Chapter Text
The familiar noises of the insects in the grounds around the manor faded into the background as Tim finally let himself relax for the first time in days. He laid in bed and allowed them to nearly lull him to sleep, making it all the more jarring when an eerie silence came crashing over him. A chill ran through his body as he felt an urge calling for him to check the window.
He watched with bated breath as someone stared at him from the edge of the dense forest surrounding the manor. Whenever he was able to force a bit of air out of his lungs, condensation would momentarily form on the window, further distorting his view. The figure was hard to make out in the darkness, but Tim could still feel its eyes burning into his own. They stood like that for a while, locked in some sort of twisted game, the only movement being the growing and shrinking of the fog on the glass.
In the blink of an eye, the shadow was gone. Tim drew a sharp inhale and quickly closed the blinds. He then grabbed a knife that he kept in his bedside table and tucked it into his pocket before rushing downstairs. He vaguely overheard Alfred protesting his departure. Something about the weather. He didn't have time to think about that. He needed to find out who was in the woods. Could it be one of Batman's rogues? If they had found out their identities, they could easily attack while the family was unsuspecting. He hoped it was just some fanboy trying to sneak peeks of the Waynes. However, there was a nagging thought that maybe there was never anyone there. It was dark and far away. But then again, if no one was there, how would the shadow have disappeared?
By the time he made it to the spot where he saw the figure standing, there was a slight drizzle. He swore for a moment he could see the shallow imprint of almost washed away footprints, but before he could fully investigate, the rain came down harder and washed them away entirely. He stared into the woods. The bugs had started singing again, the footprints were gone… it was almost as if the whole thing never happened.
He stood there for a moment before becoming acutely aware of the buzzing in his bones and the water seeping through his shirt. He shuddered and walked back towards the manor.
As he got closer, he looked at his reflection in one of the large windows and saw a figure behind him. He quickly turned only to find no one there.
He shook his head and opened the door, where Alfred was waiting with a towel and a disappointed look. “Master Timothy. What on earth are you doing out in this weather?”
“I thought …” he shook his head and flawlessly forced a smile, “I thought I could use some air. Didn’t realize it would rain.” He chuckled, taking the towel from Alfred.
Alfred looked at him as he dried off. “Go change, I’ll fix you some tea so you don’t catch a cold.”
“Thanks,” he mumbled and rushed off to his room.
Alfred watched him go, still a bit perplexed as to what the boy could possibly have been doing outside. He sighed and went to the kitchen to fix tea. When Tim did not come back downstairs, he brought the tea up to the young master’s room. Alfred was quite disturbed to find him standing in front of the window. “Master Timothy?”
Tim flinched and turned around, looking as though he had seen a ghost.
“Are you alright?”
“Peachy.”
He raised his brow and sat the tea down to gather some of Tim’s clothing from his drawers. “You should change before you catch a cold.”
Tim glanced at the window quickly before accepting the clothes and changing. Alfred then placed the tea in his hands. Tim felt his heart pick up as Alfred blocked his view of the window. He tried to peek around him, but Alfred just turned to the window. “Is there something of interest out there?”
“I just thought I saw something. Must’ve been a rabbit.”
Alfred hummed in acknowledgment and closed the blinds. “Get some rest. You can chase rabbits tomorrow.”
Tim sat down and took another sip of his tea. He furrowed his brow; it felt like every muscle in his body was shaking. “Alfred?”
“Yes?”
“Is this… caffeinated?”
“Don’t get your hopes up Master Timothy, decaf only at this hour.”
Tim snapped his fingers in fake disappointment. “Darn.”
Alfred quirked his brow once more. “Are you alright? You seem to be shaking.”
“Yeah, just cold from the rain.”
“Get some rest, my boy. I don’t want you getting sick.”
“Thanks Alfie.”
Alfred smiled slightly as he made his leave.
Tim laid down and tossed and turned for hours. There was a nagging feeling lighting every one of his nerves on fire. Eventually, he got so fed up with trying to rest that he started banging his fists against his head.
Suddenly, strong hands held his wrists tightly. His head snapped up in fear, only relaxing when he saw his sister in front of him. He tensed back up upon seeing the concern on her face. “I’m fine,” he defended himself, “just antsy.”
Cass didn’t seem to believe him. Instead, she tilted her head in a motion for him to scooch over and she climbed in bed next to him. She bundled up under his blankets and reached out for him. “When was the last time you slept?”
“Huh?” He thought for a moment, only to realize that he actually had no clue.
She rolled her eyes fondly and reached out to him. “Sleep now.”
He laid down next to her.
It was peaceful, for a moment, but then Tim started shaking his leg in irritation. And only a few minutes after that started, he was up pacing the room.
Cass looked at him inquisitively before sitting up and taking his hand and leading him out of the room.
“Where are we going?” He asked, his words so quick she could hardly understand.
“Gardens.”
The two left through the doors in the kitchen that led to the gardens.
Tim closed his eyes and took a deep breath, the post - storm air was refreshing. He stretched and followed Cass towards the hedges. “Lets go to the woods! I never go out there. I want to explore! I know there’s a stream somewhere between here and my old place! Can we look for it? I haven’t been there since I was a kid.”
There was a devious glint to her eyes. “First to find it wins?”
Tim’s eyes lit up. “Oh, you’re on!”
Cass smiled and the two of them took off running towards the woods. Right as they got to the edge of the forest, Tim slipped and fell into a huge pile of mud.
Cass looked at him for a second before doubling over in laughter. He faked offense and grabbed a handful of mud and threw it at her.
She yelped before laughing harder and shoving him back in the mud before running off to find the stream.
He took a second to regain his bearings before running after her. She moved even more gracefully than normal. Tim felt almost mesmerized as he stumbled after her.
After a while, he watched helplessly as his sister crumpled to the ground near an old hollowed out tree. “CASS!?” He screamed and ran over to her.
He felt like he was moving too slow, far too slow. Every second stretched on like an eternity until he finally made it to where she fell.
Only… it was his own sunken face staring back at him.
Piercing laughter surrounded him. Suddenly the world was spinning and the next thing he knew, he was clumsily running back towards the manor. He continuously tripped over himself as he called for his sister. He feared she was still in the woods, lost to whatever was going on in there. But he needed to get out of there. There was something sinister in those woods. He couldn’t do this alone. He needed Bruce. He needed his Dad.
He was out of breath by the time he made it to the gardens. He saw two silhouettes illuminated by the deck lights. He ran towards them. “BRUCE!?”
There was silence for a moment before Bruce responded. “Tim?”
Tim ran with renewed vigor through the garden.
Once he got close enough to make out who the figures were, Tim nearly fell out of relief, “Cass!?” he cried.
Cass ran to him. “I’m sorry!” She cried as she pulled him into her arms. “I looked… looked for you. Couldn’t find-“ she was cut off by another sob.
Bruce put a hand on each of their shoulders. “Let’s get you two inside. We will have a discussion about your decision making skills in the morning. For now, I am glad everyone is safe.”