Chapter Five of Reality Shift.

Warnings: Character Death, AU/Alternate Universe, Alcohol, Cussing, Violence.

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, they belong to DC comics! If I owned them, this wouldn't be a fanfiction. Duh.

OKAY! I am super sorry about how long it took me to update. I had some major life changing events going on. Here is the long awaited chapter 5. Also a warning that I will be moving this fanfiction over to AO3 under the same title, author name Ellery_Almasy. Thank you everyone who waited so patiently!

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"How is he?"

"Asleep, and doing well." Alfred responded with a sigh.

Bruce gave him a small curt nod glancing at the door to the spare room where they'd laid down the teenager. His alternate ego from the universe Jason had come from, was down in the cave with the other hero, looking for the next location Joker would probably move into; leaving Bruce to play nurse while Alfred stitched up the boy. Richard Grayson had slipped in and out of consciousness during the stitching, but he'd barely uttered a sound. Either he was tougher than Bruce had given him credit for or the boy was just too out of his mind to notice that Alfred had cut open his side to retrieve bullet fragments and patch up the damage inside. It wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, but it had taken Alfred a bit to realize that the main shell had already been removed.

"That boy is something else, eh Master Bruce?" Alfred said with a chuckle.

"He's just a teenager." Bruce replied calmly.

"A teenager who instead of having a mental breakdown and hiding behind the police, has done everything in his power to take care of his own problems." Alfred pointed out. "Reminds me of someone."

" When this is over he'll probably return to normal civilian life." Bruce said rolling his eyes. "His only desire is to get revenge on Joker."

"You're wrong."

Bruce raised an eyebrow looking at Jason as he came into the room, carrying a book he'd borrowed from Bruce the night before. He scowled at him as he put it back onto the shelf.

"How do you mean?" Bruce asked rolling his eyes at the younger man. He was growing weary of the kids constant sass.

"Dick doesn't like revenge… he's only going after Joker cause he has to." Jason said looking him in the eye. "That boy is fighting hard to stop Joker, so his little brother will have something to go home too when this is over."

"You can't tell me that part of this isn't revenge." Bruce said scowling.

"You know how people who want revenge act Bruce. You know how unreasonable and driven they are. Dick doesn't want revenge, he just wants him gone. He wants him locked up." He said with a scowl. "He didn't even go after the man who killed his parents Bruce; When he found Joker crawling around that vent, he didn't try to jump out and handle him by himself, he got away and called for backup."

"Sir, I'm afraid I'll be taking his side for this matter. That boy has done nothing, you would not have. Especially if you had had someone to look after." Alfred chipped in.

"And I wouldn't expect him to return to a completely normal life…"Jason chuckled. "I gave him that mask, and I taught him to fight… he might calm down for a while… but then he's going to be right back out there catching criminals, because he's good at it. He may not know it yet, but eventually… he won't be able to stop himself."

Bruce narrowed his eyes at him. That was exactly what Gotham didn't need; a teenager vigilante with minimal fighting experience, and nearly no training. Judging by Jason's tone, he'd known that would happen from the start, but guys like him didn't really account much for the future, just what could be done in the present. Jason didn't offer any more insight either, he left the room, heading down to the cave again.

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Dick groaned as he opened his eyes, wincing at the sun light pouring over his face. He was in a room he didn't recognize. As he tried to sit up, his side burned in protest. The teen swung his legs out of the bed and frowned. He was dressed in a pair of grey sweat pants and a black t-shirt, lifting the hem he grimaced at the bandaging around his waist. He rubbed his eyes and let out a slow sigh. Right, he'd had another run in with the Joker and had gotten banged up again.

He looked around the room, noting that it was completely devoid of furniture other than the bed he was on and a chair by the window. He could only assume he was somewhere safe, Jason's leather jacket was draped over the chair and there was an empty glass next to the leg of the chair. Standing up he walked to the window and looked out at the wide grounds, a huge gate centered in a brick wall helped him pinpoint his whereabouts. Bruce Waynes manor. Dick wrinkled his nose, at this point he didn't really want to be in anymore debt to the man, but it was what it was. Slowly he made his way to the door, one hand over the wound on his hip to try and stop the sharp throb whenever he took a step. He had to find Jason, or Tim, heck even the butler Alfred would be good.

"Hello?" He called, wincing at his own raspy voice.

