick gets suspicious, but then gets invested... It all goes downhill from there. Of course Alfred and Susan know exactly what's going on. They think the kids are being sweet and are more amused than anything else.
Nana adores Cass. She'll help her with her hair and makeup and go shopping for pretty clothes and accessories. Cass loves it when Nana brushes her hair and takes time to add intricate braids and nice accessories, like barrettes and combs. She lets Cass pick a favorite hair accessory from her own jewelry box to keep.
Damian is unsure about the concept of a grandmother, having never had one before. Is confused by the unconditional affection Nana shows him, as well as how his brothers and sister act "softer" when they are with her.
Tim and Damian get into an argument and Nana breaks it up. Damian keeps calling Tim "Drake" because that's what he's always called him, and Tim blows up at him because he despises that name now. A ceramic lamp in the Manor is broken and Nana steps in to straighten the boys out.
After some time with Susan in their lives, Bruce accidentally/unconsciously calls her "Mom". He does this in full view of most of his children and doesn't realize what he said until after he's left the room in stunned silence. Has a small mental/emotional crisis.
The first time Babs "sees" Susan is when Tim has his reunion with Nana. She and Bruce, along with Tim (reluctantly) had agreed to record the event just in case something went wrong and they needed to review details for evidence later. (More to be written later)
Afterwards, she becomes even more invested in helping Tim and Susan by finding out how Jack screwed them both over.
When Babs uncovers another horrible big secret of Jack's, she insists on being there with Bruce to deliver the news. She expected Susan to be upset. However, Susan is grateful to know the truth, even if it hurts.
Susan and Babs are fond of each other, but don't see reach other often because of Babs' night work as Oracle.
But Susan does mail her. She sends letters to her via snail mail, amusingly enough, sometimes with care packages of coffee, tea, and/or baked goods.
Babs also visits when she can. She initiates the "Gotham Girls Day" that happens at least once every week where she, Tam, Cass, and Steph go out to eat, go shopping, or just relax at Susan's home with her.
Brainstorming ideas for future In Hindsight chapters:
Tim's reunion with Nana definitely will happen soon. He'll be taking some much needed time off from vigilante work to reconnect with Susan. There maybe some background family fears that he'll quit the vigilante world entirely.
All the batkids eventually adopt Susan as their unofficial Nana too (they do so one at a time in their own time); Tim doesn't mind sharing because it makes her happy
There may be thoughts of the grandkids "parent trapping" Susan and Alfred because they all see how well the two get along together. Cass starts shipping them. first, then drags Tim on board. Dick gets suspicious, but then gets invested... It all goes downhill from there. Of course Alfred and Susan know exactly what's going on. They think the kids are being sweet and are more amused than anything else.
Nana adores Cass. She'll help her with her hair and makeup and go shopping for pretty clothes and accessories. Cass loves it when Nana brushes her hair and takes time to add intricate braids and nice accessories, like barrettes and combs. She lets Cass pick a favorite hair accessory from her own jewelry box to keep.
Damian is unsure about the concept of a grandmother, having never had one before. Is confused by the unconditional affection Nana shows him, as well as how his brothers and sister act "softer" when they are with her.
Tim and Damian get into an argument and Nana breaks it up. Damian keeps calling Tim "Drake" because that's what he's always called him, and Tim blows up at him because he despises that name now. A ceramic lamp in the Manor is broken and Nana steps in to straighten the boys out.
After some time with Susan in their lives, Bruce accidentally/unconsciously calls her "Mom". He does this in full view of most of his children and doesn't realize what he said until after he's left the room in stunned silence. Has a small mental/emotional crisis.
In Hindsight: Chapter 7: In the Present... Lie in Ruins
In Hindsight: Chapter 7: In the Present... Lie in Ruins by C_R_Scott
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tim Drake/Tam Fox, Jack Drake/Janet Drake, Janet Drake & Tim Drake, Jack Drake & Tim Drake, Lucius Fox/Tanya Fox, Tim Drake & Tam Fox
Characters: Tim Drake, Tam Fox, Janet Drake, Jack Drake, Lucius Fox, Bruce Wayne, Alfred Pennyworth
Additional Tags: Tim Drake-centric, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Family Feels, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Childhood Memories, Childhood Sweethearts, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Good Parent Janet Drake, Bad Parent Jack Drake, no beta we die like robins, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent
Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter
Story Summary: What if Tim Drake was originally raised by his maternal grandmother for the first eight years of his life due to "circumstances" involving his biological parents? What if Tim's grandmother was also the next door neighbor and occasional sitter for Lucius Fox's family?
Chapter Summary: Jack Drake had lied to Tim about his grandmother's death. However, Jack is also dead himself. Tim attempts to cope with the aftermath of learning the truth of what his father had done. Fortunately, he is not alone.
...
"Jack lied."
