Madelyn Myriam Watson

04

Many people when they look at Tim Drake never notice the finer details.

Tim's hair was black, yes, but if you looked close enough, there was a faded green at the tips of his hair.

He sometimes had a deranged look in his eyes, pupils reduced to look like a dot in the rest of his eyes, like he was zumming in on something and he doesn't laugh often, of at all, nor does he smile.

His cheeks, if you see them without concealer, had two small dents, not noticeable unless you actively look for it.

His skin was paled, not as pale as the Joker, but not quite what it was before he had become Joker Jr.

Maddie knew this because she had been there during his down time before he returned to being Robin.

When Maddie walked into the house she had known Carrie was likely asleep by then, what she hadn't expected was Tim, her son, by blood or not, they were sitting on her couch. Tear streaks on their face, red lip stick smudged up to the dents in their cheek bones, a smile on their face, one she knew they had been trying to fight off.

"Tim? Would you like to have something to eat, mon chéri?" Maddie asked, having long learnt that when Tim is in this state they don't want to talk about it. Not without them bringing it up first.

Tim nodded, eyes unfocused. They were thinking, 'How can someone as apparently well put together as myself not control a damned smile.' A few tears slipped from Tim's eyes, their cheek bones hurt, their eyes burnt and they just wanted this lipstick wiped off, it wouldn't come off till Tim would be able to focus their thought away from their parents.

"Maman?" Tim asked, smile twitching and Maddie gave her full attention. "Yes, mon chéri?" Maddie asked, plating a slice of Shepherd's Pie, there were three slices left in the pastry dish.

"Is it bad that I, as a victim of torture, mental manipulation and physical torture, miss the cause of said torture and manipulation."

"It is, but I miss the very same people." Maddie said putting a plate on the table.

"What do you mean?" Tim asked, their smile slowly, but surely, drooping.

"My time in the Court of Owls wasn't my best experience in my life Tim. When I was first kidnapped I was put into intense training. The woman who would watch over me in said times and bring my meals, Myra Harrison, a master manipulator and the top in her field. She was like a mother to me.

She manipulated me into allowing everything to happen. I would have never been a true Talon had she not manipulated me. I would have never been the top of my field. She was like a second mother to me, died in a fight with another Talon, Dick's Grandfather. I haven't been the same since. You know, in the same way Ra's has his obsession with you, he did with me, less like a game, more like he approved of me. It was a curse. A curse that lead me to where I am today. On a beautifully cursed island. With an amazing family, who all have their fair share of trauma and you are not any different. My son, my daughter. He, her, they, it. You are my child. My child who has gotten their fair share of trauma and I'm sure knows, trauma doesn't disappear over night, but it sure as hell helps to talk about it."

Tim's smiles, genuinely. "I'll take you to see Harley later and maybe, if you can handle it, Joker?" Tim nods, both knew it was dangerous, but both knew it would only help.

-----------------------------------------------

Dick in his moment of helplessness -read he couldn't find his favourite hoodie- rushed into Maddie's house, from the zeta-tube, found the hoodie nowhere is the house and went looking for Maddie out in the SMP.

Maddie sat in a forest, she had spent that last few weeks since Carrie and Tim came over in that forest building. In the forest was, for right now, the frame of -from only the frame- a fortress. She had the schematics and the materials.

Aside of the frame, she had built a tunnel under the house with quick transportation to the cave -as the bats called it, the Mared House- for if they needed to use the zeta-tube in her house.

Aside from the tunnel, she had made the outward part amazingly. Gardens for miles, fields, lunch spots, camping spots, tea time spots, weapon practice spots, acrobatic spots, parks, a base of operations.

In the gardens were all types of flowers, for Alfred, the man liked gardening as much as he did cooking, in the middle of the garden sat a fountain, with six benches on each side, six paths spanned directly across from each bench.

The first path led to a huge park, one that Damian, without a doubt, would have fun playing in with Ace and Titus, his and Bruce's dogs, Haley and Sparky II -read Dog-, Dick and Jason's dogs, there was also an area for the cats, Patches, Maddie's cat, and Alfred the cat, Damian's cat. Other than that, there was an area far off the end of the park, one that had a humongous fenced off area, a pen for all Damian's animals, with places to wash and preen said pets.

The second path was the frame of a building, from the schematics, that building was to be a gym, with all essentials as well as acrobatic things for Dick, sword based weapons for Damian, a wrestling ring, other than that a full on gym area.

The third path was to another frame of building, it was to have a shooting range, along with a weapon throwing range to help the bats with batarangs and birdarangs.

The fourth path went to a dance place, ballet for Cass, Hip Hop for Stephanie, Ribbon Dancing for Dick and an art room for Damian.

The fifth path went to the spot for a huge library, with individual offices and a lounge area for everyone.

The sixth path was a lunch spot, in a huge field.

Maddie was about to start building the walls and floors of the house, when she heard running. "Mom!" Maddie paused, hearing Dick, she turned in his direction to see him running frantically.

"What's wrong?" Maddie asked as Dick slowed down to a walk. "I lost my hoodie, my favourite one, y'know that one that's yellow and black, with white and red?" Dick asked. "Yea. Have you check your apartment in Blüd? Or Wally's apartment, or Jason's main safe house? Or your safe house for that matter?" Maddie asked. Dick shook his head at every question.

"Thanks so much, mom!" Dick hugged Maddie, leaving all his weight on her. It was a long run from Maddie's house. "Yea, take a seat please." Maddie said, moving Dick to sit him on the bench.

Maddie grabbed an apple from her inventory and gave it to Dick, letting him eat it while she continued with the walls and floors of the fortress.

As Maddie was finishing the walls, she and Dick heard running and yelling. When Maddie looked down she found that Tommy and Sapnap were running from a creeper and a spider.

Maddie took her bow from the inventory and shot one individual arrow at the creeper and one at the spider. The arrows went through the spider's head and through the creeper's chest.

"Oh, hi Dick." Tommy said as he slowed to a stop. "Hi, Tommy, right?" Dick asked as Maddie jumped down from the walls. Sapnap was catching his breathe, so he didn't notice.

"Yea, sorry about how awkward it was the other day." Tommy apologized for how many unsolicited questions he asked. "You know this person? Are they new on the server?" Sapnap asked as he wheezed.

"Yes and no. Yes, I know this person, no they are not new, they are visiting a relative, if I'm not mistaken?" Tommy looked towards Dick when he asked his question.

"Yea. I had lost my hoodie, so I had to come here to ask for help about it." Dick said, getting a nod from Tommy, who was now looking around for his mother, not that she knew that he knew.

"Where is she, now?" Tommy asked. "Not sure, she went to go build the walls, but other that that, I don't know." Dick said, looking to Sapnap with slight worry, the man was still wheezing.

"He'll be fine, ignore him." Tommy said, noticing Dick's worry. "Are you sure? He doesn't seem to be okay." Dick questioned.

"Yes. It happens all the time."

"Oh, well." Dick shrugged.