Lamia Marley Wayne was many things. She was a former Gotham street rat. She was Jason Todd's best friend. She was Bruce Wayne's first adopted daughter. She used to secretly be the second Batgirl. She was international supermodel. She was Cyan.
She was absolutely fucking done with this family of hers.
-
Her story started years ago when she met a small street rat with bright teal eyes harden by the life they live trying to pickpocket the money she had just pickpocketed from Dopey Don. She didn't barely spared him glance except for the glance at his eyes before her fist connected to his face.
Honestly, it was the start of a beautiful friendship.
They shared more punches and kicks and curses with each other than anyone else. And if you asked, they'd always say the other started it. He tried to steal from her (with a 50% chance of succeeding) and she'd catch him (with a 50% chance of failing) and then she'd beat the shit out of him while he defended himself accordingly but only with enough punches and kicks and grabs to restrain her and make her back off.
It wasn't until Pig Head Patrick tried to make a move on her did everyone realize (and this included the two of them) that the fights between them were more friendly than antagonizing. Like a street fighting version of Catwoman and Batman without all of the sexual tension.
Patrick had caught her while she had been distracted in her scheming (one of those Uptown Gothamites ventured to far away from their castle) and she was planning on making her move on that pretty diamond bracelet on the lady's wrist when he nabbed her. She put up a good fight, but she was small, starving, and exhausted and he eventually overpowered her. She nearly gave up all hope until her golden brown eyes caught sight of incredibly familiar teal eyes. She gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod and her teal eyed friend came flying out of the shadows armed with Batty Bryan's favorite bat and swung it right upside Patrick's head. He went with a painful yelp that was followed by another as the two of them both aimed a hit at his private.
They escaped down the side street (with Lamia still managing to slip off with the diamond bracelet) and eventually came to a stop at one of her various hideouts. It was awkward for a couple seconds before she mumbled out a genuine thanks.
"Names Lamia, by the way," she included as she placed the bracelet in the box with the other valuables that she played to go sell the next morning. She had turned her back to him a sign of clear trust breaking one of the number one rules of the streets. Don't trust anyone.
"Jason," the boy replied after a while. She peeked over at him and noticed the way he was looking at Meghan. The only working girl besides Christina and Erica and Rocky that fought in their heels for their respect and own protection. She was also one of the only girls around that cared about the children running around. Always bringing food for them and making sure they had some place warm to stay during the winter months.
"I'm going to regret this," she sighed mentally. She didn't say anything, but grabbed the bracelet and handed it over to Jason before pushing him over to Meghan. She watched with a small smirk as Meghan caught him before he fell and how her mouth dropped open in shock at the bracelet he presented her. Her smirk only grew wider at the embarrassed smile and blush that made its way to his face as Meghan kissed him on the cheek and ruffled his hair as he slip the bracelet on her wrist like a true gentleman.
When he came back with the blush still on his cheeks and mock-glare thrown her way at her amusement, they both really understood that it really was the start of a beautiful friendship.
-
After that, they played lots of schemes together and causing mayhem all across Park Row. Even to be street rats, the two of them were incredibly beautiful. But they were also pain in the asses that were hard to catch. JT and Marley were what they were called. Little shits is what they were mainly named. Bonnie and Clyde is what the working girls called them. Neither cared what they called them, so as long as they did not catch them is all that mattered.
You couldn't take on one of them without expecting the other to come out of nowhere and beat the shit out of you. It happened before plenty of times. The older kids that staked "claims" and called "dibs" on Lamia tried cornering Jason once only to get a bag full of rocks falling on their heads and faces as she stood above them on the fire escape of Grandma Perkins' apartment building. Or the time when Jason's female fanclub decide to mess up that pretty face of hers because she was able to used her looks to get better deals. And Jason showed up and started flirting and distracting them only for Lamia to give them all nice and pretty dates with her fists because fuck that, JT. These littles bitches have pocket knives. They were fully prepared to slice me up.