Lucius's words were stuck in Bruce's head as Alfred drove him into Gotham City from the Manor. They kept repeating themselves over and over and over again. After about ten minutes of focused brooding, Bruce finally voiced the question he knew he couldn't run away from.
"How did I miss this?"
From the driver's seat, Alfred glanced at Bruce via the rear-view mirror. "You had no way of knowing."
"I should have known."
"How?" Alfred's brow furrowed. "Tim didn't even know? His fa--" The old man choked on the word with a grimace, as if he'd bitten into a piece of bitter melon. He huffed irritably before continuing. "--Jack lied to him for years, and gave none of us any reason to suspect anything coming out of his mouth was false."
Bruce shook his head as he pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts before selecting one. After three rings, the line finally connected.
"You do know it's not even noon, right?" Barbara Gordon grumbled. "What could you possibly want at this ungodly time of the morning?"
"It's about Tim."
There was moment of pause. When Barbara spoke, drowsiness had been replaced with concern in her tone. "What's wrong? Is he alright? Is he having a delayed reaction to the new Fear Toxin?"
Bruce hesitated before answering, making a quick mental note to double check Tim's bloodwork as soon as he could. If Tim was suffering a delayed Fear Toxin reaction on top of everything else, that could further complicate his son's compromised emotional state.
"It's not about the Fear Toxin, though that could be exacerbating the situation in the background," Bruce said finally. "I need you to do some digging into Tim's family history."
"You're asking me to investigate Tim? Why? What's going on?"
"Tim was never an orphan."
"WHAT?!"
"We just discovered today he has a living maternal grandmother," Bruce explained. "But for whatever reason Jack Drake lied to Tim and his mother eight years ago and told them both she was dead. From what I've been told, his grandmother was supposed to have had full custody of him back then. Then she got hospitalized. When she was finally well enough to be released, Jack had managed to sever all ties between her and Tim."
"Jesus Christ," Barbara breathed out softly. "Does Tim kno-- Never mind, of course he knows otherwise you wouldn't be asking me to do the investigating. Is he with you now?"
"I'm going to his place in the city with Alfred to check on him. Tracker says he's stationary at the Nest."
"What do you need me to do?"
"Do a deep dive into the history between Tim's parents and his grandmother. Her name is Susan Klein. We need to learn what exactly triggered the original custody arrangement, as well as how Jack managed to take custody away from Susan and hide the fact that she was alive from both Tim and his mother. I also want to know why the hell the courts and CPS didn't get involved back then to return Tim to his grandmother, especially after Jack died."
"You also want to find the rest of Jack's skeletons," Barbara inferred. "Because if Jack lied about something this big to his own son--"
"--What else did he lie about?--"
"--And how much damage could this do to Tim if it's brought to light?" Bruce could hear Barbara indulge in a weary sigh. "Holy shit... Ok... Ok... Ok... Give me an hour to get a shower, coffee, and food. Then I'll start digging. This is all cold case kinda stuff, so it's not going anywhere. Keep me posted if you pick up any new leads from Tim."
"Thanks Barbara."
"Oh, by the way... Who else knows about this?"
"Alfred, Lucius, and Tam."
"Alright. I'll keep this on the down low from the rest of the fam until you can check on Tim. Take care of him, Bruce."
"I will."
With the call ended, Bruce leaned back and closed his eyes. What was he going to find when they finally got the Nest? He didn't have to wait long. About ten minutes later, Bruce and Alfred found themselves being led through Tim's home by a deeply concerned Tamara Fox.
...
Three months and twenty-eight days.
That's how long it took for Tim to travel around the US and the world, investigate multiple archaeological sites, survive the Council of Spiders, cripple the League of Assassins, save the girl, and return home with proof of his adopted father being alive. So much mileage, blood, and lives lost had gone into the journey to recover Bruce Wayne from the time stream Darkseid had sent him into.
Nineteen minutes and thirty-nine seconds.
That's all the time it took for Tim to find evidence his grandmother was alive and well and still living in the same house she always had for the past fifty years. He didn't have to leave Gotham. He didn't even have to leave his workstation. All the information was at his fingertips online. All the evidence pointed at the conclusion that his grandmother (and the truth) had always been just a few keystrokes away.
But that couldn't be right. If that was right, that meant his father lied to him and his mother. Jack Drake wouldn't have done that. So it had to be wrong. Tim just couldn't figure out how the evidence was wrong.
The voice of Tim's AI security matrix echoed through the cavernous space of Tim's brand new "Nest", the hidden vigilante base of operations tucked behind his renovated theater home. The young man barely acknowledged the announcements, though, as he sat motionless at his workstation with his elbows propped up on the desk and his face buried in his hands. Slowly, his hands shifted, sliding down his face over closed eyes to linger over his nose and mouth. Tim drew in a breath through his nose and tried to release it slowly through his mouth. Despite his attempt at control, his breath shuddered audibly as he exhaled. Desperately, he squeezed his eyes shut tighter and shifted his hands to press against them. The adjustment exposed his mouth pressed into a grim, trembling line as he struggled to keep any sound from escaping.