Nothing.

Dick made it down the stairs with minimal pain and slowly found his way towards the kitchen. It was starting to get dark outside, which probably meant Jason was somewhere getting ready to go out as Red Hood. Dick rested against the counter letting out another long sigh. He felt like he'd been run over or something, then again with the amount of hits he took and the explosions that had caught him, he was surprised he wasn't in more pain.

The teen pulled open a few cupboards, finding himself a cup to get some water. He found his attention drawn to the door, just as Bruce entered the kitchen. He frowned, eyes sweeping over the teen.

"You should be resting." He commented dryly.

"I'm fine, don't worry about it." Dick sighed, lifting himself onto the stool next to the counter with a small wince. "It actually hurts less than my leg did when I fractured it."

"You'll pull your stitches if you're not careful." Bruce pointed out with a sigh of his own.
"Jason says he can fight with a bullet wound to his chest. I think one in the side should be something I try not to keep me down." Dick retorted, brushing his fingers over where the wound was. "I'm not going out on patrol obviously, so don't worry about it… You're the Bruce from this reality, right?"

He nodded and rolled his eyes at him, passing the teen to get into the fridge. He pulled an unmarked can and opened it, setting it in front of him.

"What is that… beer?" Dick guessed, eyeing it like a child might stare down vegetables.

"Absolutely not, I don't let alcohol in my home." Bruce explained, leaning on the counter across from him. "That is a specially mixed medicine. I usually drink one every time I get shot, or something broken. Its like a medical protein shake. .. without the steroids."

Dick eye'd the older man uncertainly before relenting and taking a drink. His face pinched in disgust, but he forced himself to chug it down. Once finished, he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand.

"You didn't tell me it tasted awful!" Dick said, voice strained as he tried to forget the taste.

"I figured you wouldn't drink it if I told you that…." Bruce said with a small smirk at the boy. "The fact you drank it in one go is surprising."

"That was gross…" Dick repeated pushing the empty can towards him. "Uck, remind me never to trust anything you hand me again."

Bruce smiled briefly and shook his head.

"So… where is everyone?" Dick asked, arching an eyebrow. "I at least expected Alfred to be up here… or Tim."

"Jason fixing his car, and Alfred has been giving Tim lessons on how to throw knives apparently." Bruce explained with a small frown. "Not my idea."

"Cause that's exactly what he needs to know how to do." Dick mumbled, lifting his water glass to his forehead, enjoying the coolness against his skin.

"I was having a conversation with Jason earlier… About what we think you'll do after this Joker business is taken care of and he's returned to his world." Bruce pulled one of the stools closer and sat down, crossing his arms on the counter. "I'd like to discuss it with you."

Dick brushed his hair out of his face, letting out a long groan. He thought about what he'd do afterwards a lot, but he still couldn't seem to decide his best course of action. Jason had secured their apartment at least for the time being, but Dick would have to check it thoroughly for traps when this was all over, he didn't really think Joker would go after it at first, but Dick was pretty sure he'd rig the apartment just for the laugh.

"I'm not completely certain yet… getting another job is probably my best bet. I have to get Tim back into school, if they don't kick us from the program because of how much time he's spent out of class…" Dick rubbed his temples, scowling. "Tim's got a trust fund from his father, but he can't get into that until he's eighteen, and I'd rather him have a scholarship or two before he gets to college. I'm going to need to find some way to work and go to school…"

"What about Robin?" Bruce asked.

"Robin? Well… I don't know…" He admitted, reaching down to touch his side. "I like being a hero… but my little brother has to come first before I can start thinking about fighting crime."

"Its not an easy life. Especially not if you're going to be building one of your own at the time." Bruce pointed out, tapping his fingers on the counter top.

"Yeah… So, I'm not certain. Maybe Robin will come back… when Tims older and we're more stable, but for now, Robins just here to send Joker back to his own world.

"I'm surprised you don't want the Joker dead…" Bruce remarked tentatively.

Dick paused, frowning at the comment. He had thought about it, about wanting the Joker dead for destroying his life so easily, but he didn't want to be that person. He didn't want to be consumed by hate and revenge.

"As much as he might deserve it… at the end of the day whats the difference between him dead, and him gone?" Dick asked with a conflicted expression. "Yeah there's a part of me that really thinks he needs to die, but it won't change what he's done… I'll let Jason figure that one out."

