DCU Fanfic: Puppetverse - Not So Dead
Title: Not So Dead
Fandom: DCU
Character(s): Tim Drake, Steph Brown, Cass Cain
Pairing(s): past-Tim/Steph, pre-Steph/Cass
Word Count: 1024
Genre: General/Friendship
Rating: PG-13/T
Notes: After To The Winner Goes The Spoiler and Can't Say No. Tim goes to visit Batgirl since Batman gave him no other choice. He runs into someone unexpected. Part of my NaNoWriMo '08.
Link: N/A
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Tim sighed inwardly. He had wanted to meet Jason after patrol, but he was not sure he could ditch Batman's ever watchful eye tonight. Then, for some reason, Batman told him to meet with Batgirl while he had other business to take care of. Tim could have easily ditched and not met up with Cass, but that would have been an obvious sign that he was hiding something.
He swooped down to the entrance of Cass' Batgirl Cave. Tim was about to knock when the door swung open. His eyes met widened bright blue eyes. “Oh!” Steph exclaimed as he pulled Tim and shut the door. “Tim!”
“...Steph?” he whispered incredulously.
Steph gave a weak smile. “Yeah, it's me,” she said quietly.
“But how...?” he questioned as he groped for a chair to sit in.
Steph winced. “Long, complicated story I haven't gotten planned out for you yet,” she replied, leaning against the wall next to the chair Tim sat in. “I really wasn't expecting you at the door. I was just about to leave when you were about to knock.”
Tim sat quietly, taking in this information. It must all be dream, he thought. There was no way two of the most important people in his life would come back to him in the span of a few days. It was improbable and way too much of a coincidence for him to swallow.
They stayed in silence for a while, but the silence was eating at Steph. She could feel Tim's eyes staring at her, and not in a way she would have wanted. Steph coughed into her hand. “I guess unless I give you a valid explanation, you're going to keep staring at me like I'm going to pull off some mask, huh?”
Tim continued to stare. “If you are Steph, I'm sorry, but I have to be sure. It'd be too much of coincidence otherwise.”
“Coincidence?” she asked then shook her head. “No, I'll ask later. Um, so I didn't die...”
“Obviously,” Tim stated, his stare softening a bit.
Steph blushed. “So, yeah. Leslie faked my death, so she could get me out of the country since my identity's compromised,” she paused. “Which makes you ask why I'm here, right? If I was safe, why would I come back to get killed? Well, there were these puppets-”
“Puppets?” Tim asked skeptically, though if he remembered his first real encounter with Jason, there was a sentient Batman puppet that blew his cover.
“Yeah, weird right? There were two puppets, one of Spoiler and one of Batgirl. They said you guys needed me, so I came back,” she paused again, pushing herself off the wall, and grabbed Tim into a hug. “I'm so sorry about your dad, Tim.”
Tim gulped back the unbidden tears and hugged back. “Steph, I- I'm still not sure if you're you.”
“She is Stephanie Brown,” Cass' voice said from the shadows causing Steph to jump, ending up in Tim's lap.
“Damn, Cass! Don't do that!” Steph exclaimed as she embarrassingly climbed off of Tim's lap.
Cass tilted her with a smile. “Do what?” she asked innocently.
Steph puffed her cheeks as she stalked over to Cass, poking her in the chest. “Don't play dumb. You know what I mean.”
Cass smiled. “I do. You are funny when you startle.”
“I am not!”
“You are,” Tim spoke up, which earned him a glare.
“Traitors, the both of you!” she exclaimed before laughing, Cass and Tim joining in on the laughter.
When the laughter subsided, Tim stood up pulling Steph into a hug. “I missed you,” he whispered.
“Missed you too, Boyfriend Wonder,” she said with a smile, hugging him back.
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When Tim had left, Steph slumped into Batgirl's chair. Cass gave her a curious look. “That was weird,” Steph answered Cass' silent question.
“How so?”
“I dunno. I've been a gone a while, and I let everyone think I was dead, so I don't really get a say...”
“What do you mean?” Cass asked, not understanding what Steph was saying.
“I mean, he's different, and I'm different, and ugh. Are him and I even still dating? Did he move on already? Did I move on already?” she questioned, burying her face in her hands in frustration.
Cass frowned, putting a hand on Steph's shoulder. “I think you both have changed,” Cass stated. “He- You are not the only one of the dead that has come back to him.”
Steph's head snapped up. “Wait, what?”
“Jason Todd, the second Robin, is alive... He and Tim are... close?” Cass stated, stumbling on her wording a bit.
“He used to mention Jason sometimes when we dated. That I reminded him of Jason sometimes. I always wondered if that was a good or bad thing...” Steph trailed off before an idea came to mind. “Well, I don't have to anymore! You've met Jason, so you can tell me how to find him, Cass!”
Cass shook her head. “Not a good idea.”
Steph crinkled her nose. “Why not?”
“He...is not very stable? His body language is strange. I could tell he would never hurt Tim, but...”
“So he's a bit nuts after coming back to life, so what? I'll be fine, and it's not like you're going to let me go alone,” Steph said with a smile. “C'mon, you don't want me out in Gotham all alone, do you?”
“...blackmail,” Cass muttered before pulling her cowl on.
Steph pulled on her Spoiler mask. “It'll be fun!” she promised as she headed for the door. “We'll stick to every shadow, so no one spots me, okay?”
Cass nodded as she followed Steph to leave the cave. “That is the plan,” Cass stated as she closed the door behind her and quickly took off into the shadows of Gotham's streets.
Steph smiled under her mask as she followed in suit, wondering to herself what this Jason Todd was like. She was about to worry, but she had been Robin at one point, so she was sure they would get along. Robins always get along, she thought as she slipped into the shadows after Batgirl.
