Before bringing Dora back home from the hospital, Alex had to fix all the mess that had been created as a result of Deathstroke and Shadow Walker's attack. Helena and Steph accompanied him and the three of them had to clear everything up, the first being the press that had flocked to the place in hopes of getting an interview out of them regarding the attack.

Alex was already exhausted and had no strength to deal with their probing questions so Helena took it upon herself to drive them all out, threatening to use her crossbow instead if they didn't listen to her warning.

That seemed to have done the trick and given the reputation she had in the city as Huntress, it didn't take much longer for the reporters to wane out.

Alex had taken up the floor mop, cleaning all the glass shards from the smashed windows, Steph was clearing up the kitchen and Helena had stepped upstairs to look after Dora and Al's rooms.

Al noticed that Steph looked a lot worried and seemed rather detached as she cleared up the kitchen, lost deep in thought. It was unusual to see the bright blonde like that so he asked, "Steph, you alright?"

She was shaken out of her thoughts by his voice and looked up to see him standing in the doorway. "Of course... I'm fine."

But her voice betrayed her, the worry showing in her tone and Alex seemed to have noticed that.

"Where's Tim?" He asked instead, knowing that it was strange that he hadn't shown up given the fact that he would have been the first to rush to Dora's side under the current circumstances, "he wasn't at the hospital either."

"Yeah, well... Tim..." She paused for a while but then replied, "he isn't here because we didn't tell him."

Honey shaded irises widened in alarm, "you didn't tell him?"

"Yeah... He had gone with Bruce to Metropolis, on account of some business meeting. They are both still there and Richard advised if we told Tim, he would panic and demand to come back immediately."

"Oh..." Still he could see there was something definitely wrong with her and that she hadn't been telling the truth about Tim. But he also knew it wasn't the time to probe further since all of them had gone through a lot and needed some time to recover.

"He's going to be extremely angry at us for keeping him in the dark though," she mumbled, "you know how protective he is over Dora."

"I do. He's the only person I would ever trust with Dora," he replied, filling up a glass of water and sat down to drink it, his vision blurring as he had had a head injury but hadn't taken proper rest, "but I understand why you didn't tell him either. If you ever need help in convincing him when he comes back and gets enraged at you all, don't hesitate to call me for help."

Her eyes softened as she nodded, "thank you so much, Alex. You really are a blessing to us."

Helena had come downstairs as well, "the rooms are all okay now. Do you guys need help here?"

"I cleared up the shop area the best I could but we might need to board up the windows and put up a sign of Closed for Maintenance..."

"It's alright, Alexander, I will see to that."

"Thank you," honey connected with her sharp grey irises and a gentle smile spread on her features as she leaned closer, kissing his cheek lightly.

"Don't worry. Everything will be okay soon."

He really hoped it would be true but deep down a feeling of dread warned him that they were in for a lot more than just what they had been through.

***

Alex hadn't been wrong in his assumption that they would have to deal with a lot even when Dora was discharged and came back home. Tim had apparently disappeared to goodness knew where and everything was thrown in turmoil.

The shop had been reopened after renovation but Dora hadn't fully recovered and the uncertain situation regarding Tim had been affecting her adversely. Al didn't know what he should do to get her back to normal and he had only Helena around to confide in how terrible he felt due to all that had passed.

Days lapsed into weeks and weeks into months yet there was still no sign of Tim. And when he had gone to the Waynes to ask them what was going on, he had been hit with another shock.

They told him Tim had been abducted and they were trying their best to track him out but it had been of no use. According to them, Tim wasn't in the abductor's captivity wither as he had managed to escape but there had been no other clue of where he was or what had happened to him.

That night had been particularly heavy on Alex as Steph had come with him to talk to Dora and tell her to stop waiting for Tim. It hurt both of them to see Dora break down upon hearing it but they could do nothing else.

They couldn't bring Tim back and all they could do was hope for him to return, safe and sound.

