Fic: "Revelation" by kyrdwyn (PG, Talia/Slade, Tim/Jason mentions)
Title: Revelation
Author: kyrdwyn
Rating: PG
Series: Beloved
Fandom: Batman (comics)
Pairings/Characters: Talia/Slade, mentions of Tim/Jason
kissbingo Prompt: Knee
Summary: "He took on more children as cannon fodder?"
Warnings: AU. Dark AU.
Beta: None
Revelation
Talia looked up from her computer when Slade entered the office. He looked grim, which to her eyes meant he wanted to kill someone. Probably her Beloved. She couldn't blame him. There were days she'd take the Batman's head herself.
"It's not Timothy." A statement, not a question. Slade wouldn't be so angry if it were his prized pupil.
Slade settled into the chair across from her. "It's not our Timothy, no. But it is a Timothy Drake. One whose first question was how had Jason broken out of jail."
Talia gripped the edge of her desk. "What?"
"You remember that crackpot theory put out by that physicist a few years back? Ray Palmer? He said there were multiple versions of Earth, different universes where different choices resulted in either minor or massive changes to the time line."
Talia sat back. "Oh, like one where I kicked you out of my bed that first night instead of welcoming you, and as a result you start working with the Bat?"
Slade snorted. "Something like that."
"So this Timothy is from one of these alternate worlds." Talia considered that. "How is Jason taking it?"
"Not well," Slade said with his usual understatement. "Kid's not showing it, but you know part of him was hoping this was his Beloved brought back to him."
"I know," Talia said softly. "But the grave was undisturbed, still unmarked, and the guards set to monitor it reported no sightings of anyone who showed any interest in the grave. Short of exhuming the body, I think we have to presume our Timothy is still at rest."
Slade's good eye closed. "Yeah," he said. "But now there's this kid with his face in the infirmary, a kid who the Bat and his pet think is Jason's Beloved." He opened his eye and looked at Talia. "They're going to hunt this kid down, and fact that Jason rescued him won't make the kid's life easier. Especially if they get him back and discover that is he from an alternate Earth. I don't think we want the Bat or his people taking over another Earth, or getting reinforcements from a counterpart."
Talia tapped a finger on her desk top. "What does he know of our Earth?"
"Jason was careful to question him without giving away much, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's figured it out. Despite being doped up to be more amenable to answering questions than he would have been stone sober. Cass's little contribution," Slade added with a smirk. A smirk that quickly disappeared. "He said he was the Red Robin, formerly the third Robin to Batman."
Talia stilled. "He took on more children as cannon fodder?"
Slade nodded. "Five, according to that Drake in there. But he's never heard of Raptor. Grayson's called Nightwing over there." He paused. "He also said that Jason had been Robin, too."
Talia stood and paced the room. The idea of Jason as Robin was ridiculous. Her son had been meant for greater things than sidekick to a man who'd never gotten past the death of his parents. What had her counterpart in that universe been thinking? Something to ponder later. For now, they had a living Tim Drake in their compound who served at the Bat's side. "If this Timothy Drake been trained by the Bat, even an alternate Bat, he'll know how he thinks, how he plans. This Timothy could be a very valuable ally if he could be persuaded to our cause."
"You'd be asking him to overthrow his teacher," Slade said. "If he's anything like our Tim, you'll get a very violent negative answer." Slade's smirk returned, and Talia knew he was thinking of the fight between Raptor and the Dragon, Timothy's costumed persona, when Raptor had tried to lure the Dragon to the Bat's side. Raptor hadn't realized that he'd burned those bridges long before he and the Dragon had fought. Talia often wondered if Raptor knew that the ten year old kid he'd turned over to the Bat for sport had grown up to be the Dragon, Beloved of the Demon's Heir, one of Talia's top assassins.
Talia settled on top of her desk, crossing her legs and looking at Slade. "We'll need to discover what his world is like. We need to know what his Batman is like. If he's the totalitarian dictator of Gotham like ours or if he's something more benign, something that would shock Timothy into joining us when he sees what our Batman is like."
Slade smirked more, leaning forward to press a kiss to Talia's knee, exposed by the skirt she wore. "As you wish, my lady," he murmured against her skin.
Talia chuckled and pulled Slade's head up to kiss him. "I thought I had a mission," he said, not pulling away.
"You do. Consider that a kiss for luck."
Slade smirked and stole another kiss before leaving. Talia sighed and picked up a picture she kept on her desk, that of Jason and Timothy. The joy on Jason's face in the picture was a distant memory compared to the pain she'd seen a few hours before, outside the infirmary.
Talia set the picture back down. The mayor of Gotham was holding a fund raiser for his campaign next week, and that would be the perfect place to start their own campaign against the Batman and the Raptor, and perhaps to finally get revenge for her son's Beloved.
