The Curious Case of Tim Drake

VIII

Tim held his arm after Bruce, once again, took another syringe full of blood.

His eyes watered and he cried every time the man took out a needle. He wanted to be with Jason right now. Not with these people. They were poking him with needles and he was scared. Plus what the other man named Dick had said about Jason not being his daddy had upset him.

He sat on a cold metal table, Dick sitting next to him. The man had been trying to make conversation with him, but he just didn't want to talk to anyone. He wanted Jason, that's all...

But, Tim liked the older man that was always in the kitchen. Alfred. He liked him. He was nice and made Tim laugh sometimes. And he didn't poke him with things like the Bruce man did.

"Anything?" Dick's voice asked once Bruce returned to the table.

Bruce shook his head, "Nothing. There's nothing in his bloodstream that indicates his deaging."

Tim had heard Jason say the same thing, but he never knew what it meant...

"I don't need to take anymore blood today," Bruce said simply looking at Tim and then at Dick. Tim sighed in relief and Dick jumped off the metal table. He turned around and helped Tim climb off.

Tim guessed that was a dismissal or something because Dick started to lead him back up to the main floor of the manor.

He followed the man staring at the floor. His arm hurt from all the poking and Bruce had also pulled out some of his hair to use for testing. He stopped suddenly slamming into Dick's back.

Dick turned around and said, "You know what, Timmy? I just remembered something, go wait in the living room for me, ok?"

Tim nodded silently and went towards the living area of the manor. He climbed on the large couch and looked at the T.V. that was playing. It was on the news. Nothing interesting...just stuff about gas prices.

Tim looked back at the doorway when Dick returned to the room. He sat on the couch in front of Tim and the child could tell he had something behind his back.

He tilted his head and asked, "What do you have?"

Dick moved his arm and showed what he was holding. A teddy bear.

Tim's face lit up like a light and he smiled exclaiming, "Grayson!"

Tim grabbed the bear and hugged it closely. He smiled at Dick and asked, "Where'd you find him?"

"You left him in the hotel," Dick answered smiling back.

"Jason said he was going to get me a new one, but I got sick so he didn't get to," Tim mumbled.

"You got sick?" Dick asked.

Tim nodded,

"Yeah, it was real bad and it hurt a lot. But, I woke up a few days later, the day you and Mr. Wayne showed up, and I felt a lot better. I can kind of remember hearing a woman's voice. Not a voice like Kory's, but a different woman...Jason called her Talia. I couldn't really wake up though, they thought I was sleeping but I could hear fine."

Dick nodded a little confused. He would probably need to ask Bruce about that later. Instead he asked Tim, "Why'd you name the bear Grayson?"

Tim frowned,

"Oh...there were these people at the circus once called the flying Graysons...they would swing and catch each other. I even got to take a picture with the mommy, daddy, and the son. But, while the mommy and daddy were swinging they fell. And the son started to cry a lot. That's why I have bad dreams sometimes."

Dick grimaced and whispered, "do you remember the son's name?"

Tim shook his head, "No...he was probably really nice though."

Dick debated on whether or not he should tell Tim he was the son or not. He decided it would be best not to. It could just cause trouble with Tim and he didn't want that. The boy was finally calming down a bit.

Instead Dick just ruffled the child hair as he watched the play with the bear. He was glad Tim was a little happier then he had been...

Children need to be happy...

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Jason sat in the airport waiting for flight 33 to be called. Kory and Roy sat nearby, none daring to speak to Jason. They all knew the man was angry and they weren't about to set the ticking time bomb off.

Jason was fuming. His heart raced with anger. He knew in his head that they had Tim first, but all they were going to do was get the boy killed. That's all they were capable of doing when it came to children. He had grown close to the child. Closer than he had allowed himself with anyone ever before. Even Bruce.

Jason glared angrily at the ground when suddenly his communicator beeped. He pulled it from his pocket and answered gruffly, "what?"

"Jason, it's Talia," the voice said.

Jason sighed, "What?" he said in a slightly nicer tone.

"Well, I thought it would be nice of me to inform you that we were able to find a way to reverse the child's condition, if you would like the cure I could meet you somewhere." Her voice replied.

Jason looked down at the floor shocked. A cure? They had actually figured out something that not even Batman could? He pondered on whether he wanted it or not...

'Why? Why would I do that? It'll just turn Tim back into his fifteen year old self. He would just go back to who he was and leave...That was selfish. I shouldn't think like that. But, all Bruce is going to do is get him killed...but what would Tim want? Would he want to go back to normal? Probably...but do I really want him to go back to normal?'

Suddenly Talia's voice entered his thoughts asking, "Jason? Are you there?"

"Yeah...I'm here," He mumbled back.

He had made his decision...