Bruce stared at him for a while, making Dick a little uncomfortable. He slipped off his seat and cleared his throat. "So, uh, I'm gonna hobble my broken self down to see how Tim is doing."

"Don't rip a stitch." Bruce warned, allowing him to go with no argument.

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"Dick!"

Tim grinned as he rushed his adoptive brother, he didn't jump on him, he knew the older teen was hurt, but he did hug him tight. Dick smiled and returned the gesture, ruffling his hair.

"Dick, seriously. Do I need to introduce you to concept of ducktape?" Jason asked, looking up from the hood of his borrowed vehicle. "Usually when someone is injured, they stay in bed."

"I'm fine Jay." Dick chuckled, running his hands through the ten year olds hair.

"Jasons kinda right Dick, you got shot, shouldn't you be in bed?" Tim asked, looking Dick over.

"This entire place is full of worriers." Dick snorted, rolling his eyes. "Its not like I came down here for training. I just wanted to check on everyone, and not stay laying like a log in that room… Besides I want updates."

Jason nodded with a small sigh. "Later…" He promised. "How about for now, Tim tells you about what he's been up too, and we get you sitting down before Alfred catches you up and about."

The trio made their way back up to the main manor, it amazed Dick how well hidden the cave was, especially for how big the house was, but he didn't get to dwell on it for long. Sitting down in the living area, Tim launched into stories about what Alfred had taught him, and how Bruce had a dog, and a lot of other things that the ten year old found just absolutely fascinating. Jason distracted himself on his cellphone, pretending to pay attention to Tim.

They were interrupted briefly by Alfred bringing them food. Dick smiled, and accepted some painkillers.

"So… I'm going out soon. We don't have any leads on Joker right now, but Gothams still got other problems, so until we get somewhere, I'm going to be helping Bruce clean up, while my Batman hunts down Joker." Jason informed him as twisted his drink in his hands.

"Alright… and you'll let me know as soon as you've got something right?" Dick inquired, getting a nod in return. "How long until I can go out and help again? A couple of days?"

"A week, minimal and that's if you don't pull the stitches and let it heal." Jason said scratching his cheek. "I'd say about two weeks until we can stop worrying about it. It was a shallow bullet."

"You're not Superman! You can't just go running around after bad guys after a week! You were shot!" Tim blanched at the idea.

"Kid… I've met Superman, Dick's a lot less whiney than he is, so he should be good in a week or so…" Jason snorted.

"You met Superman!?" Dick and Tim asked in unison.

"Uh… Yeah… Batman… Justice League… They kinda all get together on occasion." Jason laughed a little at the two's amazement. "Trust me… the guys kinda pretentious."

"I wanna meet Superman! Hey, do you think if I asked really nicely grumpy will let me meet him or- NO! I wanna meet Wonderwoman!" Tim gushed, jumping up on the couch grinning. "Oh! Oh! And the Flash too!"

"Tim sit down!" Dick laughed. "Batman is not going to introduce you to the Justice League. Don't ask him, it'd be rude."

Tim's face and shoulders sunk and he flopped on the couch silently, pouting.

"Aww…. You sunk all his little duckies." Jason joked, nudging Tim with his foot. "Don't worry kid, keep living in Gotham and you're sure to meet some crazy people."

"I don't want to meet crazy people, I want to meet heros."

"Same thing." Jason stood up and stretched his arms, frowning a little. "I'm heading out speaking of crazy people… I've got to go leap off some buildings and fight some probably well armed mobsters."

"A typical night for Red Hood." Dick said with a smile.

"Get some rest." Jason said, pointing at him. "Tim, make sure your idiot of a brother doesn't do any stretchs or better yet, just take him out at the knees if he tries standing."

"Yes sir!" Tim said with a mock salute, turning onto his side to look at Jason as he headed for the door.

Dick rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. He let out a long sigh and relaxed into the couch cushions. He had to admit, it was weird not suiting up with Jason and heading out now. He'd been doing it for a few weeks now, and it already felt like a part of his schedule. Jason continued to tell him not to count the days, but he couldn't help it. It was so strange to know that it had been just over five weeks ago that he was a normal high school student, who was annoyed by his little brother and worrying over little things like if he was going to get detention for being late again.

"So how are you feeling?" Tim asked, watching his brother with a small frown. "You look really tired."

