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The thing about legends is that they are all true, in their way. Every legend has a grain of truth in it. Every truth has a legend behind it. Some become well known, become a part of the collective communities’ stories and gain a life of their own, changed until they are so far removed from their truth they can't even be recognized anymore. And others, well others get forgotten.
This is a story of one of the forgotten legends.
It starts with a doll, a simple innocent doll left on a front porch. Pale peach fabric with black yarn hair and bright blue button eyes. It wears a mini outfit, a copy of Tim's own favorite outfit. The dark black jeans that he wears out in Gotham's cold nights, the dark long sleeved shirt is soft and inside out just how he always likes his shirts- no matter how much his mother complains the seams itch too much to bother with 'wearing them like a normal person.' It's always a struggle for him to put them on 'correctly' for the week or two that his parents stay in town between trips. The best part is it also has a replica of his favorite red hoodie it even has the little Robin emblem stitched on just like his does.
Tim looks at the doll, maybe his parents got it made for him. Maybe they didn't forget about his birthday, they just had to wait for his present to be finished. Sure the doll wasn't a Nikon 48 with telescopic lenses like he'd asked for, and it wouldn't have kept him entertained when he was three-much less now. But people always said 'it's the thoughts that count' right, so that meant this year, this year they actually thought about him. Tim picks up the doll.
What follows is a confusing adventure in a strange new world. Everything was made just for him. It's weird in a way that Tim can't describe. He knows something is off.
The family at the circus that befriends him, doing tricks and impossible flips just for him. He remembers them. He remembers them flying. He remembers them falling. Here they never fall and if they do they tumble into a cloud of pillows. There is no blood, no sharp cries of a distraught bird left high in the air with no parents and only a dark bat to take him into its nest. Instead he gets to be friends with a whole troupe of acrobats: a mom, a dad, their son, a host of cousins, aunts, and uncles too. It truly is a wonder.
The next night he comes and opens the door to the heart of Gotham. They are on top of one of his favorite rooftops, it’s a nexus point for three different patrol routes that Batman and Robin take. So it's one of his favorites to climb up and take pictures of his heroes. It's odd here too, not only is it a rare night that all of his heroes are out, Nightwing must be visiting from the nearby city he lives in now. Tim only thinks for a moment how impossible it would be for his new friend to be at the circus yesterday surrounded by his family being an acrobat, and then tonight to be with his Bat family on the streets of Gotham. He pushes that thought firmly to the back of his head, it's not important.
Instead he marvels as the three vigilantes do death defying stunts and laugh and joke with each other, all of them enjoying their peaceful night in the city. But even that has a tinge of improbability, the only time he'd seen all three bat's on the streets at the same time was because of the sheer chaos unleashed on the city when Ivy, Harley, Two-face, Riddler, Calendar Man and even Kite-man all sprung a plot on the same day.
The bats were run ragged trying to stop all of the different plots. Tim himself actually convinced Riddler to turn himself into the police. He ran across him on his way back home- he didn't stick around downtown if there were more than one of the major villain's out- and he won the bet between them. Riddler thought he could get a semi-willing hostage, too bad for him Tim was excellent at Riddles. Tim was almost sad he figured it out, it would have been so cool to be rescued by the bats.
The point was that here the bats didn't seem to be doing anything: there was no Killer Croc to catch, no schemes to foil, there were no muggers to stop, or kids to protect. They were just there… having fun. Tim went home slightly disappointed. Robin was magic and that magic was meant to protect people, not just stand around doing tricks.
He set the tiny button key down next to his camera and the doll with his robin hoodie. Something wasn't quite right. Something wasn't right about this at all but… Tim looked to the left out his window and saw the few lights in the distance illuminating some of the windows of Wayne manor… was it really a job for Batman and Robin? It's not like they didn't handle personal cases or small things from time to time, he'd seen Robin just last month get stopped by a little girl asking for help to find her lost dog. Robin escorted her all across the neighborhood until they found her corgi. So Tim knew they sometimes took on things that weren't to protect Gotham, but this… this just affected Tim. Tim wasn't lost, he knew where he was, so there would be no reason for them to help just Tim.