Fandom: DCU
Character(s): Tim Drake, Steph Brown, Cass Cain
Pairing(s): past-Tim/Steph, pre-Steph/Cass
Word Count: 1024
Genre: General/Friendship
Rating: PG-13/T
Notes: After To The Winner Goes The Spoiler and Can't Say No. Tim goes to visit Batgirl since Batman gave him no other choice. He runs into someone unexpected. Part of my NaNoWriMo '08.
Link: N/A
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Tim sighed inwardly. He had wanted to meet Jason after patrol, but he was not sure he could ditch Batman's ever watchful eye tonight. Then, for some reason, Batman told him to meet with Batgirl while he had other business to take care of. Tim could have easily ditched and not met up with Cass, but that would have been an obvious sign that he was hiding something.
He swooped down to the entrance of Cass' Batgirl Cave. Tim was about to knock when the door swung open. His eyes met widened bright blue eyes. “Oh!” Steph exclaimed as he pulled Tim and shut the door. “Tim!”
“...Steph?” he whispered incredulously.
Steph gave a weak smile. “Yeah, it's me,” she said quietly.
“But how...?” he questioned as he groped for a chair to sit in.
Steph winced. “Long, complicated story I haven't gotten planned out for you yet,” she replied, leaning against the wall next to the chair Tim sat in. “I really wasn't expecting you at the door. I was just about to leave when you were about to knock.”
Tim sat quietly, taking in this information. It must all be dream, he thought. There was no way two of the most important people in his life would come back to him in the span of a few days. It was improbable and way too much of a coincidence for him to swallow.
They stayed in silence for a while, but the silence was eating at Steph. She could feel Tim's eyes staring at her, and not in a way she would have wanted. Steph coughed into her hand. “I guess unless I give you a valid explanation, you're going to keep staring at me like I'm going to pull off some mask, huh?”
Tim continued to stare. “If you are Steph, I'm sorry, but I have to be sure. It'd be too much of coincidence otherwise.”
“Coincidence?” she asked then shook her head. “No, I'll ask later. Um, so I didn't die...”
“Obviously,” Tim stated, his stare softening a bit.
Steph blushed. “So, yeah. Leslie faked my death, so she could get me out of the country since my identity's compromised,” she paused. “Which makes you ask why I'm here, right? If I was safe, why would I come back to get killed? Well, there were these puppets-”
“Puppets?” Tim asked skeptically, though if he remembered his first real encounter with Jason, there was a sentient Batman puppet that blew his cover.
“Yeah, weird right? There were two puppets, one of Spoiler and one of Batgirl. They said you guys needed me, so I came back,” she paused again, pushing herself off the wall, and grabbed Tim into a hug. “I'm so sorry about your dad, Tim.”
Tim gulped back the unbidden tears and hugged back. “Steph, I- I'm still not sure if you're you.”
“She is Stephanie Brown,” Cass' voice said from the shadows causing Steph to jump, ending up in Tim's lap.
“Damn, Cass! Don't do that!” Steph exclaimed as she embarrassingly climbed off of Tim's lap.
Cass tilted her with a smile. “Do what?” she asked innocently.
Steph puffed her cheeks as she stalked over to Cass, poking her in the chest. “Don't play dumb. You know what I mean.”
Cass smiled. “I do. You are funny when you startle.”
“I am not!”
“You are,” Tim spoke up, which earned him a glare.
“Traitors, the both of you!” she exclaimed before laughing, Cass and Tim joining in on the laughter.
When the laughter subsided, Tim stood up pulling Steph into a hug. “I missed you,” he whispered.
“Missed you too, Boyfriend Wonder,” she said with a smile, hugging him back.
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When Tim had left, Steph slumped into Batgirl's chair. Cass gave her a curious look. “That was weird,” Steph answered Cass' silent question.
“How so?”
“I dunno. I've been a gone a while, and I let everyone think I was dead, so I don't really get a say...”
“What do you mean?” Cass asked, not understanding what Steph was saying.
“I mean, he's different, and I'm different, and ugh. Are him and I even still dating? Did he move on already? Did I move on already?” she questioned, burying her face in her hands in frustration.
Cass frowned, putting a hand on Steph's shoulder. “I think you both have changed,” Cass stated. “He- You are not the only one of the dead that has come back to him.”
Steph's head snapped up. “Wait, what?”
“Jason Todd, the second Robin, is alive... He and Tim are... close?” Cass stated, stumbling on her wording a bit.
“He used to mention Jason sometimes when we dated. That I reminded him of Jason sometimes. I always wondered if that was a good or bad thing...” Steph trailed off before an idea came to mind. “Well, I don't have to anymore! You've met Jason, so you can tell me how to find him, Cass!”
Cass shook her head. “Not a good idea.”
Steph crinkled her nose. “Why not?”
“He...is not very stable? His body language is strange. I could tell he would never hurt Tim, but...”
“So he's a bit nuts after coming back to life, so what? I'll be fine, and it's not like you're going to let me go alone,” Steph said with a smile. “C'mon, you don't want me out in Gotham all alone, do you?”
“...blackmail,” Cass muttered before pulling her cowl on.
Steph pulled on her Spoiler mask. “It'll be fun!” she promised as she headed for the door. “We'll stick to every shadow, so no one spots me, okay?”
Cass nodded as she followed Steph to leave the cave. “That is the plan,” Cass stated as she closed the door behind her and quickly took off into the shadows of Gotham's streets.
Steph smiled under her mask as she followed in suit, wondering to herself what this Jason Todd was like. She was about to worry, but she had been Robin at one point, so she was sure they would get along. Robins always get along, she thought as she slipped into the shadows after Batgirl.