"I'm fine, really." Dick assured him, ruffling his hair.

"So you really got to fight the Joker?" Tim asked, tone quieting, Dick had the feeling he was told not to ask about it. Tim had always been able to talk to Dick and get an honest answer though, so it wasn't surprising if he wasn't listening.

"Yeah… And his girlfriend, Harley Quinn." Dick said smiling a little.

He shifted so he was sitting upright as much as possible before telling Tim about the previous night, fighting with Joker and the Batman. Tim's expression was pretty priceless, and Dick found himself rather proud of what he'd done as Robin so far.

"Its not all fun though Tim, I was actually pretty scared through most of it. I mean, I got shot and blown up." He explained, running his fingers through Tims hair.

"Well duh… but you still did it, isn't that what its suppose to be like?" Tim asked, scooting closer to rest his head in Dicks lap. "Dad said, being scared makes you pay attention, being fearless makes you make mistakes?"

Dick smiled and nodded at him.

"Exactly."

Tim was quiet again, staring at the roof as Dick relaxed. The ache in his side was subsiding a little bit, and he was starting to feel tired again. He didn't really remember when he fell asleep or how long it took him. Alfred came in to help him back up to the guest room at some point and Tim sat by his bed doing homework until Dick fell asleep again.

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Dick was surprised how quickly a week slipped by as he gingerly worked through his stretches. Jason was working on the car, while Tim bothered him with question after question about what went where and what tool he was using. Alfred was puttering around Bruce, cleaning up one of the mans wounds from his previous patrol. Dick hadn't seen the alternate Batman in a few days, but he was assuming he was still alive and hunting for Joker.

It was still tense between him and Bruce, but they'd had a few conversations each time Bruce brought him one of his miracle cure drinks. Things were peaceful, and for the first time since Jacks death Tim was acting fully like himself.

"Dick, come here." Bruce ordered.

Dick looked up from his spot in the middle of the floor, quirking an eyebrow. He slowly got up and walked over to the man.

"Did you need me to help Alfred?" He asked, looking at the deep scars lining the man's arms. How long had he been Batman?

"I want to see how much you know about fighting." He responded, standing up.

"Uh… but you're injured." Dick pointed out. Alfred scoffed behind him.

"So are you." He replied calmly. "Now move to the mats."

Dick looked over towards Jason, looking for some sort of confirmation that this wasn't going to end horribly, but the older boy was only half visible from underneath the hood of his car; defiantly not paying attention.

"What would you say is your strongest point in fighting?" Bruce asked.

"Surprise?" Dick joked, scratching at his cheek as Bruce stretched his arms. "I'm fast, and I follow through with my hits."

Bruce motioned for Dick to come closer.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to see what you can do. Attack me." Bruce instructed. "Do not worry about hurting me."

Dick let out a slow breath and trailed a little to the side trying to decide what the best method for taking down Bruce. He stood completely still, no hints, no give away to his weaknesses. Dick moved in for the attack, striking low. He wasn't surprised when Bruce dodged, it was like when he first started training with Jason. He was careful with how many kicks he tried to execute, his side wasn't exactly happy with sharp movements, let alone jarring kicks.

"You're flexible, and fast. That's good, it gives you more range." Bruce commented, blocking one of Dicks punches and twisting his arm behind his back. Dick didn't hesitate to pull a reversal throwing Bruce away from him, which must of startled him more than Bruce cause the man landed on his feet while Dick stared sheepishly after him.

"That was good." Bruce assured him. "Now what about weapons?"

"I'm pretty good with tonfa…" Dick replied, panting a little as he put a hand over his aching side.

"Show me." The man ordered.

Dick shuffled forward as the man was handed a pair of dark tonfa. Alfred made a noise, signaling he was concerned over both of their wounds, but Bruce simply flipped the weapons in his hands, offering them to Dick.

They were heavier than his, better quality. He took a moment to familiarize himself with them before he looked at Bruce, nodding. He was ready. The man had a pair of his own, which he raised defensively, waiting for Dick to make his move.

They sparred for a while, Dick couldn't believe how easily the man blocked his moves. He was to quick, to calm, silent. They only stopped when Dicks side was burning to bad for him to continue.

"Alfred, get him some water." Bruce called out, wiping his brow on his arm. "You should sit down for a moment Dick."