Despite his best efforts, a thin trickle of moisture escaped his hands and coursed down his cheek.
Tim heard the hidden door that connected the Nest to his living room slide open, and blindly identified the footsteps of three people walking into his inner sanctum. One of them he was certain was Tam, and he had his suspicions about the other two.
However, in order to confirm them, he would have had to remove his hands and open his eyes...
...and he was not ready to do that just yet.
...
The moment Bruce laid eyes on Tim, he felt his heart ache at the sight before him. There was his son, sitting alone at his workstation, and everything in his body language was silently crying out with shock and dismay.
For a brief few seconds, Bruce froze. His mind was a panicked jumble. What could he do?! What could he say?! How was he going to fix this?!
Then Tim slowly lifted his head from his hands, and he when he looked over at Bruce, the older man's breath got stuck in his throat. His normally confident and unwavering teenager looked so dazed and hurt and utterly lost.
"B?"
A single letter, barely whispered, partly a question, but mostly a plea, was all it took. Bruce's feet were no longer rooted to the floor, and he quickly closed the distance between himself and his son, because his boy had called out to him.
Tim rose to his feet as he saw Bruce approach, and he let himself be wrapped up in his adopted father's arms. Bruce could feel Tim lean into him, could feel the anxious tension in every muscle in his son's back as the boy buried his face into his chest.
"I'm here, Tim," Bruce murmured as soothingly as he could as he stroked Tim's hair. "It's going to be ok."
"I... I don't know what I'm doing wrong," Tim whispered mournfully.
"Wrong?"
"Dad said she died. He wouldn't have lied about that. He couldn't have." Unconsciously, Tim's hand fisted into Bruce's shirt, as if he were hanging on for dear life. "But Lucius says she's alive... Been alive this entire time. And the evidence..."
As more words spilled out from his boy's mouth, Bruce heart broke at the brittle desperation in Tim's voice.
"I have to be missing something. I'm doing something wrong. I'm making a mistake somewhere and I don't know what it is." Tim drew in a shuddering breath. "Or maybe it's the Fear Toxin. An after effect? Maybe it's making me hallucinate? Mis-hear... Misinterpret things?" He turned his head from Bruce's chest and gazed uneasily at the workstation monitors. "Maybe I'm just seeing things? Maybe I'm just losing my mind?"
The fact that Tim's voice took on a hopeful edge at the thought of going crazy sent a stab of deep concern through Bruce. A quick glance at the workstation monitors showed him all the evidence Tim had dug up on his own since leaving Wayne Tower. A lump rose to his throat. When he spoke, he could barely force his own voice above a hoarse whisper.
"You're not hallucinating, Tim. I... I can see the evidence myself."
Tim's eyes widened at the screens, then he shut them tightly before shaking his head. "No... No no no no no..."
"Mr. Wayne?"
Bruce glanced over to Tamara, who looked close to tears herself, but was managing to just barely hold herself together. She had one arm wrapped around herself and the other held her cell phone. He could see Lucius's name on the screen as the current active call.
"Yes?"
Tam swallowed hard before answering. "My dad's on the line. I told him we found Tim. He... He's with Nana... Tim's grandma... right now."
Bruce felt Tim freeze in his arms. He felt his own heart stutter as well.
"She... would like to speak with Tim, if he's able. She understands though if he's too overwhelmed right now."
Tim turned his gaze to Tam's phone, his red-rimmed blue eyes wide and warring between longing and dread.
Bruce stroked Tim's back. "You... don't have to if you don't want to," he murmured. "We can wait until you feel better... Until we figure things out on this side."
For several seconds, there was nothing but tense silence in the air. Bruce could practically see the gears turning and grinding in Tim's mind. He could see the war play out on his son's face as he struggled to make a decision. Then, finally, Tim uneasily reached out and offered an open hand to Tam.
Tam nodded and raised the phone to her own ear first. "I'm handing my phone to Tim now." Then, she carefully gave Tim the cell, watching as he wrapped his fingers about the edges of the device and raised it to his own ear.
"H-Hello?"
Though he was still holding Tim closely, Bruce wasn't close enough to hear much of other end of the call. He could tell it was a woman's voice, but couldn't make out most of the words. But he could see his son. He watched, helpless, as after a moment Tim's eyes filled immediately with tears and spilled over onto his cheeks. One short anguished sob escaped him before he used his other hand to clamp his mouth shut. Though it stifled the sounds, Bruce could still see and feel the sobs wracking his boy's entire frame.
As Bruce held him tighter, he could hear the tone of the woman's voice shift to something so soothing and maternal that his own heart ached along with his son's. It had the desired effect of calming Tim enough so that the could finally find his voice once more.