They were best friends. But they were also more than that. They were the only things they had left. His father was a deadbeat and his mother was dead. Her mother and father were both assholes that tried to sell her for drugs and end up meeting their maker when she instead hid on the fire escape under their apartment before she took off. Some nights she can still hear the gunshots ringing in her ears.
She was the one that came up with the plan to do something big to get better pay. Batman was the only logical choice. You couldn't get near any of the other big bads around Gotham that ventured into the East End without ending up in one their little games. She planned for something simple like a batarang. Jason did one better and aimed for the tires.
She had been sitting on top of the third tire calculating the worth of each one and which dealer they planned on selling them to when Jason had came back with a scowl on his face. And not too far behind was the Bat himself.
Lamia scowled herself and threw a glare over at her partner in crime, "Dude, you never suppose to lead the victim back to the hideout."
Jason scoffed, "He followed me. He wants to me to put the tires back."
And that just won't do.
"Alright, B-Man, the only way you're getting these tires back is if you pay for them. And I don't care how tough you are or how quick you can get these wheels back, I'll follow you all around Gotham until I get my payment," she sneered. She was bluffing, but no one ever called her out on her bluffs.
"Oh," Batman stated as if he was talking to some child.
"Yeah, oh, you big boob. You gotta be rich considering that car is built like a freaking tank and from the glimpse I had at it earlier, you must of had to weapons built in it. Especially that taser skin that shocked the shit out of Pig Head Pete when he touched it. That's dumb by the way. You set that up to have your wheels snatched."
"Yeah, that was stupid," Jason chimed in from where he was leaning on the stack of wheels by her legs.
"So what is the price for my ignorance then," Batman inquired. And Jason and Lamia had to really stop for a moment because what the fuck? Batman can literally be doing anything else, but here he is discussing tire deals with two notorious street rats.
Then Lamia looked at Jason and she remembered the look on Jason's face when he saw one of the working girls. The look on his face when she used her looks to play over males and sometimes females hormones to get what she wanted without giving up anything. Or when the look on his face when he saw how the older girls succumbed to system of the streets and took claim of their own corners. Then she remembered how Jason looked when one of the other kids mentioned being hungry and too tired to do anything but not trusting going to sleep because they didn't know if they'd wake back up. How one of their hideouts became a safe haven and Meghan and Christina and Erica and Rocky and Punzie and Noelle sometimes came over and taught them how to read and how to write and how to even spell their names. And suddenly, Lamia knew exactly what she wanted.
"Help. Real help. They are so many kids around her that need help. And hope and love. You're not helping us by fighting all of those criminals. The real help comes in when all of us kids around here can sleep peacefully at night without having to worry about if it's our last night and who we'd have to steal from in the morning. Real help comes when Meghan can finally get enough money to pay for nursing school and Erica can stop working her corner because none of the desk jobs called her back. When Rocky and Cristina can open the daycare they wanted and Punzie and Noelle can bring in enough money to feed their own kids and pay their bills. That's what you can pay us."
Jason glanced up at her and a look was shared. She hopped off the tires and helped him as he put them back on the Batmobile.
"We might not be big and bad like you, old man," Jason started.
"But if you show up around this end without trying to make a better chance, we'll find a way to run you out and make you pay, she finished before the two of them walked away.
It came to a surprise to them and near full blown out breakdown from her when Bruce Wayne came around to adopt them. Punzie was the one to convince to give it a go. She was always encouraging the kids around to go to orphanages and foster homes anything to get them off the street. Jason accepted it and he refused to leave her behind. So she accepted only after she conned Bruce into giving away a couple hundreds to the working girls that had flaunted and fluttered around the two of them making them presentable. They gave away all the stuff they managed to steal and kept hidden away to Doc and extracted a promise that he kept the safehaven running with his crew. Lamia even gave them her book of schemes of that she written down from one of the notebooks Noelle slipped her with a list of who were the easiest to steal from, alleys to escape through, hideouts they had, who to avoid, and which working girls deserved their respect and which ones didn't (Jason hadn't liked that part, but Lamia had been damned if she showed them respect when they treated her gum under their heels because she lived on the streets).