He fiddled with the key in his pocket, he looked at the door in front of him. Would they even believe him? His parents didn't even believe him when he said he was nine and a half instead of seven. He raised his hand to knock. Better not to risk it. Right? He lowered his hand. But maybe this was actually important. He raised his hand to knock. But was it important to BATMAN? He lowered his hand. He stood frozen in indecision debating with himself in an endless cycle of doubt.
"Geeze kid, are you ever gonna knock already?"
A Gotham drawl came from behind him. Tim did not squeak, he couldn't have possibly squeaked like a scared mouse in front of Robin, he would be embarrassed forever.
"So did you actually come here for a reason or is this just the world's lamest prank?" Jason continued.
Yep, Tim was embarrassed forever, it's official, he was never going to make it to double digits, might as well bury him now.
"I got a doll." Tim said.
Jason tilted his head to the left and squinted at him again.
"Oookaay?"
"I got a doll, it showed up on my porch, and I think it's cursed." Tim tried again.
Some of the confusion left Jason's face.
"Okay, but why did you bring it to us? Did you want to curse us?" Jason asked.
"No, I was trying to see if Batman could figure it out. It's just, it's magic right but Batman isn't magic, but he might know someone who could look at it, cause he’s on that team with all the other heroes. But it's not like it's going around cursing all of Gotham so it’s not like it’s a priority, it would just affect me. And I wouldn't bother it’s just… in stories it's always threes, and tonight would be the third night so …so if anything were to happen it would be tonight and …I …I don't want to DIE. If you say the wrong things in the stories you always die. I don't, I can't figure this one out.. I don't know what story it matches and an…"
"Alright baby bird, just breathe with me. Okay. One deep breath in and hold it… and now let it out." Jason interrupted. "You hear me, deep breath in and hold it … and now let it out. Good job, baby bird."
Tim was able to stutter his breathing back into rhythm. Oh yeah this was probably the worst first meeting he could possibly have with his heroes. Even being strung up over a vat of acid a la Joker would have been better than all this word vomit he just poured out all over his favorite Robin. At least it was better than real vomit, but the churning in his stomach said that was still a real possibility.
"Now, I'm not sure what we can do about this Creepy Dolltm thing but I do think this is a talk to B about it kind of thing." Jason turned and opened the front door.
"Come on, baby bird." he gestured to him to enter the Foyer.
"Hey B, we got a situation." Jason burst through the door to Bruce's study striding in with Tim following behind him like a little duckling.
Dick and Bruce look up from the paper's on the desk, Dick twists as if he has no spine keeping his seat half on the desk but turning to look at his new brother and his small minion.
"Who's your friend, little wing?"
"Nightwing." Tim breathed out in awe.
All three vigilantes froze for a tiny moment.
"You look a little short to be Nightwing there, kid." Dick jokes.
Tim blinked a moment then realized he said it out loud. His eyes get big and flit from Dick to Bruce to Jason to Bruce, they can practically see the 'oh I done fucked up' written in his eyes. It flickers away in a flash and Tim lets out a strangled laugh like it was an ill fitting coat choking him.
"Of course, I am. Um, my name is Tim."
"Tim, why did you need to see me?" Bruce asked.
"He was about to knock on the door to the manor for like twenty minutes out there, said he had to tell Batman something." Jason said, suddenly realizing that this kid might actually know something he shouldn't. "and his story was just weird enough I thought you should hear it to decide what to do."
Tim gulped, he may have not thought this through enough, he forgot he'd have to tell the bats that he knew their secret.
Okay well good thing was Batman does not kill so he should live, but there were a lot of things the human body can endure and still be alive, so he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Either way he should present the case, the rest of it can come after the case. Tim cleared his throat and stood up a bit straighter; his left hand kept rubbing the worn out cuff on his bright red hoodie.
"I had a doll show up on my porch, I thought it was a present from my parents so I brought it into the house. I should have known better, my birthday was three months ago, but they often forget or get the day wrong so it could have been."
