Chapter Text
“Keep the communication going.” Jason instructed, “I’ll see what I can find. And open my own line of communication. Hopefully between the two of us, we can fit a few more pieces of this puzzle together.”
“You are not going to inform Grayson or Father?”
“No. So far they are all talk, no action. We make sure that Timbo will be our brother. Our family. They’ve screwed up. Let them fix their own mistakes. It won’t work if they don’t.”
“I know. We also need to get him to take better care of himself. He still isn’t sleeping enough. It is possible to OD on caffeine. It takes a lot. But it is possible.”
“We cannot restrict his caffeine intake. It would require allying ourselves with the Clarks. Something that would put us in opposition to Drake at the present moment in time.”
“No. I know. But what we can do is ensure that he has healthy meals ready at his place. I’ve got a few other ideas. But best you don’t know, so that it all looks natural.”
“I will focus on strengthening our relationship. However, I will also investigate into the relationship Drake has with my Grandfather. I know Grandfather, he does not stop until he has what he wants, or he knows that it has been forever taken out of his reach.”
“That doesn’t bode well. Get what details Timmy will give you. But hunt around for anything else. I don’t want this biting us in the ass later.”
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“Tim,” Martha looked at the boy currently working on her couch, “Would you care to join us at Church tomorrow?”
“I’m not Christian.”
“You don’t have to be. The Fellowship is good. You’d get to talk to someone other than us and your business contacts.”
“And Conner.” Tim smiled, “I suppose I could do with the change of scenery.”
Discretely Jon let out the breath he had been holding. He wasn’t sure if it was meddling, but he knew it wasn’t healthy to work as much as Tim seemed to. He wasn’t actually sure if Tim had insomnia, but Tim was certainly treating the Land of Nod as a foreign enemy country not to be associated with or messed with.
Something that Jon did not deem to be a healthy situation.
On the other hand, the Priest was rather prone to long, rambling Sermons that could easily put people to sleep. So it was worth a try.
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“Alfred,” Jason wandered into the kitchen, “Can you help me produce Microwave Meals?”
“Master Jason,” Alfred’s voice was cold, “As long as I reside in this house, no one will be forced to resort to such means.”
“I didn’t mean the supermarket things… Look, we all know that eventually Timmy will go back to his home… The Theatre. And he gets so caught up in his work that he forgets to eat. And if he does remember, he grabs whatever he can find. If I’ve noticed that… Then you sure as hell have. What I want to do is stuff his freezer and fridge with easy food. Food that he only has to stick into a microwave or an oven to get something that’s actually good for him.”
“I believe I understand your point, Master Jason. You have a good idea there; it would certainly be beneficial for Master Tim’s recovery if he were to continue receiving proper nourishment.”
“Exactly. Can you help? I’ll get them into place. If they came with simple instructions it would probably help. I’m not entirely sure Timmy can boil water.”
“Master Tim is more competent at basic household tasks than you would expect, Master Jason. The difficulty is persuading him to put the time required into them. I would also like to reduce his caffeine intake where possible; at least temporarily.”
“Why?” Jason frowned, “Timmy drinks coffee. Never with sugar. It’s probably healthier than the Energy Drinks that Dick prefers. And Bruce drinks coffee every day.”
“Except on those days when he is recovering from an injury, Master Jason. A fairly recent article has managed to prove a negative correlation between caffeine intake and wound recovery.”
“I didn’t know that.” Jason stared, “But you won’t get Timbo to put down his coffee mug… Send me the article. I might have more success.”
“Master Jason? Am I to presume that you have established communication with Master Tim?”
“Not technically. I was merely present while communication took place. Don’t ask me any questions, and I won’t tell you any lies, Alf.”
“Understood, Master Jason. I will forward you the article. I hope you find it as enlightening as I did.”
“I’m sure I will… Do you have any ideas of what good food for Timmy would be?”
“Chicken Noodle Soup is known to have restorative properties. It is also easy to freeze and still equally nutritious and tasty after reheating. Also Master Tim has always preferred lighter meals than yourself and Master Bruce.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your preference is for red meat, as is Master Bruce’s; in particular steaks; although you favour bread and chips, while Master Bruce prefers Dauphinoise Potatoes. Of course, you are aware of Master Damian’s current vegetarian predilection. Master Dick, his habit of devouring cereal at every point in the day aside, enjoys stews. Miss Barbara is not particularly picky with regards with to her main courses, but has strong opinions on desserts. Miss Stephanie favours what she regards as traditional American. While Miss Cassandra enjoys Italian; although she has never verbally expressed an opinion with regards to food, except that there is sufficient of it to satisfy her. Master Tim leans towards chicken and fish as his preferred proteins. Overall Master Tim tends towards lighter meals, tending towards a Mediterranean Diet in most respects.”
“Which might explain why he weighs a buck twenty soaking wet. I’m amazed he can put anything decent behind a punch some days. He needs to put on weight… Don’t caffeine increase the body’s metabolism?”
“Indeed, well remembered Master Jason. In particular it favours the utilisation of fat as an energy source.”
“Problem is, he’s addicted… And some days it’s probably the only thing keeping him going… You realize he’s juggling too fucking much, right Alf?”
“You understand that asking him to put anything down will be deemed as an implication that he is incapable of doing the task?”
“Fuck.” Jason slumped against the counter, “Yeah, he would. And that would just push him further away. This would be fucking easier if he weren’t so… So Timmy!”