-
The two of them struggled to fit in with the Wayne name. Their years on the street making them brash and rude and downright snarly to anyone they didn't know. They eventually mellowed out, but they didn't lose the edge the streets gave them. Honestly, the two of them spent more time with Alfred than they did with their new dad though the two of the would later realize that it was because he was the Batman and he was busy. But he still managed to find time to spend with them. Just not a lot, but enough that they could see he was trying.
It didn't even take long before the two of them started training. Jason to be Robin and Lamia because she was used to fighting and running and she had all the excess energy and anger bottled up. So they trained and trained and took their anger and frustration out on each other before Jason was flying across Gotham as the new bird in town. And then Lamia joined him as Barbara eased away from Batgirl and focused more on being Barbara Gordon.
Gotham had two new kids in town. Kicking ass and taking names later all across her rooftops.
In the media and in the public, the two hated being Wayne kids but they played their roles well. Lamia more than Jason because he wanted to spend all of his time reading and she wanted to spend all of her time wondering which rich prick she could slipped something completely unnoticeable off of and how much it'd cost one of the kids on the streets if she dropped it off to them. (She didn't succeed most of the time. Bruce and Alfred frowned upon such behavior and were always watching to make sure she kept her hands away from the prudes' belongings).
It was a joint and conscious decision to fuck their older brother's life up whenever he came around. Dick was well a dick. He was incredibly rude to the two of them because the costumes and names they were sporting. Because he was treating them like unwanted kids caught in the middle of a nasty divorce he was having with their dad.
She ran him away from the manor more than his arguments with Bruce did. No one picked on Jason in that manor but her. And if he thought she was going to let some circus brat treat her Jace like shit, then he had another thing coming. And that's what she told Bruce and Alfred after they questioned her on why she dyed Dick's hair bright pink with orange highlights after he called Jason street trash.
The two of them flourished at Gotham Academy after they cut down on all of the fights they had been in and after Jason gave Jeremiah Sionis a breakdown of how to respect women after Jeremiah made a comment about how Lamia had probably gave her body up while they had been staying on the streets. And they flourished even more when Lamia punched Sionis in the face and broke his nose,
"Even Daddy's money can't fix that, Jeremy. The only thing I gave away on the streets were beatdowns for comments less than that remark. Remember that the next time you mention anything about me or any of the girls down in the East End."
She had been suspended but Janus Cosmetics ended up under Bruce's control, so she figured it had been a win. Even after his dad went crazy and criminal and Janus Cosmetics ended up being Jeremiah's inheritance (and the weird moment when Jeremiah decided he liked her feistiness and they'd be a beautiful couple).
It wasn't long before someone noticed how insanely beautiful the two of them were. Their looks on their own rivaling with their older brother and father. Companies all over wanted a Wayne for the face of their products, but they couldn't find Richard to make the deals. Bruce Brucie declined most of them and Jason didn't even bother to reply. But Lamia took it with favor. She quickly dominated the modeling industry and became America's Sweetheart by giving away most of her money to the betterment and rebuilding of Park Row. And it was delightful. With the drug lords too busy trying to establish their rule in high class areas of Gotham, it kept a lot of attention off the East End which made it easier to rebuild some of the buildings in the area.
Lamia got Bruce to pull some strings and she and Jason both were the ones (with a shit ton of body guards even though they didn't need them regardless of their training) to track down Rapunzel Towers and Noelle Olaf and give them the deed to their new daycare center. And that same night, they both came back and placed their tags to let people know that the daycare was under their most noticeable protection. Lamia with the standard golden batgirl symbol and Jason with the famous Robin symbol.
One thing was certain though was that one never went too far from the other. She had a modeling gig in Metropolis… guess who was coming with her? He had test to make up for fourth period because he had been out with the flu… guess who was staying with him? She had detention or he had detention after school… guess who was finding a way to get into detention with the other. They were inseparable even the kidnappers knew that. Even Gotham's Rogues knew that… ask Penguin what happened the one time he managed to nabbed Robin. She had him dancing like Happy Feet as he tried and failed to dodged her fist and the swings from his own umbrella she managed to grabbed before Batman called her off. Or ask Scarecrow how hard Robin punched him in the face enough to knock off his hat and break off his mask when he sprayed Batgirl with his fear gas. He had the wrong bird if thought Robin was going to be afraid of him.