Tim missed the concerned looks on Dick and Bruce's faces. Well actually he saw them but he thought they were upset about how he was such a stupid kid to be taken in by the doll, not that they were upset Tim's parents couldn't remember his birthday. Tim swallowed hard and moved on, it hurt to be judged by his heroes, he knew he wasn't worthy of their attention but it hurt to see it so clearly in their faces.
"A rat tried to steal the doll two nights ago, and I followed it, to a room that had never been in my house before, through a door I'd never seen before and into a tunnel. There was a Lady there she said to call her 'other mother' and that she'd make me a world of wonders."
His eyes flicked over to Dick who'd stood up sometime during the first bit of his story. "When I was little the circus came to Gotham one night, my parents took me but it was busy and loud and I ran away from them. And then I was crying in a pile of hay."
Dick was unnaturally still and his eyes went wide. "You were in Zitka's pen and she messed with your hair, you screamed so loud, and I told you it was fine it was just how she said hi."
Tim nodded. "And you stayed with me till they found me and then you promised to do your special somersault just for me."
Jason's eyes were darting between Tim and Dick wondering what in the world this had to do with the doll thing.
"So for the first wonder she created a circus, with all the Flying Graysons the whole troupe of acrobats they all looked… odd, they could do most of the tricks, but only the little boy could do the quadruple somersault and they all had buttons sewn over their eyes. But he promised he'd be my best friend, and he'd teach me all the tricks he knew."
Both Dick blinked a few times trying to keep from full out crying. He stood stiffly with his arms wrapped around himself in a poor semblance of a hug. Tim was a mirror image of the man, arms pulled tight around himself holding himself together.
"So I'm still missing something, but you both look like you need a hug and some of Alfie's hot chocolate immediately." Jason said.
"That sounds like a good idea, chum," Bruce said. He stood up and gently pulled Dick into a hug.
"Baby bird, can I give you a hug?" Jason asked.
He knew just because Tim looked like he needed a hug that didn't mean that he wanted one from a perfect stranger. Tim paused for a second pondering the question before he gave a shaky nod. Jason gently wrapped his arms around the small boy and enveloped him in a hug. Tim was stiff for a few moments before melting into the older boy.
Alfred bustles in a little while later with four mugs of hot chocolate, two plain, one covered in whipped cream and caramel, and the other with whipped cream marshmallows and chocolate sauce. He'd even brought a small dish of marshmallows, the whipped cream and the bottles of caramel and chocolate with him.
"I wasn't sure how you'd like your cocoa, young sir, you may choose any or all or none of the extras."
Alfred passed out the other cups to their respective recipients. Tim tapped the marshmallows and accepted the cup once it had an Alfred approved amount of the pillows of fluff on top. As soon as Alfred turned his back Jason snagged four more to put in Tim's cup. Alfred rolled his eyes at Jason's antics as he bustled the tray back out of the room.
After a few minutes Bruce spoke up.
"Did anything else happen, or was that the only weird thing surrounding the doll?"
Tim took another long sip of his chocolate, he put the mug on the coffee table. He was sure that his hand would shake too much if he tried to hold it during this part.
"I had to leave eventually and I went and checked the door. It had a weird little key and I turned it but it was just bricks behind again no tunnel. So I took the key and went to school. I'm not sure why I tried it again but umm, I was getting ready to go take pictures when I decided to try the key again. This time it opened into the middle of downtown. On top of the old Macy's building. It's one of my favorite places to take pictures from."
Tim opened his backpack and pulled out his camera. He hesitated before he turned it on, he knew this might be a really bad idea. He does it anyway. One of his recent pictures comes up on the small screen. He hears a gasp to his right as Jason sees a picture of himself, well Robin anyways, back lit by the moon in the classic wonder woman pose overlooking crime alley. There is enough of a glow to get a clear picture of his face, the pride, and fierce love that Jason has for the inhabitants of the streets is evident in his face.
It was one of Tim's favorite pictures. A week ago he took that picture right after Jason helped a few street kids beat back an older gang of kids that were trying to bully them into joining their gang. Jason was so proud of the small group he couldn't help but gushing to Batman about how they had adopted the youngest on the streets and were sticking together to protect each other. It was beautiful and heartbreaking all at the same time.