He nodded in agreement, noting that Jason and Tim were both watching them. How long had they been there, he thought Jason was working on his car.

"Did Jason really teach you how to fight like that!?" Tim asked as he approached his brother.

"Yup! He's a pretty good teacher, huh?" He laughed, hissing as he eased into Bruces chair in front of the computer.

"He is… continue practicing and you'll fight on a professional level by the end of the year." Bruce complimented. "I'd like to spar with you next Jason."

"No. Does no work for you? Cause it works for me." Jason scoffed, wiping his grease stained hands on a rag. "Let me see your side Dickiebird."

"I'm okay Jay." Dick assured him. "Just burns."

"Can you teach me to fight?" Tim begged for probably the millionth time.

"Oh please, I know Jasons been teaching you behind my back." Dick scoffed.

The computer made a startling buzz noise, making Tim and Dick both jump. Jason frowned and looked over at Bruce as he crossed back over to them from putting the weapons away. Dick turned in the seat to watch him click on flashing red boxes.

"Jokers been spotted." Bruce announced.

"I'll suit up." Jason said, pushing away.

"I'll come too." Dick stood up, only to be pulled back into the seat by Bruce.

"No, it's a trap. He's baiting us out. Let Jason and I handle this one." He insisted.

"Bruce, I've waited just as long as you asked! If we know it's a trap, lets twist it on him!" Dick argued. Bruce shook his head, pulling his costume from the case he had it displayed in.

"Let us handle this one tonight, and we'll take you on patrol tomorrow." Bruce compromised. "This is a trap, and you're not moving quickly enough to avoid gun fire or another attempted bombing."

"Dick… just stay home." Tim mumbled, shuffling awkwardly. "Maybe Alfred could take us to get pizza later? If Jokers busy, then we should be okay to leave right?"

Both boys looked at the man currently controlling their living space.

"I don't see why not." He sighed.

"Hell… I think he's warming up to us." Dick chuckled, getting a scoff from Bruce. "But tomorrow… it's a promise right?"

Dick turned in his seat. Bruce was already gone.

"That's creepy."

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Tim was excited that they were got to leave the manor, it'd been a long time since he'd gotten to do something normal. Alfred insisted they wait until noon to get pizza, since it was a poor breakfast. Jason and Bruce had left when it was still dark, so he was hoping that maybe Jason and Bruce would be home by the time they got back. Alfred insisted they stop by a store and get the boys some new clothes, since most of their clothes were burned, ripped and torn in several places. Dick hadn't been able to grab much from their apartment so he couldn't really argue with the man.

Dick was particularly excited when Alfred picked him out a new jacket and some decent shoes. A pair of boots were added to the cart, when he questioned the man, he simply told him they were for Robin; Dick didn't argue.

"Is Bruce going to be alright with you spending this much money on us?" Dick asked as they waited for Tim to finish sorting through a stack of movies. "I mean… I really appreciate it, but…"

"Sir, you are under our protection and despite his grumbling. Master Wayne is a generous man. He wouldn't approve of two ragamuffins being seen coming in and out of his estate." Alfred chuckled, reaching up to pat the teens shoulder.

"Yeah well… I don't like being indebted to people… but I can't really pay him back." Dick sighed.

"Richard, he is a billionaire… he's not going to miss a few hundred dollars spent on dressing two boys who need it." Alfred assured him firmly. "For once… just allow someone to do something kind for you?"

Dick opened his mouth to comment when his phone started to ring in his pocket; he pulled it out with a frown glancing at the caller ID.

"Hey Jay, whats up?"

"Where are you guys at?" Jay didn't sound very happy.

"The mall? We just ate lunch, now we're kind of shopping around. Is something wrong?" Dick asked, talking quietly as he walked away from the butler.

"As we figured, it was a trap. Joker wasn't around, so we had to go on a goose chase… My Batman found his latest base, so we're getting closer…"

"And?"

"That's about it right now, we can discuss stuff when you get back."

Dick frowned, he knew that the man wasn't telling him the whole truth. He sounded to calm, to cold, if everything was okay Jason would be joking with him.

"We're just picking up some movies… we'll be back pretty soon." He said glancing at Alfred and Tim, they had moved to the counter to purchase Tims choices.

Jason didn't even say good bye when he hung up.

Sighing, the teen waited for the other two to join him, smiling as Tim explained his choices too him. He'd picked out a lot of silly comedies and cartoons.