They could survive without the other. They weren't codependent on each other at all. They just like being in each others presence by each other's sides.
They were teammates. They were partners in crime justice. They were best friends. They were family.
-
It was after another one of Jason's horrible visits to the Teen Titans that they came to the decisions to start their own superhero team. Modelling gigs had been slow because Bruce made sure they understood that she was still a kid and that school did exist. The two of them were the top of their classes. Jason more so than her because he had a passion for school and learning that she didn't even see when they were running around Crime Alley.
It had been the weekend before school started back after Fall Break when he returned from his visit to their dear older brother. He had scowl that matched the one he wore the first time she caught him stealing from her and she punched him. He didn't say anything to Bruce and Alfred, but she managed to draw the story out of him. They treated him as if he was invisible even though the Robin suit was brighter than all of their futures and only paid attention to him when he did something wrong. When he did something JasonRobin and not DickRobin and Lamia can admit that she was insanely protective of Jason. Of Bruce. Of Alfred. Even Barbara (she looked at Barbara with stars in her eyes. She was so cool but the stars dimmed and exploded into black holes whenever she makes a comment about Jason never being Dick Grayson. As if anybody would want to be that asshole).
"I hate going there. And worse because you're not there because even though Dickhead doesn't say anything to me when I'm there; he makes them leave me alone when you're around for some reason," Jason muttered bitterly.
"He's scared of Barbara and if he insults me, then I twist his words around, make it believable and tell Barbara that he insulted Batgirl in general," Lamia shrugged. Her words didn't even bring a small smile to his face like she hoped. "Forget the Teen Titans. Who would want to be apart of thier stupid group anyway? Seriously, who's bright idea was make their headquarters a giant T? That's not suspicious at all."
Her words brought out something that she was not expecting. She wasn't expecting at all. Her instincts were screaming at her to abort, but before she could Jason dropped a bombshell...
"Let's start our own team," he told her as if he didn't just state that he wanted to start a team of teen partners even though there was already a group for that and neither of them liked working with anyone that didn't wear the Bat Symbol or worked in Gotham (Nightwing not included).
No, there was no way she was agreeing to that. One of the had to be the mature one and dammit if it had to be her then- "Okay. Let's do it. I know the perfect place to have a headquarters."
And that's how the two of them started brainstorming their own team even getting Bruce in on it because they weren't going to be like Dick and started a team out of spite and need to prove anything. One thing Bruce taught them as heroes was that they had to learn how to accept help even if he couldn't seem to follow that advice himself.
While Dickhead had his team in New York in their T, Lamia came up with the idea of having their team in Happy Harbor hidden in that mountain that Bruce had once used as warehouse. He didn't look shock that she knew about the location, but he did managed to look shock when Jason pulled up the schematics on the Batcomputer and the two of began outlining what they planned for it look like. And even more shock when they pulled up potential candidates for their team.
Connor Hawke-Queen
Age: Fifteen
Alias: Argent
Kyle Rayner
Alias: Ion (Green Lantern)
Age: Fourteen
Christopher Kent
Alias: Superboy
Age: Thirteen
Dove Lance-Queen
Alias: White Siren
Age: Fourteen
Artemis of Bana-Mighdall
Alias: Artemis (Wonder Woman)
Age: Thirteen
Bruce only chuckled. Trust his children to already be ready to start their own team and have most of the details already worked out. He also made a mental note to tighten the security around of the files he has on the members of the League. The knowledge of their new partners hadn't even went mainstream all of them still in training.
"No speedsters?" He questioned mockingly as he moved closer to help them with everything. Both of them snorted.
"Unless Barry or Wally have an aged up kid somewhere, then no. Besides, we have a White Siren. Someone trained by Black Canary which means they also learned some moves from Wildcat. Personally, it don't get no better," Lamia stated as she expanded the size of the training room.