"I love you, too, Nana," he whimpered softly. Then, he stretched out his hand and gave the phone back to Tam, who was in tears herself as she took it back.
Once his hands were free and the phone was pressed again to Tam's ear as she spoke with her father, Tim crumpled to the floor as he burst into tears once more, this time without restraint. Bruce followed him down to control his fall and let his son cried brokenheartedly against him.
"He lied," Tim keened between sobs. "He lied... He lied... He lied..."
Tears coursed down Bruce's face as he watched his son come apart at the seams. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Alfred gazing at him with love, sorrow, and tear-filled eyes as well. Though long dead, Jack Drake had broken their beloved boy's heart, and they would be damned if they didn't do their best to put the pieces back together again and make things right for everyone involved.
...
Author's Notes:
Author's Note: This was a challenging chapter to write. I hope I did Tim's breakdown justice. Things will, hopefully, start looking up for him from this point onward for a bit.
As for the length of time I put down as Tim's search for Bruce during the origin Red Robin run, this was just a wild guess on my part. In the comics, there was a map on a page in the first issue showing a map with pins on where he had previously investigated. Based on that, I estimated he had been travelling nonstop for at least several months before being intercepted by Ra's and getting dragged into the League and Council drama along with Tam.
#tim drake#tam fox#tim/tam#red robin#fanfiction#wip#rr: in hindsight#batfam#batfamily#lucius fox#bruce wayne
In Hindsight: Chapter 6: Eight Years Ago... One Bad Day
In Hindsight: Chapter 6: Eight Years Ago... One Bad Day by C_R_Scott
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tim Drake/Tam Fox, Jack Drake/Janet Drake, Janet Drake & Tim Drake, Jack Drake & Tim Drake, Lucius Fox/Tanya Fox, Tim Drake & Tam Fox
Characters: Tim Drake, Tam Fox, Janet Drake, Jack Drake, Lucius Fox, Bruce Wayne
Additional Tags: Tim Drake-centric, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Family Feels, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Childhood Memories, Childhood Sweethearts, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Good Parent Janet Drake, Bad Parent Jack Drake, no beta we die like robins, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent
Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter
Story Summary: What if Tim Drake was originally raised by his maternal grandmother for the first eight years of his life due to "circumstances" involving his biological parents? What if Tim's grandmother was also the next door neighbor and occasional sitter for Lucius Fox's family?
Chapter Summary: 9-year old Tim Drake had been staying with his parents, Jack and Janet, for the better part of three weeks following the hospitalization of his grandmother due to a serious illness. While he loved having this rare extended length of time with his Mom and Dad, he still missed his Nana, their home, and his friends in the neighborhood. She'd been in the hospital so long... She should have been getting better soon... Then they could both go home while Mom and Dad went on their next archaeological trip.
However, all it took is one bad day to change the course of his life.
Click... Whirrr...
Click... Whirrr...
Click... Whirrr...
Nine-year-old Timothy Drake looked at his mother expectantly as she picked up one of his Polaroid photos that had finally finished developing.
Janet Drake's eyes brightened as she looked over the photo her son had taken of the ancient Mesopotamian vase she'd unpacked from her most recent archaeological dig with Jack. She beamed at her child with undisguised pride. "This is really good!"
"Really?!" Tim asked, his blue eyes brightening with delight as he watched his mother tape the photo into place alongside her notes cataloging the vase in her work journal. He slung the camera around his neck by its strap and crawled over to where his mom welcomed him over with open arms so he could get a closer look at the page with her notes, written with an graceful cursive hand. Janie tugged him into an easy comfortable hug as soon as he was within reach, nuzzling his hair affectionately until he pulled away giggling from the ticklish sensation. "Momma! Stop!"
His mother's smile was full of love and mischief, but she finally relented. "Oh fine!," she said with a heavy amount of faux drama in her tone and an obvious pout as she release her grip to allow him to pull away.
"Really?" Tim asked, his head tilted to a curious angle.
"Mmmm... Nope!" was all the warning Tim got before Janie pounced again and pulled him into another nearly smothering hug and kissed the top of his head, causing him to shriek with delighted laughter as his weak attempts to escape were completely ineffective. In the end, fighting his mother's affection was not something he had it in his heart to do for very long. Eventually, their laughter died down as he laid down with his head on his mother's lap, sighing with contentment as she carded her elegant long fingertips through his hair.
As much as he loved living with his Nana, Tim cherished these special moments alone with his Mom that were so few and far between year after year. His parents were out of the country so much because of their work. Normally when they were back in the country, it was only for a week or two at most.
"What's going on here?"
Both Janet and Tim froze when a new voice joined the living room. The two looked up from their places on the floor at Jack Drake, who was leaning against the doorway.
"Oh, hi Dad!" Tim said cheerfully with a more demure smile as he sat up to address his father, not noticing how Janet's hands stayed wrapped subtly around him, continuing to hold him close.
