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Tim sometimes felt as though his life was some kind of movie with the most out of pocket shit happening to him. Yes he had gone off the grid after a nasty fight with Dick. Dick could shove his concern about Tim's coping habits up his arse if he didn't even try to stop Damian's attempts on Tim's life. If his siblings didn't believe him Tim could just go out on his own. Red Robin would get Batman back all by himself. He didn't need them to hinder his progress or them to tear down his self esteem even more so than it already is.
Maybe trying to find batman all on your own when you aren't even sure how his death was faked, was not the best idea he ever had. But to his defence how could he have known that the heists he pulled off around the world, trying to find artifacts that can locate Bruce would attract the attention of an immortal cult leader.
He can not be at fault when the universe clearly just wants to fuck with him. So he was taken by the league of Assasins and found out his spleen was now missing. Wonderful, great, just absloutely fucking fantastic. At least he was treated fairly nice in Nanda Parbat even though he didn't get why. One of those weird niceties was Tim and Ras Al Ghul's daily chess sessions.
Tim was trying to understand what Ras Al Ghul planned to accomplish with their daily chess sessions. “Detective, you are not paying enough attention”, Al Ghul said as he placed his next move. This pulled Tim abruptly out of his thoughts. He could not be unfocused while sitting here with the Demon head himself. A man who had killed others for lesser crimes. “I apologise Ras I was just puzzled about whatever you believe you will accomplish by keeping me company. As I am already helping you take down the Council of spiders, I don't see what other use I could have for the leader of the League of Assassins”, Tim said trying to placate the man's anger.
“Oh Timothy have you still not realised. For somebody who figures everything about everyone else out, you are very clueless to your own potential, aren't you. A mind as sharp und fine tuned as yours would be hard to come by anywhere. But your extensive training under Batman and Lady Shiva herself makes you a very interesting specimen”, Ras said while grinning like a madman.
“I will not join you. My loyalties lie with the bat.”
“Well I have all the time in the world to convince you. Check mate”, Ras said while placing his final move.
Exhausted Tim asked him whether he could excuse himself as he still needed to collect information on Bruce's whereabouts.
-----at the Justice League watchtower-----
The Flash had called an emergency meeting. No one knew what it was about but it was of the highest priority. Everyone was present as Barry started, “As of an hour ago we have received a data package titled BatmanIsNotDead which seems to contain all of the information needed to locate Batman who has been lost to the time stream for the past year.”
As he said those words the room fell utterly silent, until Superman asked, “Where did this information come from? Who sent it to us and most importantly is there any evidence”
“It is full of evidence and calculations predicting Batman´s next appearance in our time line where we can get him back. The sender used one of the access codes Batman had given Red Robin but the location from which the file must have been send could not be located.”
“We need to prepare to save Batman”
“Someone needs to contact the other Gotham vigilantes”
-------- Tim--------
When you have been captured by a criminally insane cult leader who does not shy away from killing you if the disadvantages outweigh the benefits, you need to win his trust before concocting your own revenge. So Tim ever the paranoid genius helped the league of assassins by getting rid of the council of spiders at the same time he used the same resources needed to get rid of the council to plan the eradication of Ras´s most important bases of operation while wiping out his cult. Getting the needed information to the Justice league had not been the hardest part. No the hardest part was yet to come. How could he escape the Demon head’s attention. It was as though Ras Al Ghul truly believed that flattery and promises of wealth and power would bring Tim over to his side.
But that was only fortunate for Tim as he was given freedom due to Ras Al Ghul´s complete arrogance with which he never even thought about the possibility of Tim betraying him without the Demon head noticing.
Tim blew up over half the leagues operations so that Ras Al Ghul was distracted when he finally fled. He knew that today was the exact day Bruce would be extracted from the time stream.
So Tim realised this would be the perfect opportunity to finally leave the vigilante mask behind. Now that Gotham had Nightwing, Batman, Robin and even Red Hood Red Robin wouldn´t be needed anymore. Bruce could go back to being a father for his actual children.
Now Tim was free of his responsibility to the city that he could not bear to look at anymore. Not after Damian had tried to kill him and Dick ignored it. He could not trust Jason who had tried to kill him as well . Bruce who had never wanted Tim in the first place would not be burdened with him as long as Tim could help it.
His last mission as Red Robin had been to save Batman from the timestream and leaving the League of Assassins incapacitated once he escapes. Ras Al Ghul would rue the day he threatened him with Tam’s safety. Giving Tim access to all of the leagues resources would be the Al Ghul’s downfall.
----- Bruce back in Gotham----------
“God am I happy to be finally reunited with my family. I am so sorry for what you had to go through son, but now we can weather the storm” Bruce said as he started by hugging Dick and Damian.