"After the circus I had really bad insomnia, some nights it would be fine some nights it wouldn't. My parents got tired of my nightmares pretty quick. They started taking longer trips out of town and drugging me to sleep when they were in town."
Tim thumbs through the pictures as he starts his story. He pauses on one of the earliest photos of the memory card. It wasn't as good as the later ones, the exposure and lighting not as well suited for the dim surroundings and a bit blurrier on the motion but still clearer than any other amateur photos of the dynamic duo.
Batman clearly exhausted with a young Dick Grayson as Robin at his side. Dick was hopped up on sugar, or caffeine, or hell-maybe he actually got a face full of crack during a bust. All Tim remembers was the bubbly tiny sidekick was literally bouncing circles around a Batman who was almost too tired to stand. The dichotomy between the two was what made him want to take a picture of it. The somber colors of Batman's uniform with the weary posture versus the bright and lively Robin. He was caught mid-leap with the bright yellow cape streaming behind him so that it really did look like a small bird fluttering around an old tired vulture.
"We lived in the town house back then, so I would take my camera to our rooftop to take pictures of Gotham asleep. Then one night I saw them, Batman and Robin. I took a picture of them, I couldn't believe it. There were hardly any photos of Batman at all, and none had been published of Robin at that time. It became a habit. Anytime I couldn't sleep I would head to my roof and hope to see them again."
Bruce wasn’t sure he liked the conclusions that his mind was leading him to. From the look of some of those pictures Tim hadn't stayed on his own roof for very long. How long had the child been going out into Gotham at night unsupervised, just to take pictures of him and his sons? Plus if Tim followed the pattern he had last time that would mean that he'd seen their bat personas in the 'other world.' Did he even want to know how some supernatural creature would reinvent them?
Bruce wanted nothing more than to wrap the tiny clever too small waif of a child in cotton wool and protect from all harm.
Tim paused on another picture; it had been a tricky shot. It was probably his absolute favorite picture. The part that made it tricky was almost as much the stealth and luck needed to pull it off as it was the lighting and technical aspects of night time photography.
The thing that Tim loved about this picture was the fact that it was a golden moment, Nightwing had taken Robin out on Patrol. It had been two brothers bonding in one of the few ways that they knew how. Robin had been having an off night, everything was just slightly wrong; a touch too slow here, and inch too far left on the dodge, his aim just a hair off. Minor errors that had embarrassed and made him doubt his skills and worth.
Nightwing had gotten them both ice cream and sat with Robin on the roof and told him about all the times he messed up, ruffled his hair and told it would be okay. Nightwing was paused mid-hair ruffle with a boisterous grin on his face. Jason was pulling away but with a soft smile just beginning to appear on his cheeks.
What the two of them hadn’t known was that Batman had come back from his mission early and was standing behind his two children. As he was standing sentinel over the two laughing vigilantes the wind had taken hold of his cape flaring it out behind him pushing it out like wings hovering protectively over them both. You could see the protective father in every bit of his stance, a hint of pride and despite the mask, his face was nothing but pure love for the kids.
Tim took the shot from several buildings over and he managed to get a view of the city unfolding below them. The three of them perched over the quiet streets like ancient protectors. The gargoyles brought to life the bones of the city itself to guard the sleeping town.
"It felt like out there I was a part of something magical, something holy. Like just getting to witness the three of them was a blessing beyond compare. So it wasn’t really a surprise to me when they were presented to me the next night. It might have helped that I had my photo outfit on and had been planning on going out to see if the rumors that Nightwing was going to be in Gotham this week were true. Instead I tried the key and this time it opened another tunnel."
Tim shuddered a little. Reluctantly he pulled open the last photograph he'd taken. He was surprised that the camera had actually been able to take a picture in that 'other realm.' It was almost a twisted parody of his favorite picture. Three vigilantes and the city below them. A laughing Nightwing teasing a slightly grumpy Robin. Batman behind them cape extended. It should have been perfect but it wasn’t. The expressions on their faces told a completely different story than the other photo.
The button masks for their eyes shouldn't have been able to be expressive at all but they were. The laughter on Nightwing's face seemed to hold a cruelty not present on the original's face. Robin's grumpiness barely concealed the anger and malice that had no place on a child who only wanted to protect others.