It had been another dull day at the shop for Alex because by then almost an year had passed with no news of Tim. Dora had lapsed into silence and though she was trying her best to come back to normal, she still had terrible headaches and nightmares that were hindering her recovery.

Something had happened that day when Dora had gone out to the counter because Susan had called him scared that Dora wasn't well. Upon asking, Dora had simply said she had a headache and she wanted to rest but Alex wasn't so sure about that.

He feared something had happened and she was intentionally not telling him so that he wouldn't get worried. After completing his chores in the shop, he had once again gone to ask her if everything was alright or not but received no convincing reply.

Reluctantly Alex had to return to the kitchen as Dora had told him she was going to go to sleep. An hour had passed since then but he hadn't realized that as he had been washing all the dishes but when he heard sounds coming from upstairs, recognizing Dora's voice that seemed to be shouting at someone, he left everything and rushed upstairs.

She was in the balcony and hearing the commotion Alex had come there as well and his eyes widened in shock to see Tim standing there.

The same bright blue irises with dark rings of fatigue circling the eyes, the same pale features and the only difference was his dark hair that reached down to his shoulders messily instead of the soft brown tufts he had last seen.

Other than that, he was Tim.

Alive and well after one whole year of staying away, standing right in front of Dora who seemed to have broken down and was no doubt going through a panic attack.

He rushed to his sister and pulled her away from him, his hands tightly gripping her by the arms, "Dora, stop panicking... Hey, calm down."

But soon as he had pulled her apart from him, gathering her in a comforting hug, her head swayed and she fainted.

Tim's eyes flickered in concern and he wanted to reach out to her but he kept his distance, feeling a wave of hostility wash over Alex's features.

But the latter said nothing and merely carried Dora inside though when he noticed that Tim hadn't dared to follow, he turned and spoke, "come in. We need to talk."

He placed Dora gently on her bed, pulling the blanket over her carefully then looked at Tim who was standing in the doorway, his blue eyes indicating that he was worried for her.

He nodded at the boy, allowing him to step inside the room and watched as he sat down on the chair right beside Dora's bed, his blue eyes not leaving her for even a second.

"I'm sorry," he spoke up at last, blue looking in Al's honey colored eyes, "I'm so terribly sorry, Alex... But there was no other way left for me. I had to stay away or else all of you would be thrown in danger instead."

Alex took a seat as well, "explain everything. And if you dare lie this once, Timothy, I won't let you see Dora ever again. I swear..."

Tim agreed readily and explained from the beginning to the end; telling him that he was Red Robin and also told him about Deathstroke and Shadow Walker's combined attempts to finish the vigilantes. He had escaped from Deathstroke's captivity but instead of returning, he took the opportunity to investigate the case deeper, getting involved with N.O.W.H.E.R.E and managed to take them down before they could strike at the vigilantes.

It had taken him a year to accomplish their demise all on his own but the reason he hadn't sought help was because he didn't want to endanger anyone close to him. The fact that he was dead to the world for the time being had helped him in defeating the organization as well.

He left out the details but gave Alex a brief account of everything he had been through in that one year. Alex listened carefully and when his explanation finally came to a halt, he spoke up, "you have no idea how hard it was for Dora to recover from the trauma."

His head was lowered guiltily, "I'm sorry. I really am."

"And I don't know whether she will be able to accept the truth now or not."

He nodded, understanding the situation, "Al please, just let me talk to her for one last time. I'll accept whatever she decides after hearing me out."

Alex thought for a while, a weary sigh escaping him, "fine. Stay with her, I'll be downstairs if you need me. And please... Don't cause her any more pain than she has already been through."

Tim nodded in affirmation and Alex stepped out, leaving him alone with her. He had been angry at Tim for everything Dora had to go through because of him but after hearing his explanation, he had realized the boy had no other option.

It was all a lot for him to take in too and he needed some time to himself to sort everything out as well. Whether or not Dora would listen to him was a decision that rested with her. But Alex knew he couldn't bring himself to stay angry at Tim for very long, considering everything the young boy had suffered in the past year.

***