Dick just stood there holding Bruce tightly as though he would disappear if he were to let go of him now, as though he could be a cruel joke of his mind.
“Dickie that is quite enough”, Bruce mumbled while patting him on the back. “Where is Timmy? I have not heard from him since I have arrived here”, Bruce then asked Dick worry laced into his every word.
“I… I don´t know. We lost contact a few months ago. He… He was manic. Snapping at anybody who questioned him. We saw you die B. Tim lost it, after I passed the mantle of robin to Damian. Nobody could reason with him and Gotham was in absolute shambles. I tried sending Cass after him but even she could not reason with him. B everything went to shit. Afterwards Cass left for Hoing Kong stating that she couldn´t work with a Batman who is not her Batman”, Dick said as he started panicking.
“Tsk Tsk, you don’t need Drake now that I am here father”, Damian haughtily said.
Bruce started frowning and asked, “What do you mean by that? Are you telling me that we have no idea whatsoever where in the world Tim could be? Tim who sent all the information we needed to save me to the Justice League…” Dick looked surprised , but then he felt pure fear at the thought of where in the world. At the same time Damian felt confused. Why did his father care about the imbecile Drake. He was in Damian’s way and had to be eliminated to ensure his place in the hierarchy at his father’s home.
When it became clear that Dick didn’t have any new information since four months ago, Bruce tried calling Tim but it kept going to voice mail. Bruce was growing concerned so he hurried to the batcave to contact him on his emergency line. Again the call didn´t go through. Now he was fully panicking. He could not bear to lose another son. He could not lose Timmy when he had saved him even though he was a child himself. He checked the tracker Tim was supposed to always carry but the location it showed was the batcave. As Bruce got closer to the red dot on the screen he felt the world shifting on its axis. There in a box in the back of the cave the tracker that was supposed to always be on Tim's person lay in box with his panic button.
Right on top of it there was a single file.
Why did Tim´s equipment lay here abandoned? Nothing about this made sense. A small voice in the back of his mind started whispering about Tim leaving this absolute hellhole.
Bruce reached for the file. He had hoped for some kind of explanation, a reason, something to hold onto. As he read the title on the first paper Bruce reeled away from shock.
Last Will and Testament of
Timothy Jackson Drake-Wayne
His legs felt numb as he fell to his knees. Silently tears started to pour. Bruce stayed there for hours as he kept combing through the papers as though they would answer his questions. Each paper showing contingency after contingency, but no explanation. Dick called Barbara to look for Tim but to her shock every single digital file to have ever existed of Red Robin was gone. There was nothing left. Each report that had been signed by Red Robin was now titled unknown vigilante. Every case he did as Robin was the same. It seemed as though all the traces that Tim had been a vigilante had been erased from existence. The testament seemed to mock their agony telling them that Tim wished burn his identity down.
The next day it was all over the news.
Timothy Drake-Wayne CEO of Wayne Enterprises and heir to the Drake fortune missing
While Gotham descended into madness Tim was making sure he left not a single hair leading to his new identity. He would make sure that either Ras Al Ghul nor the Bats would ever find out where he went.
The league was after him but it wasn’t like he could trust the Bats with his life. Not when they themselves were a danger to his continued survival.
Before Damian cut his line or Jason tried to kill him Tim might have stayed at the manor after they moved in. He might have even stayed if Dick or Batman had at least talked to Tim about how he felt about Jason staying with no safety protocols. How could Tim relax when two of his supposed brothers regularly threatened him with physical violence for existing in their space. Dick and Bruce would just underplay their actions.
Getting Bruce back was his last courtesy to the people he once called family. Tim might have been a Wayne in the last few years but he had been raised by Janet Drake. She had taught him that a Drake could forgive but never forget. Fool me once shame on you but fool me twice shame on me. The Wayne family had already lulled him into a false sense of security once. They would not be able to do that again.
There was nothing left for Tim Drake or Red Robin. The Teen Titans were dissolved after Kon’s and Bart’s death. Being a vigilante had brought nothing but anguish and death into Tim’s life. There was no reason for Tim to keep going. Still Tim had become an adrenaline junkie. He could not live a civilian life but he could try getting justice like a normal person. He could go to college and pursue the interest he had before the vigilante business took over his whole life. Maybe he would try the whole world renowned thief thing. He already had experience considering his escapades as Alvin Draper and Caroline Hill.
Tim’s new identity had been in the works for a month since Alvin Draper and Caroline Hills were both already on a most wanted list at Interpol. The new alias was going to be Neal Caffrey.
