Mad Jyhad

I paced the length of my room from one end to the other. Nightwing had left not even minutes after talking to Oracle. I glanced at the clock and saw that it was only about three in the morning. We hadn't actually stayed at the birthday party long and it was still early at that point, at least for me.

Batman had cast me a wary look before he and the others had taken off for a last patrol. I had begged off citing tiredness, but I was wide-awake.

I walked to the window and looked outside. Gusts of wind tossed powdered snow back into the air and blew it into drifts. The small sparkles danced under the moon and I grasped my upper arms tightly, feeling my fingernails dig into the cold skin.

He had actually gone.

It was all I could do not to follow.

I wanted to find her and twist her little red head off her body. And NO! Don't you dare start commenting on pots and gooses and ganders and kettles and all that! On some level I knew that what he was doing was really no different than anything I had done. But on another level I still wanted to show up, break her neck, skin her, and then rub her down with salt.

I heard Alfred pass my room several times before the soft knock came that preceded him opening the door.

"Master Timothy? I thought you would be sleeping! I brought you clean clothes." He put the clothes in the dresser putting aside one set and holding them out to me.

I took them and laid them upon the bed returning instead to the window.

"Master Timothy? What is going on?" he asked, folding his hands in front of him.

"On? Nothing." I said lightly.

"Master Timothy, I may be an old man, and I may not be one of the world's finest detectives. I might not be a part of some...Justice League, or Titans, or Young Justice. But I can tell when something is amiss with my family. And you are as much a part of my family as Master Bruce." He looked at me somberly.

I closed my eyes and threw my head back silently beseeching the stars to tell me what to do. They laughed at me. It was almost a relief since I had thought that perhaps they had forsaken me. {Not forsaken, busy...busy like a bee...buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, listening to the buzz and making plans...}

The stars fell silent and I opened my eyes to still see Alfred waiting patiently for me to answer.

"What exactly do you want explained?" I asked.

"Why haven't you eaten since your arrival?" he asked me.

"I haven't been hungry?" I asked back.

"Master Timothy, perhaps I should rephrase the question. Why are there packages of blood in Master Dick's refrigerator?" He lifted his eyebrow and leveled a stern look at me.

I groaned. "Because you already know the answer and you want me to confess now?"

He nodded slowly. "I assume that you are the one with the...condition...since you are the one that...disappeared...and Master Dick's appetite has not changed while yours has. Master Timothy, your skin is as pale as the Joker's and cold as ice. Your eyes, the rare moments when you will remove that confounded mask, are no longer blue but a kind of gray silvery color and the one time you removed your gloves your fingernails were like polished glass. Sir, I have to ask, are you...a vampire? I know that such things should not exist but in such a world as the one we live, where men can fly and magic is real, I cannot continue to discount such a possibility! "

I took a few steps to a chair and collapsed into it holding my head. "Oh...no...no...no."

"Master Timothy..." he began.

"If they don't kill me it will be a miracle. Why don't I just take a full page ad out in the New York Times...Timothy Drake A.K.A. Robin, the boy wonder, has become a vampire!" I groaned again.

I closed my eyes and continued to hold my head in my hands. After a few seconds I felt a hand settle on my shoulder. "Master Timothy?"

"Yes?"

"Please explain to me what exactly is going on and how this could have happened?" He settled into a chair next to mine.

Alfred was silent the entire time. He didn't interrupt me with any questions. He just let me speak at my own pace and explain. I told him everything. Well, almost everything. I did manage to edit a lot of it out. I couldn't edit it out for you. Not with you doing the telepathic thing. But what he didn't hear didn't hurt him, you know? But even so I think he still knew. Knew the parts that I had left out, filled in the blanks for himself.

When I was done speaking he remained quiet for a long time. I looked up at him and he regarded me carefully before he finally spoke.

"We need to tell Master Bruce. I agree that it will not be easy but it must be done. He would eventually figure it out and as it stands he will be very angry that he was not told in the beginning though I do understand why you and Master Dick did not. I do not know at this time a good way to cushion the blow for him, so to speak." He folded his hands in his lap and pursed his lips appearing lost in thought.

