Dick's emotions would just not stand still long enough for him to focus. They were changing from confusion, anger, sadness, shock, exasperated, and annoyance. He could not control the situation if he couldn't make sense of it, and he couldn't make sense of it if his brain wouldn't just PICK A DAMN EMOTION. 

After Bart had dropped the bomb that this kid -Tim- was from a different universe, he'd shut his mouth and hadn't said a single word since. Instead, he'd spouted some nonsense about how Tim needed him to make sure he was eating, and disappeared into the Med Bay, leaving Dick to try and calm everyone down.

Why did he want to lead a group of teenagers again? Someone really should have talked him out of this. 

So what could he do except call Babs down here and ask for her help? If anyone would know something about this, it would be her. Especially with the way Steph had reacted to seeing the kid. That was just a whole new level of suspicious. 

Until she arrived, however, he needed to somehow stop everyone from murdering Bart. That was going to be extremely difficult, seeing as how Dick had wanted to do the same thing to the speedster after he disappeared. 

Teenagers. Why, why, why did he agree to lead teenagers?

....

"..."

"...?"

"..."

".....Tim?"

"..."

"Timmy?"

"..."

"Timbo?"

"..."

"...Red?"

"..."

"Are you...Okay?"

"..."

"..Tim?"

"Hmm?" Tim asked, finally looking away from the spot on the wall he'd been staring at for the last few minutes. 

Bart was sitting next to him, not bothering to hide his worry. If there was one thing he'd learned from future Tim, it was that he hated pity, but had never had someone really care for him. One way to show you cared was to worry, so Bart worried outwardly and inwardly. 

"ImeanIknowyouaren'treallyokay,butyou'vebeenstaringatthatwallforlikeforeverandit'sgettingalittlescarybecauseyouhaven'tevenblinkedandsoareyouokay?"

Tim blinked at him, nodding slowly. "Yeah, yeah I'm okay." It would never cease to amaze him that Tim understood him perfectly. He must have spent a lot of time with a speedster.

"Just... surprised, I guess." Which, yeah, that makes sense. Bart would be pretty surprised too if he found out that his girlfriend is from his universe and came here when she died.

"Is she... Are you sure? Like, absolutely positive?" Tim asked, unable to keep the pure hope out of his voice. 

Bart grinned. "Yeah. Stephanie Brown is 100% from your universe. There is no daughter, or son for that matter, of Cluemaster here." 

Tim let out a laugh. A laugh that put all of his emotions on full display. Hope, love, sadness, surprise, relief, joy. It was a laugh that Bart had never heard from Tim before. It was... refreshing. 

"I just don't understand why she ran out. I mean, she knows you're you." Bart said, tapping his chin and tilting his head. 

Tim shook his head with a fond smile. "Unless Steph changed drastically when she came here, then that reaction would make sense. She is a Bat, afterall. We don't exactly have good coping skills. Well, except for maybe Dick, and even then its iffy." 

"That... actually adds up. Wow." 

"Okay, so what about Jason? How is he still alive?" Tim asked, moving on to his next question.

"Hmm, well I think it was just one of those things, ya know? Like, Robin told Alfred about his birth mom and stuff, so when Jason disappeared, Alfred told Batman and then it was pretty much research from there? From what Rob told me, Bats arrived just in time to pull him out of the warehouse." 

Tim nodded. "That's good. Jason definitely didn't deserve what happened to him." 

Bart huffed in agreement. 

Tim hesitated before he continued. "Just... Just one last question." 

"Ask away." 

"What... What happened to me? The me in this universe?" Tim asked, though it looked like he already knew the answer.

Before Bart could answer, a knock came at the door and Cassie stuck her head in. 

"Um... Hi, Bart... Tim... Um, Oracle is here and she wants you both out here. She said you'd better... come willingly or she'd drag you out by your ears?" 

Bart had never seen Tim get up so fast.

...

When Babs arrived the entire mood of the mountain's occupants changed. They all sighed in relief and Steph had to give the older girl props. Only very powerful people could calm down a whole bunch of superhumans with just their presence. Steph would hate to see what would happen if Oracle wasn't on their side. 

Total death and destruction, though that much was obvious. 

"Wonder-girl, go grab Bart and our guest. Tell them that if they don't come willingly I will drag them out by their ears." Barbara ordered, rolling over to sit in front of the team. Steph giggled. Babs had learned all about how terrifying she was in Stephanie's universe. She was certainly using that knowledge to her advantage. Babs is what Steph aspired to be when she grew up, as impossible a feat as that was. 

"Right." Cassie replied, running over to the room.

"I take it you know something about this?" Dick asked. Steph sighed. Even across universes he was still making those same lovey-dovey eyes. It was as adorable as it was annoying. 

Babs smirked. "Oh, I've known about Tim for quite some time." Oh shit. She wouldn't. "In fact, far longer than he's been here." Apparently, she most certainly would. 

Damn it, Barbara. 

"How?" M'gann asked. "I've never heard about Universe travelling before."

"Steph." Babs answered. Except...

Wait...

That was two different voices. 

Well crap. Tim was here. And he knew.

Everyone turned to see Tim standing between Bart and Cassie, an unreadable expression on his face for most of the occupants in the room. 

Not all, but most. 

Because Steph could read his face, even though its been years since she had too. 

And he was looking at her with nothing but hope. 

She'd ignore how her heart skipped a beat for now. She couldn't focus on how seeing him made her feel like a silly teenager in love all over again. No, she couldn't bring back those feelings. 

Especially not now, not after he'd been given a chance to move on. And he no doubt had. She was gone for years, he though she was dead. Steph couldn't blame him if he did move on and fall in love with someone else. (No matter how much it hurt, and no matter how much she wanted nothing more than to kiss him again.) 

"Hehe.. Hey, boy wonder. Long time no see." she said, the definition of awkward. Hopefully nobody payed attention to how her voice cracked when she said his old nickname. 

Tim stepped forward, his arms twitching as if he wanted to hug her, but he held back, obviously decided against it. Steph wasn't sure she wanted to know what mental debate he had to decide whether or not he actually should. 

"Wait, how does... Tim... know Steph?" Jason questioned, pausing before he said Tim's name. 

Steph rubbed the back of her neck. "I um... maybe, might've, possibly... came from the same universe as him?" 

The team looked physically constipated and Steph really had to fight the urge to make them more confused. They'd been through enough already, why add more on?

Okay, well, the obvious answer to that is: why not? 

And now Steph just had to. She couldn't not do it. This was just way to much fun. 

"Oh yeah. Tim is my. Ex? I guess, I died before we broke up, so..." 

Tim face palmed and Steph burst out laughing at the look Babs gave her. 

"You haven't change a bit!" Tim huffed, looking resigned. This was only answered by Steph's laughter. Tim's lip twitched, but he resisted it and instead put on his impassive face. 

This was going to be a long day.