Batman's face was what had really frightened Tim. It was that which made him realize there was so much more going on than he might have known before. He'd seen Batman's face a hundred times, seen it filled with sorrow and exhaustion, pride and hope. He'd never in his life seen it filled with the twisted hunger and greed that was on the 'other' Batman's face.
"They were all there, all three of them, and this time when I went to take pictures they actually saw me. They came over to where I was and they played with me. But… But Robin is magic…" Tim looks up for the first time and stares earnestly into their eyes.
"Robin is magic, because he helps people, he saves them. The Bat's they are the guardians of Gotham, they are the ones who make the night safe again. These ones they didn't… they didn't do anything, they didn't protect anyone. They weren't there to help. They were just playing around, and that is cool and fine in the quiet times but … but if they aren't there to protect what are they there for?"
Tim wasn't sure if he could get them to understand exactly how unsettled the night had made him. Sure he'd always wanted them to accept them, to treat him like a part of them. But when he got everything he wanted he realized how flat it was. How weird it was for them not to be filling their basic purpose.
Then when he got home and saw the picture and he saw their faces through the lens he realized how wrong it all was. He hadn't seen the greed or the cruelty or the anger last night but in the harsh light of day it was clear these 'other' bat's were nothing like their counterparts.
"When I looked at my pictures this morning I realized something was very very wrong there, so I decided I needed to tell Batman." Tim looked back down at his hands afraid to look up at his heroes. He couldn't handle the looks of disbelief or worse yet the looks telling him how dumb he was to be made a fool of by a doll.
"Why did you come here Tim?" Bruce said gently.
"Because you're Batman, Dick is Nightwing and Jason is Robin, and you’re the only ones in Gotham that could possibly help me." Tim's blue eyes were filled with an innocent hope and absolute trust.
"Why do you think that I'm Batman Tim?"
"Because you are. That night at the circus they said… they said that the Grayson family were some of the only ones who could do quadruple somersaults. After that night there were only three in the world who could do them and only one lived in the US. And when I saw Robin do a quadruple somersault on the news I knew, I knew who it was." Tim looked over at Dick.
"…and then there was no more Robin. Then when Dick moved to Bludhaven, there was a new Hero that could move just like the old Robin did. When Bruce adopted a kid named Jason the next month there was a new Robin. He didn't move quite the same way as the old one but he had the same compassion and heart as he did. And now Robin watches out for all the street kids and working girls and Robin is Magic."
Tim turned to look at Jason and his eyes lit up with a hero worship so strong it could light up the Bat signal all by itself.
"You're a very smart kid Tim. There aren't that many people who would be able to figure it out like that." Bruce said.
"So you'll do it, you'll help me? You believe me?" Tim gaped up at him like that was the most incomprehensible thing in the world that they would actually be willing to help him.
"Sure thing, baby bird," Dick ruffles his hair already mentally adopting this small weird little genius as his newest little brother
"We will need to take a look at this doll and then see if we can catch whatever is building this 'other' world and find out what it wants. It might just actually be completely harmless." Bruce said.
All three of the boys looked at him in disbelief.
"It's not probable, but it's not an impossibility either."
Tim reached for his book bag and passed Bruce the doll. No one was sure if it was a trick of the light or if the Doll's button eyes actually glinted with malice. Despite none of them being certain Bruce held the possible curse object gingerly vowing to put it in a lead lined box as soon as they reached the cave.
The four of them trouped down to the cave, and thus began one of Tim’s greatest adventures. Little did he know that it was only the beginning, that the three of them wouldn’t be able to resist adopting the tiny genius. That eventually he would become a part of the team of vigilantes in a way he hadn’t even dared to dream. He would find a home and a family that loved him. That he himself would become a part of a new story and eventually become a legend himself. All because he picked up a doll on his front porch thinking it was a belated birthday present.
As for the creature on the other side of the wall, well some things are best left forgotten. But remember this if you ever find a mysterious doll dressed exactly like you, cloth and fabric burn easily but make sure you get rid of the button eyes lest you find yourself trapped in a world of wonders and terror.