Fic: A Matter Of Time (2/4)

[starsandsea]

Title: A Matter Of Time (2/4)
Rating: PG
Characters/Pairings: Bruce/Clark, mentions of Tim/Kon, Dick, Alfred, Leslie
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Author's Note: For bradygirl_12's Halloween Challenge!. Previous parts can be found Here. Betaed by the wonderful arch_schatten.



Bruce opened his eyes to whiteness. He blinked. Something was on his arm, something heavy. Something else was one of his fingers. He looked around at a white room. He was lying on a bed. There was a clock above a door opposite his bed. He tried to see what time it displayed, but he couldn't make it out, somehow. The door abruptly opened and a nurse rushed in.

"Mr Wayne! You're awake at last, thank goodness."

Bruce blinked at her. He couldn't speak for some reason. The weight on his arm tightened suddenly. Bruce looked at the grey object upon it. A blood pressure monitor. It tightened on his skin painfully; he suppressed a wince. He felt so... weak. How long had he been asleep? Where was he?

"Mr Wayne? Bruce?" The nurse again. Bruce looked at her. The pressure on his arm slowly decreased.

"I'm Alicia. You're in hospital. Metropolis General."

Metropolis? What was he doing there? The last thing he remembered was fighting that woman on a rooftop in Gotham...

"I know this is a lot to take in," the nurse continued. "But you've been asleep for nearly 2 years now."

Bruce blinked up at the woman. 2 years?! But that was impossible, he couldn't have been asleep that long...

"We've all ready contacted your sons and they're on their way." The nurse smiled at him. "The doctor will be with you in a moment. Is there anything I can get you?"

Bruce was still struggling to process everything. He shook his head slowly. The nurse looked at the machines next to his head. Bruce followed her movements with his eyes.

She smiled brightly at him. "The doctor will be here in a minute."

Bruce blinked up at her. He still couldn't talk for some reason. Sleep was pulling at him, but he fought back. He had to stay awake, find out what was happening here, what had happened to everyone...

*****

Bruce opened his eyes that he didn't remember closing. He was still in the white room.

"Bruce?"

He slowly turned his head. "Leslie!" His voice was cracked, only partially working. Leslie smiled at him and placed a straw at his mouth. Cool water. He slowly swallowed it, already feeling better from seeing Leslie. Someone he knew.

The straw was taken away. "Not too much - it would shock your body." Leslie said. She placed a hand on his forehead and brushed back his hair.

"Leslie? What's going on? What happened?"

Leslie smiled at him softly. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Bruce frowned. They were alone in the room, but he didn't know what kind of surveillance there was... "It was Halloween. I went to a party..." He said, hesitantly.

Leslie nodded slowly. Her hand was still on his forehead. "Clark found you unconscious, though with no visible wounds. You've been asleep for nearly 2 years to the day."

Bruce blinked at her, then seized on the name. "Clark! Is he all right? Is everyone all right?"

Leslie smiled at him reassuringly. "Everyone's fine, dear. Alfred, Dick and Tim will be here in a minute, they can tell you more."

Bruce sighed in relief. Everyone was all right. Leslie wouldn't lie to him.

"Bruce." Leslie began, before pausing. "You need to expect some changes, all right? A lot has happened while you've been here."

Bruce nodded slowly. "I understand." Everyone was alive. That was all that mattered.

*****

"Bruce?" Dick's hesitant voice. Bruce opened his eyes and saw Dick, slightly older than he last remembered him, more serious, leaning over him.

He smiled slowly. "Dick." He had hardly spoken his name before he was engulfed in a hug. Bruce blinked, and slowly put his arms around his son.

"Bruce!" Tim was at the other side of his bed. He looked older too, more like him, Bruce realized suddenly, the same pain he had seen so often in a mirror in his youngest son's eyes. Dick finally let him go and Tim promptly hugged him. Bruce put his arms around him gently. Something had happened to his son while he had been asleep, while he wasn't there to help him. Tim pulled away from him slowly, smiling weakly. Bruce frowned at him.

"Are you okay? Both of you?" He glanced at Dick to include him in his question.

"We're..." Tim started, but couldn't seem to go on.

Dick took Bruce's right hand and squeezed it gently. "It's... been tough."

Bruce nodded, taking in his sons. Something had happened. Maybe more than just one something. He knew that look in their eyes. Something had happened and they wanted desperately to tell him, but at the same time they didn't. Something bad.