It didn't take long for their secret hideout to be built. It was also one of the best kept secrets of the League on Jason and Lamia's request because they didn't want Dick to come and throw a hissyfit about it before it even started.
It took a little convincing for the other mentors to agree to the plan, but Lamia and Jason basically told them that didn't plan on being like the Titans. Spending weeks on end in their little city and barely visiting their mentors and forgetting their roots, and to make the point even more known they agreed that the Zeta Tubes that Bruce included in the blueprints were synced to the transporters in the Watchtower and the Den Mothers Black Canary and Wonder Woman.
"So what's your name, kids," Green Arrow asked as he fussed over the stupid hat that was perched on top of Connor's head. Jason and Lamia shared a look. Definitely getting rid of that.
"We were thinking the Outlaws," Jason commented daring anyone to argue on the name.
"Why," Flash had questioned.
"Being vigilantes is illegal for one. And because we didn't follow behind Nightwing and joined his little merry band of misfits and turn our backs on our mentors. Like Outlaws," Lamia shrugged. "It's not really a good reason, but we're not changing our minds."
And just like that, the Outlaws were born and took on fighting crime in Happy Harbor. And it worked for everyone as if fate made the conscious decision to make sure they all spent their time there. Summer had officially started so Jason, Lamia, Dove, Connor, and Kyle had more time on their hands to spend in Happy Harbor. Especially with Lamia taking on more gigs in the area to make up for her time there and Jason never went without her.
And the friendship between Brucie Wayne and Ollie Queen made way for the incredible friendship between Oliver's son and stepdaughter and Bruce's children. In an effort to not have Artemis there by herself, Bruce paid the way for Kyle and his mother to switch to Happy Harbor which included giving Miss Rayner the job of being the live-in Den Mother of the mountain. He even paid for one Meghan Hills to be the live in nurse for their medical wing. It ended up including Chris to switch to Happy Harbor High School on a baseball scholarship which was just so Artemis still wouldn't be by herself when Kyle had to take his trips to space.
Of course, the Outlaws received a lot of backlash from the Teen Titans whenever the two teams end up meeting up in the Watchtower for diagnostics exchanges. But they all just let the insults roll off them and ignored the older kids. Though that was because the last time they gave them attention, Lamia punch Roy hard enough in the face for his comments about Connor that she dislocated his jaw.
"Argent could have caught my fist before it even got close to his face. Guess they were wrong to give you the name Speedy," she had scoffed before she walked off and joined her teammates to go back to the Mountain.
Like the Titans, the Outlaws were a family. Unlike the Titans, the mission of being heroes and proving they were independence didn't stop them from enjoying their lives. Outside of the hero business, they lived normal lives or as normal as they could get. Dove like her mother took on a love for flowers and she joined the gardening club at her school. Connor, despite his aloofness, took on being a playboy like his father except his relationships lasted longer. They were all good relationships but they ended whenever the girls got too comfortable and thought they had succeeded in getting a hand in Queen's Family Fortune. Artemis ended up joining the swim team at their school. Chris did end up joining the baseball team and enjoyed it. He had more fun when practicing in the mountain with Kyle making constructs to help him with his batting and pitching.
They had scheduled movie and game nights. Sleepovers at each other houses. There was even the time when they all became each other's first time.
They were teammates. They were partners in crime justice. They were best friends. They were family.
-
Lamia had been the first person that Jason told about his plan to track down his mother. She had wanted to go, but he managed to convince her to stay. She did have a big show to do that week so she stayed behind but only if he promised to let her know when he made it, when he found the woman, if he ran into any trouble, and when he was on his way back. And he made her promise to tell Bruce after three hours which gave him a better head start on him.
And three hours after he left, she told Bruce and waited patiently with Alfred for the two of them to return home. It wasn't until the fourth day of the showcase when she received the news about Jason's death, she broke down and left in the middle of the show to rush home because she couldn't believe it.
While she was on her way home, she was desperately checking her phone for messages from Jason to say that it was some prank. Only to find out that fate decided it hated her because messages began pouring in hours late of Jason telling her how he and B had tracked down his mother. About her shady past. About how he planned to help her. About how B told him to stay behind while he chased after Harley.