"Anywhere else you'd like to go before we return home?" Alfred asked.

"Not really." Dick said taking a couple of the bags from the older man .

Tim walked beside him, smiling as he shuffled through one of his bags, pulling out a bag of candy he'd sneakily gotten them to buy for him.

"Tim!"

Dick hadn't realized how jumpy he'd become, he tugged his little brother closer to him as he looked around for the source of the call. It was Lonnie Daniels, a scrawny little red headed boy that was friends with Tim from school. He ran towards them with a grin, hugging the other ten year old.

"Hey! Where have you been dude?" Lonnie asked.

"Ah… well, some stuff happened so we're staying with a friend." Tim said uneasily, glancing at Dick. "What are you doing here?"

"My moms shopping… gross." Lonnie complained, looking down at Tims bag. "What did you get?"

Dick smiled awkwardly as Lonnies mom walked over to them, having located her runaway child. She gave Dick a strange look, pinched as the boys chattered away about Tims new movies and shared the candy.

"Hello Mrs. Daniels." Dick said politely.

"Madam." Alfred greeted with a small nod.

"How are you dear?" She asked, voice hinting concern and pity. "I heard about what happened… You look pale, are you eating well?"

"I'm okay, still recovering. I was pretty banged up in the fire…" Dick replied tightly, glancing at Tim. He was distracted thankfully. "This is Alfred, he's taking care of us right now."

"Oh how very kind of you! I'm glad that someones looking after you two." She said. "Lonnie says Tim hasn't been in school since it happened."

"Yes well… he's still getting over the shock." Alfred replied calmly. "We felt it was best he remain at home for a while. We believe to have the boys back in school in a month. Once Richard is cleared by a doctor of course."

Dick arched an eyebrow; the man lied easily. Covering for Bruce had him well trained in the excuse department.

"Oh, well, maybe sometime we could have Tim over? Lonnie misses him and it might be good to have his friend around?" Mrs. Daniels suggested.

"Excellent idea, but I will have to get back to you on when… We've been quiet busy as of late." Alfred replied, pulling out his pocket book to jot down her name and number.

"Dick… are you okay?" She asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Dick forced a smile. He couldn't even let Tim go spend the night at a friend's house without fear of Joker trying to hurt him. This was his first public outing without a masked persona of a vigilante protecting him and he was living under the protection of blackmail with Bruce Wayne. Was he okay?

"Ah… I'm dealing." He shrugged. "Thanks."

They chatted for a while, deciding to give the kids a minute to catch up with each other and joke around. Lonnie caught Tim up with everything he'd missed at school, including the girl he'd apparently had a crush on getting a boyfriend. Tim didn't look to happy about that, but he shrugged it off. Tim told him a little bit about Jason, carefully skirting around the more delicate details of their current life style, though he did admit that he was learning how to throw a knife. Lonnie was very jealous, demanding that he show him sometime.

Mrs. Daniels chattered on with Alfred about the parent meetings at the school; prying for details about the boys situation.

"Have you visited his grave?"

Dick blinked, looking at her as though he'd been slapped. He'd forgotten about the funeral arrangements, which must have been handled by the city. A cold chill worked up his back, he didn't even know where it was.

"Madam… I believe its time we take our leave." Alfred replied shortly.

"I didn't mean to upset you-"

"Pardon me Madam, but these boys are recovering from a catastrophe and grieving a loss… I realize it seems a while for you… but for them it is still very fresh." Alfred stepped around her, signaling for Tim to return to them.

"I'm sorry…"

"Its okay Mrs. Daniels," Dick assured her.

"Its time to go, I have errands to run."

"Aw…" Tim whined.

"Come on, maybe we can get Jay to watch some cartoons with you when we get home." Dick said rubbing the younger's shoulder.

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Tim watched quietly as Dick sparred with Bruce and Jason. It was kind of cool to watch his brother fend off two different people at once, even if it was kind of obvious that the older men were going easy on him. As soon as they'd gotten back, Dick had been swept off with the other two hero's to discuss what they'd found. He was a little frustrated that Bruce was still refusing to let him in on most of the discussions having to do with Joker, but so long as he didn't throw a fit about it, Dick promised to show him some of the moves Jason had taught him.