"Just cataloging the latest shipment from our last dig," Janet said impassively with a slight shrug of her shoulders and her expression aloof. "Timber was helping me with photographs for the journal."
Jack regarded the several Polaroid photos resting on the table with the Mesopotamian vase. "Is that a fact?" he asked as he sauntered into the room, getting closer to the two of them.
Even as Tim unconsciously leaned closer to his father, sitting up straighter and drawn out of his mother's embrace, Janet pulled her hands reluctantly back into her lap, one hand folded neatly over the other, while her sharp blue eyes stayed on her husband and watched every move he made.
There was a tense moment of silence in the air between the three of them as Jack picked up one of his son's photos to review. His eyes flickered between the vase and the photograph. "Not bad," he finally said with a small smile of approval. "The image is in frame and in focus, the balance between light and shadow isn't bad, and the quality is fairly decent for a simple Polaroid." He handed the photo to his son, who regarded him with wide-eyed amazement. "Good job."
"Wow! Thanks Dad!" Tim said brightly, practically glowing at the rare praise. Marginally, Janet relaxed the tension in her hands and released the breath she'd been holding.
Jack nodded. "C'mon over here. Let me show you what else to take pictures of on a piece like this."
For about twenty minutes, Jack had his son's undivided attention as he instructed Tim on what details deserved close-up shots on the vase and several other pieces Janet had unpacked earlier. He also offered several detailed critiques on a couple of earlier photos that had not turned out well at all, explaining exactly how he thought they went wrong and how to avoid such errors in the future. If the boy had wilted a bit under the heavy-handed criticisms, his father didn't seem to notice.
All the while, Janet was silent and off to the side as she busied herself with unpacking the other boxes and making her notes, though she kept a weather eye on both her husband and her son.
As Jack was helping Tim line up a new shot of a statue that Janet had just unboxed, a phone rang. Jack reached into his pocket and glanced at the screen. "I need to take this," he said as he rose to his feet and made his way out of the living room. While Tim's focus was completely absorbed on the statue he was photographing for his father, Janet's eyes followed Jack until he was completely out of view. Only when he was gone did she fully relax.
For about ten minutes, all was right in their world. Tim was happily snapping photographs without a care in the world. Janet was watching over her son with a content smile on her face as he occasionally came over to share his better shots with her for the journal.
Everything was fine.
Then everything wasn't.
"Janet," Jack's voice cut through the peaceful quiet of the living room. Both mother and son looked up to see him standing in the doorway again. This time, he did not re-enter it. There was also something in the tone of man's voice that seemed... off. "We need to talk."
Tim, who'd been kneeling beside his mother, pressed against her side as they compared which photo to add to the journal next, noticed Janet stiffen at the sound of her name. "Momma?" However, when the boy glanced at her face, her expression was reassuring as looked at him and stroked his hair.
"It's alright, Timber," she said softly before pressing a kiss to the crown of his head. Then she glanced around until she zeroed in on a small crate that was opened, but hadn't been unpacked. "Can you do me a favor?"
"Favor?"
Janet pulled the crate closer. "This box has a bunch of broken pieces that we think makes up flat relief sculpture." She reached in and pulled a shard of red stone about the size of Janet's palm that had the partial image of what looked like a lion's head. "Can you unpack this and see if you can't start fitting some of the pieces together? I know how good you are with puzzles." She smiled at her son.
And Tim smiled back with a nod. "Okay!"
As soon as she knew her son was preoccupied, Janet rose to her feet and followed her husband out of the living room.
Piecing together the relief sculpture kept Tim busy for quite awhile. He didn't realize how long, though, until his stomach rumbled. The boy lifted his head from the halfway completed puzzle and blinked owlishly at the clock sitting on a nearby end table. It was at least a good hour past their usual lunchtime and neither his mother nor his father had returned to the living room yet.
Sitting back on his heels, Tim looked around uneasily. The spacious room suddenly seemed too big, too cold, and too quiet for just him. He was suddenly reminded of how different his parent's spacious immaculate, almost antiseptic English manor-style house was from his Nana's smaller, Victorian-styled cottage. Back there, every room was filled with signs of life. Nana's knitting or sewing projects sat on the sofa or at her favorite window seat. Music from the radio or a show on the TV was filtering in from one room or another. Tim's toys and books were scattered haphazardly here and there. The wonderful aromas of homecooked meals or baked goods were always wafting on the air.
Suddenly, Tim felt very homesick. He loved his parents very much, but he really didn't like their home, especially when he was alone.
"Mom? Dad?"
There was no answer to his nervous calls.
His interest in the relief sculpture completely gone for now, Tim got to his feet and tried to ignore the queasy feeling in his stomach as he walked out of the living room and into the hallway.
"Momma?"