That was when she could tell the messages switched from him typing on his phone to him switching to the voice command that connected with his mask that finished his messages as he put his phone back in his utility belt. And then more messages came. His mother had played on his emotions and vulnerability of wanting to know her. She had sold him out to the Joker and stood and smoke a cigarette while Joker beat him.
Lamia couldn't believe the words on the screen. Just like she couldn't believe that Jason was dead even after she was standing and crying over his body.
Jace, how could you forget the number one rule? Don't trust anybody.
Lamia lost herself. She didn't make anymore appearances. Why should she when her number one supporter was gone? Most of her time was spent huddled in Jason room or staring absently out the windows of her own room. Or she'd go to the mountain and stare at the pictures of Jason in his Robin suit that littered their walls. And damn sure putting more effort in ignoring Dick because how fucking dare he try to play big brother now!
And Batgirl? She became more frightening than Batman. And he was scaring the shit out of everyone in his anger. Her punches became harder and words became sharper and deadlier. She made more criminals run just by the cold fury in her heart. Especially when that fury got punched to an all time high when she caught word of what Joker did to Barbara.
Nothing had been more satisfying to her when she had fell off the map locked in an abandoned apartment in Old Gotham where she beat the hell out of Joker every day with a crowbar. And whenever she got tired, she remembered how pale and cold and bloody Jason had looked like on the medical table in the Batcave. How peaceful despite the way he was killed in his coffin. She remembered the despair in Barbara's face when it became clear that she'd never walk again and she got pissed and energize all over again. And her swings only got harder every time that damned clown laughed.
Honestly, she couldn't remember much about that week but she did remember the moment when she was bringing down the crowbar for another swing and Flash… Her Uncle Barry pried the crowbar out her hands as her Uncle Hal (to Bruce's horror) lifted the Joker away. She remembered how she broke down in her Uncle Barry's arms as he carried her away and back to the Batcave where her dad had grabbed her and wrapped his cape around her as she cried into his arms.
Jason was her teammate. Her partner in crime justice. Her best friend. Her family.
How could she managed to live without him?
Time passed as fickle thing to her. Days became weeks. Weeks became months. She didn't seem to notice at all.
Batgirl had retired after word got out about her beating the Joker that landed him a coma. A coma that lasted for two months before he was thrown back into Arkham. It wasn't enough. It would never be enough.
She didnt noticed anything outside of her little bubble. She moved only enough to eat, shower, and use the restroom. And the few things she did manage to concentrate on was the Outlaws as she lead them from the base because it was the only place besides the manor that she could bask in the presence of Jason and focus on the life around her. It was as if he was still by her side in his Robin uniform leaning against the console trying to look cool and inconspicuous as he stared at Kyle and Artemis with hearts in his eyes.
She didn't even notice when Tim came into the picture. In the deep part of her subconscious, she registered his presence as the Scrawny Stalker. But on the outside, it was as if she didn't even noticed he existed. And the same could be said when Cass was brought into the picture. She didn't even blink when Barbara asked her how she felt about letting Cass be the new Batgirl. Just let her do her thing.
She was completely bitter in the her mind as she subconsciously took note of how Dick doted on his newest siblings. How she wanted to go over to him and tear him apart limb by limb because he never treated her and Jason like that. He never looked at Jason liked he was precious jewel worth keeping locked up and safe. She hated him for it. Especially when he came forward with that stupid nickname Little Wing. The one he gave Jason after the two of them let their guards down and trusted Dick when his only time trying to be a good sibling produced a nickname only to ruthlessly throw their trust back in their faces when he got into another argument with Bruce and threw Jason into the crossfire. Lamia had never wanted to kill someone as bad as she had wanted to kill Dick that day. Now all of her murderous tendencies are for Joker, but the point still remained.
But that was her subconscious and she dutifully ignored it.
