1. 2 a.m.

“Beloved?” Tim’s voice was acidly sweet as he paced his apartment. “Is there a reason your ninja broke into the manor at two in the morning today?”

“I’m sure I don’t have-” Ra’s began, and Tim cut him off.

“Alfred caught them, don’t even try to deny it.” He cocked his head up at the camera he knew Ra’s had in his living room. “At two in the morning, honestly Ra’s. That’s like breaking in middle of dinner. Nobody is asleep.”

“Believe me, there will be words had about that,” Ra’s said, sounding rueful. “I don’t suppose you could convince Mr. Pennyworth to release them?”

“He said that if you passed along the tagine recipe from last month he’d consider it.”

2. Metaphor

 “Really, my lord, was that quite necessary?” Timoteo smiled blandly, unruffled by his sudden brush with death. Ra’s looked at the adolescent weapon, wondering for possibly the thousandth time who had forged him. Seven years among his court, and Timoteo was as much a mystery as the day the child had been found among the ruins of the Summer King’s palace.

“As if you were in any danger,” Ra’s said, summoning the boy forward with an imperious gesture. Timoteo’s smile quirked, softening into something that resembled contentment.

“Perhaps not, but it is still rude to throw knives at unsuspecting persons.” Timoteo’s scolding lacked any bite as he settled beside Ra’s on the bench. “The sun is beautiful today.”

Ra’s glanced at the fog covered sky, and the weak gray light that streamed through. “It is.”

3. Sky

“Well.”

“That is something of a problem.”

They exchange looks.

“Aren’t you supposed to stop things like this from happening?”

“Beloved, your father had me drugged and restrained in a mad house for several months.”

“Ah. That would be something of an interruption to your work, wouldn’t it?”

“Very much so.”

Another glance at the sky.

“How long do we have?”

“Assuming that was the last, two to four weeks.”

A humorless smile. “This is how the world ends, then? Not with a whimper but a bang.”

“Come to bed, Ra’s. There’s nothing we can do.”

Ra’s nods, and takes Tim’s offered hand. Behind them, mushroom clouds of irradiated ash bloom, blocking out the sun.

4. lost scene

Tim snickered, hiding his face in Ra’s neck. “It actually worked.”

“I believe it has,” Ra’s agreed, amusement coloring his voice. “Please tell me have this area under surveillance.”

“Of course,” Tim said, breaking out into another fit of laughter. “Footage backs up to an external storage site automatically.”

“And here I though you forgot my birthday, beloved.” Ra’s’ smirk, if possible, grew wider. Below them, the council of spiders stumbled through the thick fire-suppressing foam, coughing, cursing, and periodically falling.

5. Degrees

It is not a matter of any grand declaration, any single thing that they can pinpoint as the change, the moment he slipped away. One day, Tim is there, laughing, collaborating with Bruce on a case. One day, Tim is there, arguing with Damian. One day, Tim is there, with gritted teeth and strained patience. One day, Tim is there, silent and withdrawn.

One day, Tim is not there. One day, Tim is still absent. One day, Tim is gone.

One day, Tim is at Ra’s’ side, laughing, collaborating with him. One day, Tim is at Ra’s’ side, bo staff drawn to defend the man he calls ‘master.’ One day, Tim is at Ra’s’ side.

And he’s not coming back.