Tim wandered down the hall, peeking into the adjoining rooms but not seeing his parents anywhere. They weren't in his father's office or the kitchen or the dining room. A momentary spike of fear stabbed through the boy's heart.
"Did they leave me?!"
But as soon as the thought crossed his mind, he shoved it into the furthest recesses of his mind with a shake of his head.
"No. If they left the house the security system would've beeped. It always beeps if someone goes in or out."
Tim finally noticed his parents' bedroom at the far end of the hallway, just across the hall from his own bedroom. The door was slightly ajar and light from the room cut into the dimly lit hallway. And, much to the boy's relief, he heard the sound of voices coming from inside.
"Mom? Dad?"
Tim knocked on the door before entering, but the action also served to nudge the door further open inward. Normally he wouldn't dare to intrude upon his parents in their bedroom and invite his father's ire, but he was too uneasy and desperate to not be alone in that great big house anymore.
Unfortunately, the uneasy feeling did not dissipate once the door was open.
Jack and Janet were both in the bedroom, but something was very wrong. His mother was in his father's arms, sobbing softly with one hand clamped over her mouth to muffle the sound even as Jack stroked her hair in a comforting gesture. He did spare a quick glance at his son, eyes narrowed slightly with irritation for a split moment at the unexpected intrusion before disappearing with a blink into a more neutral expression.
Tim would've been immediately cowed by the brief look his father shot him, except he was more alarmed by the state his mother was in. "Momma?! What's wrong?!" Despite his own growing distress, Tim didn't dare enter the bedroom without being invited. He looked immediately to his father. "Dad?!"
Jack sighed as he glanced away from his son, turning his visual attention to the still crying woman in his arms who was trying desperately to regain some semblance of self-control. "It's your grandmother," Jack said distantly. "I just got a call from the hospital."
"Nana?" Tim whispered as he felt his chest tighten uncomfortably, and the earlier queasiness in his stomach intensified. "Why did the hospital call? Is she still sick? Does she have to stay longer?"
"Oh baby," Janet whimpered as she turned her red-rimmed eyes to Tim. She pulled herself away from Jack's embrace and reached out for her son. Jack stepped back as the boy cautiously walked into the room and reluctantly filled the space in his mother's arms.
After Janet gave him a small nod and motioned with her eyes toward the door, Jack nodded back and exited the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Though the heavy wooden barrier muffled most of the sound, he knew the moment his wife delivered the tragic news to their son, a completely indifferent expression on his face to the sound of his child's heartbroken sobs as he walked back to the living room to finish the last of the cataloging that had been interrupted.
Author's Notes:
Author's Note: I took the title of this chapter "One Bad Day" partially from a concept introduced by the Batman storyline "The Killing Joke". The idea is that all it took was "one bad day" in their respective lives to create both the Batman and the Joker. Of course, Bruce Wayne's "one bad day" was the murder of his parents. Who knows what Joker's true "one bad day" was, though there are several possibilities in canon.
In this AU, Tim Drake's "one bad day" was when he was told his grandmother had died and he was suddenly and cruelly ripped from her care and forced into the care of his parents, not knowing his father was a manipulative abusive liar. If it hadn't been for that event, Tim would have never been set on the path that would lead him to becoming the third Robin and joining Bruce Wayne's war on the crime and all the grief that followed him afterwards.
#tim drake#tam fox#tim/tam#red robin#fanfiction#wip#rr: in hindsight#batfam#batfamily#lucius fox#bruce wayne
"We writers are the envy of many other professions, because we're afforded the chance to do something that few others can: the chance to start over again."
In Hindsight: Chapter 5: In the Present... At Face Value
In Hindsight: Chapter 5: In the Present... At Face Value by C_R_Scott
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Tim Drake/Tam Fox, Jack Drake/Janet Drake, Janet Drake & Tim Drake, Jack Drake & Tim Drake, Lucius Fox/Tanya Fox, Tim Drake & Tam Fox
Characters: Tim Drake, Tam Fox, Janet Drake, Jack Drake, Lucius Fox, Bruce Wayne
Additional Tags: Tim Drake-centric, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Family Feels, Childhood Friends, Childhood Trauma, Childhood Memories, Childhood Sweethearts, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Good Parent Janet Drake, Bad Parent Jack Drake, no beta we die like robins, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent
Previous Chapter | Masterlist | Next Chapter
Story Summary: What if Tim Drake was originally raised by his maternal grandmother for the first eight years of his life due to "circumstances" involving his biological parents? What if Tim's grandmother was also the next door neighbor and occasional sitter for Lucius Fox's family?
Chapter Summary: When Tim was a child, his father Jack had told him and his mother that his beloved grandmother had passed away while she was in the hospital due to pneumonia. But eight years later, a trusted family friend is telling him something very different.
"Is that what Jack told you and your mother? He told you both your Nana was dead?"