Chapter two
No one could deny that Neal was unbelievably intelligent and resourceful. Who else could say that the FBI didn’t realise they were a famous missing Billionaire’s son. He had been working with them for a year now and they had been chasing him even longer. It was absolutely absurd how Neal’s disguise had been holding up. But that was even better for Neal and as his father used to tell him “Don’t look a gift horse into the mouth.”
Neal was getting ready for another day at the bureau in his apartment at June’s when he heard his phone ringing.
“Hi Peter, why are you calling so early?”, Neal asked.
“I am going to pick you up like half an hour earlier. Hughes said there is an important meeting about one of the paintings we acquired on your last field mission. The one where you said that the painting was giving you bad vibes. Whatever that means.”
“Oh alright I was about to be finished anyway. Are you near here? I can come downstairs if you want me to.”
“Yeah I am about to round the corner to your apartment. You can come downstairs. Hughes sounded very impatient when he called me.”
“I am coming down ,bye”
“Bye”
As he hung up the phone Neal made his way downstairs. There was a weird nagging feeling on the back of his neck. It was as though he was missing something crucial. There had been something unsettling about that painting. He just couldn’t understand why it seemed so familiar to him.
Peter arrived right as Neal had reached the street. He quickly entered the car and they left for the bureau.
Hughes had already called the rest of the white collar team into the meeting room when Peter and Neal arrived.
As they walked in Hughes deeply sighed. “Why is it that every time something fishy happens here you are involved Caffrey?”, Hughes said exasperated. “We sent the painting into a forensic lab after you acted so weird about it and you know what information came back”, as Neal shrugged Hughes continued, ”Classified. The information is apparently even above my pay grade. I didn’t even know anything white collar related could be above my clearance level. Somebody with more clearance than I have will be coming here to inform us about this very sensitive information because they think it is imperative that we inform them immediately next time we find something in similar nature. I don’t even want to know why you knew”
“I didn’t know per se. It just had a weird vibe to it”, Neal said. As he said that Hughes just sighed and told them to reread the casefile and wait.
Ten minutes passed when Hughes got a call and went out to presumably bring the person in who would clear up the confusion.
“Neal, I need you to be on your best behaviour here and for the love of god don’t antagonize a powerful government official”, Peter said. “I get it Peter and why would I even do that now. It’s not like I have history with suits other than you”, Neal said. Right as he said that Dick Grayson and Hughes entered.
“Dick?”
“Tim?”
Neal looked like he was about to bolt, so Peter held him. “Caffrey if you run away right now you will have to go back to the good old maximal security holding cell. Why are you freaking out and how do you know Agent Grayson? Did you con him? Is that why he calls you Tim? ”, Peter asked.
“I didn’t con him. ”, Neal said frustrated.
“Why would they think you would con me? What did you do in the past eight years?”, Dick asked.
“That is none of your fucking business”
“None of my fucking business? Are you being serious right now. I carried out your fucking will. You wouldn’t know now would you. You didn’t have the fucking decency to stick around after you fucking faked your death”, Dick screamed at him.
“Well I would have thought that you would understand I wanted nothing to do with you when I faked my death to get away? I left you all behind for a fucking reason. I was just thinking how well I had done for myself not getting exposed for 8 fucking years but no a white collar case brings you right back into my life. Fucking hell”, Tim screamed back at him.
“You don’t turn your back on family because you hit a rough patch. What the fuck is actually wrong with you? I see you after eight years and all you do is antagonize me for being upset that you left? “
“That’s rich coming from you. Family should always have each other back? What a joke. You wouldn’t know about loyalty if it came to hit you on your head. Your ego can’t handle it that I don’t worship the ground you walk on anymore. Too fucking bad. You don’t remember how easily you replaced me or how you called me crazy? Even though I was right. How ironic it was that everyone I ever trusted thought I was insane and needed help because you said so? How is it going with the literal demon spawn you chose instead of trusting me? Or should I ask about the well being of the guy who wanted to murder me? You act as though I am the first one of us who faked their death”, Tim spat out. Dick looked like someone had punched the air out of his body. As quickly as he had become angry, Dick realised he had horribly fucked up.
Tim spun around and twisted out of Peter’s hold on him. He ran towards the window and jumped out.
“Neal!”, Peter screamed after him. Before Dick could run after him, his cover as a simple representative be damned three FBI agents had grabbed him.
“Now you will tell us how you know our Criminal informant. Neal Caffrey is an infamous international forger, art thief and money launderer”, Peter said.
“You need to let me go he is going to vanish if we don’t go after him right now”, Dick said struggling to get them of himself.
“You can go after him after we know why you want to get to him so fast. We already dispatched a group of elite FBI agents to go after him”, Peter answered.