Living with a bunch of super heros was kind of surreal. What ten year old didn't dream about that kind of thing? It wouldn't last, after all the only reason Bruce was letting them stay was because Dick had threatened him.; Maybe Jason would take them with him when he went back home if they were really lucky. He really liked Alfred though, and would miss the mans company when they did leave, he seemed to just understand people. Every time Tim had a nightmare, Alfred was there to wake him up and calm him. He always knew if one of the boys couldn't sleep and showed up with a warm drink.

A low beep caught Tims attention, the computer had a notification on one of the many security feeds that it cycled through. He spared a look at the other three before scooting over to read the screen properly. A sensor had been tripped then suddenly cut off?

Tim wiggled the mouse, quickly looking back at the group again, specifically Bruce before he started to click on the box. How would a sensor just falsify an alert like that? Humming to himself he pulled up the security's logs, wondering if it was just a faulty camera? He traded into Bruces big chair working through the system carefully, he knew that he was probably going to get into trouble for playing with Bruces computer, but something just didn't seem right. If there was one thing Tim knew he was better at than Dick, it was computers. He'd even won a couple science fairs with programs he wrote himself.

"These are…" Tim mumbled out loud as he figured out what was wrong. "Hey! Bruce come here!"

The man frowned, pausing mid fight with Dicks ankle in his hand, holding the younger hero at an awkward angle he was prepared to suddenly be stuck in. He wobbled in place but didn't fall.

"What are you doing?" Bruce snapped.

"Just come here! The camera's are compromised!" Tim insisted, pointing up at the screen. "I noticed an alert so I just peeked… then I kinda got curious so I checked the systems cache. There are multiple errors that only come up for a moment then go away after a minute! Some one is resetting the cameras remotely to move around with out being noticed!"

Bruce crossed to him, taking the chair and sliding it with a powerful push all the way to the end of the massive consoles desk. Tim scowled as Bruce proceeded to do everything he'd just done to confirm Tims suspicions.

"Son of a bitch…" Bruce breathed. "How the hell did I miss that?"

"Its such a simple override, it just seemed like the camera re-establishing connection…" Tim replied carefully.

"Tim was apart of the computer sciences club at school… he's pretty good." Dick said, ruffling his brothers hair as he joined them. "Good job Tim!"

Tim beamed proudly. "The alert went off in this camera…" He pointed at the screen, not sure at all where the hell it was. Bruce studied the screen for a minute before he started to type. Tim carefully reeled himself back over to him, one hand over the other along the desk until he was right next to Bruce, watching what he was doing. It was some pretty intense coding and networking but Tim had the general idea of what he was doing.

"Why are you doing a trace?"

"To see if the reset was disguising a hack into the inner system or if it was strictly camouflage…" Bruce responded. Tim nodded, leaning in close. Bruce made a face but didn't tell him to back off.

"So who do you think is doing it?" Dick asked.

"Probably some low end drug ring." Jason guessed.

"No… someone clearly knows my camera lay out… I think its Joker." Bruce admitted. "And if that's true… we know where he's at right now."

"You mean he's been just… resetting the cameras to get under our noses!?" Jason growled, leaning over the back of Tim's chair.

"Yes. But we know how to spot where he's headed next." Bruce pulled out his phone, no doubt to message his other world counter part. Tim grinned brightly as the man walked away, Dick ruffled his hair and laughed.

"Aw look at our little Detective. And you said computer science wouldn't be useful to you." Dick teased.

"I'm not surprised honestly." Jason said with a smirk, after all he'd watched the seventeen-year-old version of the younger man hack straight through a military facility like someone opening their email. His skills were still rudimentary; Tim would be a technical genius someday.

"Should we go out tonight and try to catch Joker?" Dick suggested.

"No, we'll probably wait a few days and use the cameras to see how quick or often he moves." Jason replied with a shrug.

Dick sighed, shaking his head. Tim could tell he just wanted it over at this point. He did to really, it'd be nice if they could just all return to being normal. He wanted to go back to school, and for Dick to stop looking tired all the time.

"What if we still don't catch him?" Tim asked.

"Then we come up with a new plan. And if that doesn't work, we keep on working. Being a hero is mostly just about being stubborn."

"Pff. No wonder you're so well suited for it." Dick commented.

"Hey now… don't make me beat you up more in front of your little brother."

"Oh! I want to help! Let me fight too!"