Out of all of Bruce's Robins, past and present, Tim was proud of having the distinction of being known as the best detective out of all of them. His mind was as nimble as Nightwing was agile. He had figured out Batman's true identity at age nine. He discovered his father was lost in time when everyone else thought he was dead. He successfully routed Ra's al Ghul and prevented him from stealing Wayne Enterprises out from under the family.
Unfortunately, having such a nimble mind meant that the moment Lucius Fox's words left his mouth, Tim was already more than halfway to formulating a theory based on the statement he heard and the context of the conversation that immediately preceded it. However, it was the horrified tone of Lucius's voice, the appalled expression he saw on the elder man's face, and something deeper in his subconscious that slammed the brakes on his thought processes and caused his brain to short circuit before it could reach the conclusion they had been barreling towards.
Tim froze. He felt his heart stutter in his chest. Outwardly, he clamped down on his composure before daring to add his voice to the air. He took a deep breath and released it slowly.
"I'm fine," he thought to himself. "This is all just a misunderstanding."
Everything Jack told him that awful day was burned into his memory. It was the very first death of a loved one in his life and his first experience with grief. However, it endured it. He accepted it. He moved on.
"Everything is fine."
"Of course he did," Tim said matter-of-factly with a slight tilt of his head. "Nana was sick. She passed away in the hospital. Dad told us the day he got the call."
However, Tim felt a churning start low in his stomach as he observed Lucius's reaction to his words. The sensation was faint at first, but grew slowly in intensity as he watched the man on the other side of the desk. Lucius's expression was stricken as he shook his head. "No. Timber..." he started tentatively, as if trying to speak to a spooked animal. "That's not... Your grandmother isn't--"
"She had pneumonia," Tim interrupted with a shake of his head as he turned away from his old family friend, from the man who had been like an uncle to him once upon a time. "And she never got better." He closed his eyes as he clung to his faded memories from that horrible time so many years ago. "Mom was so depressed because we couldn't go to the funeral. She and Dad had a job in Cairo the same--"
"Timothy--"
He felt Lucius's hand settle on his shoulder. It should have been a comforting gesture, along with the elder man's gentle but firm expression of his full name. Instead, it caused of army of goosebumps to race across his skin and seemed to disconnect his brain from his voice box. Lucius waited until Tim hesitantly turned to meet and hold his gaze before continuing.
"--There was no funeral."
The muscles beneath Lucius's hand tensed immediately.
"It took a few months, but she recovered. She went home. She's alive."
Tim shook his head again before finally finding his voice. When he spoke, his tone was strained and brittle.
"No. That can't be right," he said. "Dad said... He told us she died. Why would he tell us that if it wasn't true?"
"I'm sorry Tim, but Jack lied to you and your mother."
The faded memories in Tim's mind began to crack. The aborted theory his brain had been processing earlier suddenly re-asserted itself and reached its logical conclusion. However, it was not a conclusion that Tim was in any frame of mind to accept.
Not in that moment.
"I'm sorry Lucius. I... I need to go."
Before Lucius could say anything more, Tim shrugged himself out from under the older man's hand and slipped out of the office, shutting the door quickly behind him.
As soon as he was in the relative privacy and safety of the elevator, he used his security clearance to make sure it would go straight to the garage where his car was parked without stopping on any other floor. As the elevator descended, Tim backed himself into the corner and buried his face in his hand while his mind ran a mile a minute.
"Nana can't be alive. Dad said she died...
"But Lucius would never say something like this if it wasn't true...
"But it can't be true...
"If Nana's alive, then that mean...
"No! That makes no sense...
"Dad wouldn't have lied to me about Nana...
"He wouldn't have lied to Mom...
"He couldn't have...
"He didn't...
Tim lifted his head from his hand and stared at hand, which was trembling slightly.
"Did he?"
It was a little nearly ten in the morning when Bruce's cell phone started ringing, the light from the screen illuminating the nightstand that rested next to his bed in the otherwise pitch black room. A weary arm snaked its way out from beneath the thick comforter on the bed. It took several tries, but finally the hand landed on the phone and pulled it toward the head still lying on the pillow.
Bleary eyes squinted as they peered at name on the too-bright screen before reluctantly pressing the "Accept" button.
"Yes Lucius?" Bruce mumbled, his deep voice weighed down by the bone-deep fatigue trying to drag him back into slumber.
"Is Tim at the manor?"
Bruce's brow furrowed. There was an edge of distress in his old friend's voice that managed to shove some of the lethargy out of his mind with a small spike of adrenaline. He pushed himself up into a seated position. "He shouldn't be? Last I saw him was around five am in the Cave before I went to bed. Did he not make it to the office?"
"He did," Lucius confirmed as Bruce put on his bluetooth headset so he could pull on his housecoat. "But something happened in the office that upset him, and now he won't answer my calls and the tracker in his work cell has been shut off."