“My name is Dick Grayson as you already know. For eight years now my adopted brother Tim Drake-Wayne has been presumed dead. We were working for the JLA. He was uncovering a conspiracy regarding the untimely death of a hero and found out that they were in fact not dead but lost in the time stream. Nobody believed him so he went off the grid. For months we didn’t hear anything from him until a message with his security codes came through. He sent us all the evidence and information needed to get the hero back but we couldn’t find him anywhere. The only thing we found was his old uniform and his last testament”, Dick told them.
While they were trying to digest this information they let go of him. The moment they did that Dick went to the window trying to figure out where he could have possibly gone.
“Mr Grayson follow me. You and I are going to catch Neal before he leaves the country.
It’s a race against time and the odds are not in Tim’s favour. “Mozzie I need you to get to my apartment asap. Neal Caffrey has to vanish. Where did you put the identities we forged for our escape to Europe?”, Tim said on the phone.
“I have them with me. Come to my apartment I will get you out of here asap”, Mozzie said as he ended the call.
Keep calm. That is Tim’s mantra as he prays for Dick not to think of involving other superheroes. Right before he crosses the street to Mozzies safe house Superman stands right before Tim. If Superman is here, then Dick and also Batman won’t be long.
Speaking of the devil, Dick suddenly stands right behind him. Next to him Peter stands there staring at Tim as though he couldn’t believe what was happening right now.
“Tim I understand that you’re mad at us but please stop running. I am sorry. That’s the first thing I should have said to you. I shouldn’t ha.ve blown up. You didn’t deserve that and everything you said back there was also deserved but please don’t shut me out again. I can’t bear losing you again”, Dick pleaded.
“I do not believe that you need me anymore. There is no need for me to stick around, after all your family was whole again after I brought him back. Peter I know this must be very confusing to you but I lived quite a different life before turning to a life of crime”, Tim said cooly, having regained his composure after his first emotional outburst. Dick’s presence had reopened old wounds. In his presence he felt like the abandoned 17 year old again and not a seasoned vigilante/ internationally known thief.
“What was your plan in bringing Superman here? Did you think that as long as you can keep me here we can play happy family?”, Tim sneered.
“You have every right to be mad at me but Bruce was devastated when he realised you were gone. I had just brought him home and he kept asking about you. When I couldn’t answer any of his questions he went to the batcave thinking we just had a normal disagreement. The only thing he found was your old uniform and your will. He scoured the city tying to find anything on your whereabouts and how you even found him, but he kept hitting dead ends. The things we told him about the time of his disappearance just worried him even more. He is convinced he failed you and he is on his way. He just wants to know you’re safe”, Dick said. His demeanour had completely changed from before.
Tim had known that it was only rational that Bruce had looked for him. Even if it came from a misplaced sense of duty towards the boy who saved him. Tim had once hoped he could become a proper part of their family. He thought that once he was adopted he would be a real part of this family. To hell with that logic. It doesn’t matter whether you are legally family or not. Real familial ties are built upon trust. Trust he had in Mozzie and trust which he had slowly built with the white collar department.
“I am not sorry for leaving. It was the best thing I could have ever done. I built a new identity and a new life. Why did you feel the need to confront me when I was clearly avoiding you?”, Time asked, a finality in his voice, Dick wasn’t used to.
“I thought I could get my little brother back”, Dick said, voice breaking, “I am so unbelievably sorry for the role I played in your alienation from the family but please give us another chance.”
Dick tried taking a step towards Tim but he instinctively backed away. “You can’t make me forgive you. I don’t need you barging into my new life. If you even actually knew me you wouldn't have carelessly said my real name when you didn't know what I was doing there”, Tim argued.
“They already know now that you were affiliated with the Justice League. I couldn’t let them think you had conned the JL”, Dick said, “You could return but please just give us the chance to redeem ourselves.”
Tim sighed.
“I will not become a vigilante again and that is final. Ras Al Ghoul has probably found me because of your rashness .Did you think I only left because I was upset. Yes I didn’t like staying at the manor but I also made quite a few enemies. I literally cannot stay so please don’t make this even harder than it is. I don’t trust you you guys with my life and I need to leave right now”, Tim said warily.
"How can you say that when we have just reunited, we could help and protect you", Dick said.
"The same way you protected me while Bruce was in the time stream? I nearly died Dick. I don't have a spleen anymore because I was empaled by an assasin, because no one believed me back then", Tim said laughing.
The sarcasm tasted bitter on Dick's tongue. "You lost your spleen. I didn't know."
"I didn't want you to know. So please just leave. I know you grieved me but I don't need you and I don't want to need you anymore", Tim said.
As Dick watched Tim's retreating back, a silent tear rolled down his cheek. Just as he had found his little brother he had lost him again. It was as if he had never found him. Only the echo of their relationship remained in his memories.