Next: Conversation
Author: kyrdwyn
Rating: PG
Series: Beloved
Fandom: Batman (comics)
Pairings/Characters: Talia/Slade, mentions of Tim/Jason
kissbingo Prompt: Knee
Summary: "He took on more children as cannon fodder?"
Warnings: AU. Dark AU.
Beta: None
Revelation
Talia looked up from her computer when Slade entered the office. He looked grim, which to her eyes meant he wanted to kill someone. Probably her Beloved. She couldn't blame him. There were days she'd take the Batman's head herself.
"It's not Timothy." A statement, not a question. Slade wouldn't be so angry if it were his prized pupil.
Slade settled into the chair across from her. "It's not our Timothy, no. But it is a Timothy Drake. One whose first question was how had Jason broken out of jail."
Talia gripped the edge of her desk. "What?"
"You remember that crackpot theory put out by that physicist a few years back? Ray Palmer? He said there were multiple versions of Earth, different universes where different choices resulted in either minor or massive changes to the time line."
Talia sat back. "Oh, like one where I kicked you out of my bed that first night instead of welcoming you, and as a result you start working with the Bat?"
Slade snorted. "Something like that."
"So this Timothy is from one of these alternate worlds." Talia considered that. "How is Jason taking it?"
"Not well," Slade said with his usual understatement. "Kid's not showing it, but you know part of him was hoping this was his Beloved brought back to him."
"I know," Talia said softly. "But the grave was undisturbed, still unmarked, and the guards set to monitor it reported no sightings of anyone who showed any interest in the grave. Short of exhuming the body, I think we have to presume our Timothy is still at rest."
Slade's good eye closed. "Yeah," he said. "But now there's this kid with his face in the infirmary, a kid who the Bat and his pet think is Jason's Beloved." He opened his eye and looked at Talia. "They're going to hunt this kid down, and fact that Jason rescued him won't make the kid's life easier. Especially if they get him back and discover that is he from an alternate Earth. I don't think we want the Bat or his people taking over another Earth, or getting reinforcements from a counterpart."
Talia tapped a finger on her desk top. "What does he know of our Earth?"
"Jason was careful to question him without giving away much, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's figured it out. Despite being doped up to be more amenable to answering questions than he would have been stone sober. Cass's little contribution," Slade added with a smirk. A smirk that quickly disappeared. "He said he was the Red Robin, formerly the third Robin to Batman."
Talia stilled. "He took on more children as cannon fodder?"
Slade nodded. "Five, according to that Drake in there. But he's never heard of Raptor. Grayson's called Nightwing over there." He paused. "He also said that Jason had been Robin, too."
Talia stood and paced the room. The idea of Jason as Robin was ridiculous. Her son had been meant for greater things than sidekick to a man who'd never gotten past the death of his parents. What had her counterpart in that universe been thinking? Something to ponder later. For now, they had a living Tim Drake in their compound who served at the Bat's side. "If this Timothy Drake been trained by the Bat, even an alternate Bat, he'll know how he thinks, how he plans. This Timothy could be a very valuable ally if he could be persuaded to our cause."
"You'd be asking him to overthrow his teacher," Slade said. "If he's anything like our Tim, you'll get a very violent negative answer." Slade's smirk returned, and Talia knew he was thinking of the fight between Raptor and the Dragon, Timothy's costumed persona, when Raptor had tried to lure the Dragon to the Bat's side. Raptor hadn't realized that he'd burned those bridges long before he and the Dragon had fought. Talia often wondered if Raptor knew that the ten year old kid he'd turned over to the Bat for sport had grown up to be the Dragon, Beloved of the Demon's Heir, one of Talia's top assassins.
Talia settled on top of her desk, crossing her legs and looking at Slade. "We'll need to discover what his world is like. We need to know what his Batman is like. If he's the totalitarian dictator of Gotham like ours or if he's something more benign, something that would shock Timothy into joining us when he sees what our Batman is like."
Slade smirked more, leaning forward to press a kiss to Talia's knee, exposed by the skirt she wore. "As you wish, my lady," he murmured against her skin.
Talia chuckled and pulled Slade's head up to kiss him. "I thought I had a mission," he said, not pulling away.
"You do. Consider that a kiss for luck."
Slade smirked and stole another kiss before leaving. Talia sighed and picked up a picture she kept on her desk, that of Jason and Timothy. The joy on Jason's face in the picture was a distant memory compared to the pain she'd seen a few hours before, outside the infirmary.
Talia set the picture back down. The mayor of Gotham was holding a fund raiser for his campaign next week, and that would be the perfect place to start their own campaign against the Batman and the Raptor, and perhaps to finally get revenge for her son's Beloved.
Next: Conversation