BTW, Tim and Damian don't know that Jason didn't actually kiss Alice.

~Lz :3

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---Tim's P.o.V---

At the Gala:

     Damian and I stood in the sidelines as we watched Jason dance with Alice. Stephanie said she wanted to find a friend so she left, but I didn't mind. I couldn't hold a decent conversation when all I wanted to do was look at Alice. Her hair and eyes were beautiful, like snow. When she said that the color was natural, I just wanted to reach out and touch it. For some reason, when I saw Jason and Alice together, a burning ache formed in my chest.

    Of course she would like Jason more than us. He's older, taller, stronger. I was just his 'replacement' after all. The ache swelled when I saw them stop dancing and Jason whispered in her ear. When he kissed her, the pain grew unbearably large. It felt like the fire was scorching and tearing my body into a million pieces. I realized that for once Damian and I would form a mutual agreement. Get Jason away from Alice. 

      We stormed up to him and pulled him away with all the force we could muster. I was outraged. We had no right to do this, but the flame was eating away at me until I couldn't feel my conscience anymore. Damian pulled her away which I was grateful for. I walked up to Jason, planning to apologize for being so harsh, until he spoke,

     "Are you and Little D jealous of somethi-" I cut him off by sucker punching him in the stomach. Who the hell does he think he is?! My hand hurt from the impact. I take back my thoughts from earlier. He doesn't deserve her. Why the hell do I feel this way?

Now:

      All the guests had already left the manor by now, and Dick, Jason, Damian, and myself are helping Alfred to take down the decorations. About five minutes after we finished, Bruce called Damian and I down to the Bat-cave.

   "Is there a problem father?" Damian started, wondering why we couldn't just rest on Christmas night.

   "What do you know about Alice Jacobs?" he said in his monotonous Batman voice. I became rigid at the mention of her name, and to my left, I could tell Damian tensed as well. Noticing this, Bruce seemed to become more intrigued.

     "Well? Is there something you'd like to tell me?" he pried. I shook my head frantically, and Damian laughed at my reaction.

     "Drake isn't hiding information on her, more of an opinion," he mused. I glared at his smirking features. I was not going to tell Bruce of the unpleasant bitterness I held to anyone who got close to her.

   "Shut it Demon Spawn. Besides, I think you and Jason also share the same opinion of her," I retorted. The color drained from his face, while Bruce watched our squabble in amusement.

   "Why did you want to know anyway Bruce? Is she in danger?" I asked with a worried expression.

    "I'm not sure. Today at the gala, she bumped into me and dropped, what I believe to be, her cell phone. I saw on her screen that she was currently working on an extraordinarily complex code when we collided. I don't know what she was hacking into, but by the looks of it, she's good." I felt a sense of pride at the fact that she was able to impress the Batman.

    "Father, why is this important? So she likes computers, big deal," Damian whined. Bruce gave him the infamous bat-glare, which immediately shut him up.

     "It's a big deal, because just now, the head of the company which supplied our suits called me saying they're going bankrupt. One of their rival companies bought out their cotton supplier in Turkey," he explained.

    "And? Is this just another excuse to give us a lesson in business economics?" I asked impatiently.

   "I'm trying to say that the head was at the gala tonight with his computer by his side. I noticed that Alice was following him around the manor while she was on her phone after she bumped into me. I can only assume that she was trying to hack into his laptop, but there was a limited signal range. She's most likely a part of their sudden bankruptcy." he concluded. I stood as if I was paralyzed from the neck up. She can't be a hacker, can she? That's illegal..... Damian's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

   "Do you have any proof it was her?" he asked defensively.

    "That's the problem. I don't. Her file on the bat computer doesn't show much of her early and personal life, but it says that she's unemployed. No work experience. It also says that she goes to college without financial aid, and her parents died at the age of seventeen. There are files on her parents, but none on her grandparents. Do either of you see a problem with that?" he said, motioning to the bat computer.

   "Are you implying that she's a mercenary hacker?" Damian asked, stating the obvious.

   "It's a possibility, Damian." he replied coolly. 

    "That's ridiculous! She's just a college student! Her parent's probably left her an inheritance or something," I nearly yelled. Bruce raised an eyebrow at his third son.

    "Explain the lack of information Tim. Please don't let your feelings for Alice cloud your mind, but I think this is just a cover identity. I have no leads on who she really is, but I think that she might be the Lock Picker." Bruce said with a small bit of hope, thinking he might bring this stressful case to an end. I shook my head in disbelief.

    "No, no, no. It's impossible. The Lock Picker is a criminal...." I mumbled, pacing around the cave. Damian looked like he was about to piss his pants at anytime. 

     "We're taking a visit to her apartment tonight during patrol. Are you up for it Tim?" Bruce asked, somewhat scared for the sanity of his adopted son. I nodded my head,

   "Of course, when do we leave?" I responded, eager to prove her innocence. He glanced at the watch on his wrist.

     "Be out in thirty minutes," he commanded, leaving the room to get ready.

Please don't let it be true Alice.

_________________

Will they discover the truth? 

Hehehehe

Idk.

~Lz :3