"Master Bruce. It's it marvelous to see you awake again sir."

"Alfred!" Alfred was here. Bruce instantly felt reassured. He smiled. Alfred, looking the same as ever. Dick and Tim had been in good hands while he had been asleep. Alfred smiled back at him, relief shading his eyes.

Dick squeezed his hand again. "How do you feel?"

"I... feel fine." There were three snorts, though Alfred would have denied his. It was a standard Bat answer, even if you were bleeding all over the floor, you were 'fine'. Bruce rolled his eyes slightly. "Really, I do. I just can't believe I've been asleep so long. What happened?"

Tim dragged a chair over to his bedside, indicating that Alfred should sit, then dragged one over for himself. Alfred only sat after Tim did. Dick perched on his bedside.

"We found you on a rooftop on Halloween. We took you back to the cave, but we couldn't find anything wrong with you. No wounds, drugs or poisons... you had just slipped into a coma."

Bruce frowned. "There was a witch..."

Tim nodded. "Jason Blood and Zatanna both said they could feel magic on you, that it was what had sent you into your coma, but they couldn't reverse it for some reason."

Bruce nodded slowly. "The nurse said this is Metropolis."

Dick nodded this time, still holding his hand. "Metropolis does have more advanced tech. You were transferred here temporarily to have tests run. Trust you to wake up before they could be!" Dick grinned at him, but it didn't reach his eyes. Bruce nodded again, thoughtfully. He looked at Alfred, then at Tim, and back to Dick.

"All right. Out with it."

"Out with what?" Dick questioned, failing at sounding innocently confused.

Bruce looked at them all again. "Whatever it is that you're trying to hide. " Tim bowed his head. "Tim?" Bruce questioned gently.

Tim looked up. If he had been anyone else, he would have been weeping. Bruce reached out his free hand and grasped one of Tim's trembling ones. Alfred got up and gently patted Tim on the back. Dick squeezed his other hand. Bruce frowned. This was not good.

Tim took a deep breath. "Kon and..." He stumbled to a halt. Bruce squeezed his hand encouragingly, dread making his stomach plummet.

Tim took another deep breath. "Kon and Bart... died."

Bruce closed his eyes. Oh god... He reopened his eyes and pulled his hand away from Dick's. He pulled Tim, unresisting, into a hug. He pressed his lips to his son's dark hair, feeling Tim's tears finally falling.

"I'm so sorry, Tim, so sorry..." Tim sobbed against his chest. Bruce tightened his hold him him. Kon and Bart... Jesus. Dick ran a hand up and down Tim's back, making soothing noises. Alfred just placed a hand on Tim's shoulder. Bruce met Dick's eyes. Dick shook his head slowly. No one else had died. That was... good, he supposed. But why had Tim's lover and best friend had to die? Within at least two years of each other? Bruce shook his head as Tim slowly pulled away from him. Alfred handed him a handkerchief and Tim rubbed his eyes.

Bruce didn't ask how they had died. That would be far too cruel to Tim's battered soul. Instead, he just squeezed his hands again, and hoped that Tim could read the message in his eyes. 'I'm here now. I'm not going anywhere.' Tim looked at him, then nodded, thanks in his own eyes. Bruce nodded back.

"Bruce..." Dick's hesitant voice again. Bruce looked at him, one hand still holding Tim's, comfortingly. Dick closed his eyes and turned away. When he turned back around, his face was devoid of emotion. Much like his own when he had bad news. Bruce frowned. Tim squeezed his hand. Bruce glanced at him, confused by the sympathy that was now in his eyes.

"Bruce," Dick said again, voice stronger this time. "About four months after you... fell unconscious, there was an accident."

"'Accident'?" Bruce prompted, when his son fell silent.

Alfred took up the tale. "Master Clark was badly injured fighting with the Justice League." Bruce blinked, feeling dread eating away at him again.

"Bruce," Bruce looked at Alfred warily. He could count on one hand the number of times Alfred had called him by name alone.

"Master Clark lost all his memories."

Bruce could only blink again, stomach turning to lead. Clark, Clark, his beautiful Clark... no.

"He has regained some of them, but..." Alfred hesitated. Tim squeezed his hand, almost painfully tight.

"He and Lois Lane married just over a year ago."