It didn't take long for Bruce to leave his bedroom and go a few doors down the hall to Tim's bedroom. As he expected, the room was empty. The bed itself was still perfectly made with Alfred's usual attention to detail, but his closet door was open and there was a notable gap where one of his spare business suits was missing. His bathroom door was also ajar. Tim may not have slept at the manor, but he did shower and change there before heading to work.
"What happened at the office?" Bruce asked as he left Tim's room and made his way downstairs to the kitchen.
It took longer than it should have for Lucius to answer. "It's complicated."
Bruce frowned. Something was wrong. He could feel it in his bones. "One moment Lucius." He'd just entered the kitchen and zeroed in on Alfred, who was sitting at the breakfast nook sipping a cup of tea.
The old butler was startled at the sight of the Wayne patriarch awake and out of bed before noon. "Master Bruce? What on earth--"
"Has Tim come back from the office this morning?"
Alfred shook his head. "No. I haven't seen him since he left the manor around eight am." He set down his teacup and immediately got to his feet.
"Can you check the Cave and make sure he didn't return when no one was looking? Also, if he's not there, can you activate the tracker in his personal cell and find out where he is right now?"
"Of course sir." With a crisp nod, Alfred went to the library where the entrance to the Cave was hidden.
Finally, Bruce turned his attention back to Lucius. "I'm back, so explain. What happened at the office?"
"It actually started last night when Tim got hit with Crane's new fear toxin..." Lucius told Bruce about the encounter Tim had with Tam after crashing into her apartment, and quickly explained how Bruce's adopted son was actually the same boy who used to live next door to him for several years as he was raised by his grandmother.
Bruce absorbed the new information with confusion. "Ok... That's definitely surprising, but doesn't sound bad at all. Why would that upset Tim?"
On the other end of the phone, Bruce could hear Lucius groan in frustration. "When Tim was eight, his grandmother got sick and ended up hospitalized so he had to go back to living with his parents. Then Jack told him and his mom that his Nana had died."
"I remember. Before I adopted Tim, he told me all his grandparents had passed away, and he had no other living relatives."
"Jack lied."
Bruce's blood ran ice cold in his veins. "What?"
"Tim's grandmother never died. Her name is Susan Klein and she still lives next door to my family. I tried to tell Tim his Nana was alive, and that's when he ran off. I think he's in denial."
Bruce had to sit down as he processed this information. For years, he'd cared for Tim while his parents were out of the country, and then after his mother died and his father was in a coma. And then when Jack died, he adopted the boy he'd grown to love as his own son... But it was all under the assumption that Tim had no one else in his life. Tim had believed he had no one else.
And it was all a lie?
"Why?" Bruce asked, confused. "Why would Jack lie about that?"
Before Lucius could offer any explanation, Bruce saw Alfred emerge from the library. "Timothy is not in the Cave, but I did track his phone. Right now he's stationary in his new house in Gotham. He's logged into his workstation in the Nest." The old man's brow furrowed. "I've tried reaching out to him both by phone and computer, but he's not responding to anything."
Bruce got to his feet. "We can talk more about this later, Lucius. Tim's at his new place in the city, so I'm going to check on him now."
"I'll have Tam meet you there."
"That's not necess--"
"Do either you or Alfred have a key to the front door, and have your biometrics been programed into the house security system yet?"
Bruce and Alfred shared a glance, but said nothing, much to both of their mutual surprises.
Lucius apparently took their joint silence as a negative. "Tam was present while the theater renovations were in their early planning stages, and her biometrics were preinstalled into the security matrix while Tim was programming it. She can get you in without the Nest locking itself down." Bruce could hear the sound of Lucius's computer shutting down as well as the rustling of an overcoat being pulled on. "I'll call Tam on my way home."
"You're leaving the office?" Bruce asked as he went to his bedroom so he could change out of his nightclothes.
"This is a family emergency, and Susan has been like a grandmother to my own kids for nearly twenty-five years now. She needs to know her grandson is alive and well."
Bruce had just gotten back to his room, though he paused at the door. That feeling of ice in his veins had reasserted itself. "Did she think Tim was dead?"
In the background, Bruce could hear the sound of Lucius taking the elevator. "Honestly... we didn't know what had happened to him," Lucius admitted in a low tone. "We weren't sure exactly what Jack was capable of back then."
Once inside his bedroom, Bruce immediately began to quickly gather his clothes to change. "Please Lucius. I want to help my son, but I need more information. Tell me what you know about Tim's parents and grandmother."
Author's Notes:
At first, I was going to make this a much longer chapter. However, midway through writing it, I decided to split this chapter into two parts, with another chapter taking place in the past splitting the differences. I really hope everyone is enjoying this tale so far. If anyone has any questions or comments, please feel free to post them. I'll do my best to answer them.
#tim drake#tam fox#tim/tam#red robin#fanfiction#wip#rr: in hindsight#batfam#batfamily#lucius fox#bruce wayne