I shook my head vigorously. "You don't understand. It wasn't JUST because of Bruce. I mean yeah for the most part it is, but it is also...I'm not supposed to tell ANYONE about this, and I've already told too many people. If they find out, they will KILL me! Final death type kill!"

"Surely..."

"No. See, the thing is I don't think you humans exactly realize how many vampires there ARE in the world and with the exception of the Sabbat ones, they ALL adhere to the Masquerade. I have endangered it just by telling you and Young Justice. I know Young Justice will keep my secrets but if Bruce finds out he WILL try to take them on! He will be dead within days of trying. I will be dead within hours! The Prince likes me but not so much as to endanger all of Kindred society!" I ranted while Alfred remained seated perfectly calm.

"I think you underestimate Master Bruce." He sighed.

"I think you are giving him too much credit. I am DEAD! I died in front of him. What did he do when I was still buried?" I asked.

Alfred looked down at his hands and cleared his throat. "He went back into a decline, he became reckless...it was like when Jason died."

"What do you think he is going to do if he realizes that I am, in fact, still dead? What do you think he is going to try to do to the ones that put me IN this condition? Do you think he won't seek vengeance? His ENTIRE life has been dedicated to the pursuit of VENGEANCE! And don't try to deny it!" I shook my finger at him. I felt a little silly lecturing Alfred but I was frightened that he might take it upon himself to inform Bruce of my condition.

"It pains me to admit that you may...you MAY have a point. BUT, I still believe that he must be informed in the near future. He needs to understand what is going on and why. If they do manage to turn the Joker..." Alfred stood.

"I know. I know." I stood as well. "Who knew that some day I would have to play bodyguard to the Joker?"

I shook my head as Alfred straightened the line of his jacket.

"Indeed, these are interesting times." Alfred shook his head sadly. "I will leave you to your thoughts."

I nodded my thanks as he closed the door behind him.

I returned to my thoughts. I thought of the many ways I could torture Barbara.

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It was an hour later that I heard and felt Dick return to our floor. I found myself at the door straining all of my new senses trying to glean any and all information that I could. I heard him pause at my door then walk on. I only briefly debated whether or not to go to his room.

Nightwing opened his door immediately and frowned as I looked up at him. "Well?" I asked him.

Dick cocked his head to the side and asked. "Well what?"

"How was your date?" I didn't bother to hide the venom in my voice and he gestured me into the room.

"How was your date...Stud Wonder?" Bile dripped off the last two words and he took a step back.

"Why do you care?" he growled at me.

"Just curious." My favorite fantasy of the death of Barbara Gordon played out behind my eyes.

Dick's lips twisted into a dark grin. "It was nice."

He gasped and fell into the wall as I threw myself against him gripping him hard around his throat. Through the red haze that colored my vision I saw him pull at my hands trying to pry them from his windpipe. He gasped, face turning red, unable to speak. I tightened my grip and growled pushing him harder against the wall as I pressed myself against his body. My fangs dropped. His struggles became weaker and weaker and his eyes stared up at me, pleading...

I threw myself backward and stared in horror as he slumped to the floor still looking up at me.

"I'm...I'm...sorry!" I whispered, forcing my face back into human guise. "I'm so sorry!"

He leaned against the wall staring at me and for the first time I could see real fear in them. His throat was already turning a dark color and I could see the marks left from my fingers. I pulled my mask away from my face and threw it across the room. "Dick...please...I'm sorry! I really am!"

He s his his head and edged away from me crawling as I came closer.

"I didn't mean it. I'm sorry! I just...I just..."

I stopped moving toward him and let my hands fall to my sides. "I'll leave. I shouldn't be here. I'm a danger to you and everyone around me."

Nightwing called out to me as I rushed through the door letting it slam behind me. I didn't have too long before dawn and I knew I had to find shelter before then. I ran toward the only other place I had ever felt secure. Lestat's Asylum.

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