“Were he not, he would not be the person we are fighting to regain.” Alfred reminded, “We cannot change him. Else he will not be Master Tim anymore. We are the ones who need to change. In our thoughts and actions.”
“We need to stop taking him for granted. I fucking know Alfred. I just… I wonder if he’s gone too far for us to wrap around him. He’s drifted further than I ever did.”
“Dead is very far, Master Jason.”
“Which is why I’m fucking qualified to make that statement! I may have been violent towards everyone… Damn near killed Timbers. But I wasn’t trying to stay away. I was throwing my existence in your faces every fucking moment! I wanted you to know I was there. I wanted you to know I existed. I was spending so much time making damn sure I was in your thoughts… The first of your thoughts, every moment of every day… Timmy… Timmy’s just fading away. I fought. I raged. I screamed… Timmy hasn’t even tried. That’s what hurts the most… No…”
“Master Jason?”
“No, what hurts the most is the fact that I knew. I knew he was missing and said nothing.”
“What was your reasoning, Master Jason?”
“I didn’t believe he was in any danger. I didn’t really care. I didn’t want anyone to focus on him instead of me.”
“You were jealous, Master Jason. It is a natural reaction. Unfortunately it had unexpected consequences on this occasion.”
“Yeah, and isn’t that just my life? I do something for me and I screw up. I got myself killed…”
“You are not responsible for that fiasco!” Jason jerked back at the vehemence from the usually softly spoken butler.
“Alfred?” Jason breathed.
“Forgive me, Master Jason. However, you need to know that you did nothing wrong in that entire situation. You are not responsible for the fact that others betrayed you. You are not at fault for believing you could trust the very person who brought you into this world. You were cruelly betrayed by someone who could not see what a gift you were; both to them and to the world! You are my precious grandson, something I do not remind you of often enough. I mourned you. I love you. As much as I love all of my grandchildren and my son. Blood does not make family. A fact you should well know.”
“Blood is thicker than water, Alfred. Bruce has his blood son. And the son he chose. The rest of us? Me and Timmy? We’re the replacements. The unwanted. The undesired.”
“Master Jason, you have the quotation wrong.”
“What?” Jason blinked in surprise at the apparent non sequitur.
“*The full quotation is ‘The Blood of the Covenant is thicker than the Water of the Womb’. Thus the saying actually states that blood shed between fellow warriors binds them closer together than mere genetics. Blood does not make a child. It does not create love. I thought my heart was complete when Master Bruce was born. I loved him. I will not say that I loved him as much as his parents did. However, I grew to love him more. I never believed that my heart could accommodate another… Until Master Richard came to this house. Within the first day he had carved out equal space in my heart. Though I do not know how, for Master Bruce had taken up the whole of my heart up until that moment. Yet, my love for him did not diminish. Nor did it diminish when you came and stole your equal share. Master Tim quietly laid claim to his portion; slower than the others, but with no less success. Master Damian did not demand his space, but I surrendered it to him anyway. While Master Bruce has difficulty expressing his emotions, I know that he loves all of his children equally. Sometimes his focus is on one or other of you; however, he tries to give all of you the attention that you deserve.”
“He’s just not always successful.”
“No. Unfortunately, he is not. He focuses on what is making the most noise; which means that he misses the quiet important things. If it helps at all, I still have to remind him about his own birthday; to say nothing of anyone else’s. Although he never forgets the anniversary of his parent’s death, nor your own.”
“I don’t know how to react to that.”
“You don’t have to, Master Jason. Just simply know that I love you. I always will. I may not always approve of your actions; however, I will never reject you.”
“You don’t hate that I didn’t say anything about Tim being missing?”
“No. I can understand why you did not. I do not approve of your actions. However, they are excusable, Master Jason. They are understandable. We never did reassure you that you were a valuable part of the family. Not in a way that you understood.”
“No. And you couldn’t get Timmy to understand either. Dick seemed to get it.”
“Master Richard has always been capable of accepting love in all it’s forms, no matter how it is expressed.”
“He speaks the universal language of love.” Jason snorted, “I still don’t understand how he’s on such good terms with all his ex’s.”
“Master Richard is a special kind of person, he’s charismatic in a way that very few people are. Yourself, Master Jason, are particularly good with people from disadvantaged backgrounds. You understand them in a way that no-one who has not experienced their situation cannot. From someone else, it could come across as patronising. However, you don’t patronise at all.”
“Although my sarcasm is fully developed.”
“Indeed, Master Jason. Did you have any suggestions for suitable meals for Master Tim?”
“Roy’s got these microwave bowls and mugs with lids… He does cans of soup in them.”
“I think I can produce something more inspiring and nutritious than canned soup.”
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“Just who do you think you are?!” The words were spat at Tim.
“Tim,” Tim replied evenly, “And you are?”
He didn’t even set down his glass of lemonade as he adjusted his gaze upwards to meet the face of an angry teenager.
Heavy set and broad shouldered. Dressed in leather and a scowl. Tim quickly identified him as someone that Conner had occasionally complained about. Eric. The local jock, bad-boy, heart-throb.
Aesthetically Tim could see the potential attraction for girls. But the attitude, so far, was a warning sign.
“You been bothering my girl?” The question was more of an accusation than an inquiry. Punctuated by a heavy hand slamming into the stone wall just past Tim’s head.