Her depression went deeper when Maura Rayner died. She barely managed to keep up a brave face for Kyle, but she did. Her love and dedication to the young Lantern and her love for Maura was the another lapse in her depression. It didn't stick and she fell deeper into the recess of her mind whenever Kyle wasn't around for her to provide comfort.
Maybe it was a respect thing that Tim didn't try to hang out with the Outlaws. Though it was probably because Dick was stealing Tim and taking him on trips around the Titan's Tower instead. That was fine with Lamia. No one from the Bat Family besides Alfred and Bruce were allowed in the Mountain anyway since before Jason died. It was under mutual agreement to make Nightwing's life hell whenever he or his friends tried. With the exception of Donna though that was more of Jason and Artemis joint puppy dog eyes and because Lamia was also a fan of Wonder Girl even though Artemis was to take on the title whenever Donna ascended the name.
She remembered the day her subconscious caught up to her conscious and all hell broke loose. She had finally suck up the courage to go down to the Batcave only to see that horrifying memorial and Tim in a Robin suit. Lamia could feel that rage bubble over the surface especially after she caught sight of the engravement. A Good Soldier.
She didn't recall much of what happened after she released all of her anger, but she vaguely remembered cursing in every language she knew. She remembered attacking Nightwing and Tim as she aimed to attack her dad. She remember how she froze the second the name "Gem" tumbled from Dick's lips. She remembered how all of her muscles tense with a burst of pure undisguised anger and hatred as it registered in her ears. The nickname that only Jason called her in reference to her middle name. One of the few precious treasures that she had left from Jason. How fucking dare he taint it? She vaguely remembered the punch to his gut that landed Dick flat on his ass. But she vividly remembered with she grabbed one of Nightwing's escrima sticks and swung it as hard she could and the satisfaction she had when it cracked. She knew she didn't say much of anything else but she stormed back up into the manner, packed her clothes and belongings and some sentimental items out of Jason's room and escaped to the Mountain throwing her key to the Manor behind her.
She was done with them.
It was after she had some therapy with Dinah and learn to meditate from Artemis did she managed to control her anger and finally grieve properly. It was after the encouragement of Dove and Kyle that she took up training again. So she traveled to the Middle East and tracked down Bruce's exgirlfriend Talia. If she was going to train, then she was going to train for the best she had to offer. She trained under many people like Lady Shiva, Richard Dragon, Deathstroke even Talia herself. And even though Talia was against it, she went to train with the All Caste. She became a member, but ended up leaving to return to her friends.
She returned to the hero business, but this time she went by Cyan the color of her magical swords from the All Caste and the magical camouflage cloak that she wore.
It was Chris that encouraged her to make amends with her family and she did so reluctantly. It was around that time that she learned of all of the craziness that had happened while she spent time away. Tim became Robin. He became an orphan and then turned around and got adopted then he quit. And then his ex girlfriend who only had a couple lessons of martial arts from the kung fu dojo in Old Gotham that joined the hero business as Spoiler to stop her dad had became Robin, the girl wonder. Then she ended up getting fired and died at the hands of Black Mask. (Lamia couldn't help but to wonder if that was how she would've ended up if she had dated Jeremiah) So Tim became Robin again and rumor has it that he plan on starting his own little hero group called Young Justice out in San Francisco since Dickhead and his Titans moved their base to New York and Dickhead permanently left Bludhaven behind. And apparently, Cass found out she was the daughter of Lady Shiva (huh, now I know who the assassin had reminded me of) with her mother proclaiming that her destiny is to one day kill her.
She was so done.
The reconcile was messy and sometimes downright violent especially whenever the cautionary tale of not being like Jason creeps into conversation. Which led Lamia snapping at the breakfast table that no one besides her, Alfred, sometimes Bruce, and the other Outlaws really fucking knew Jason and the next person that says anything out of line about him can't hold her responsible for her actions. Most of the time she and Dick were fighting especially when he tried to play big brother.
"Get the hell out of my way, Dickface. The only brother I have is Jason. So you should stop trying to squeeze into shoes that you could never fill," she had snapped on more than one occasion.
Her anger and bitterness she had with the family led to her moving permanently out of the Manor and into an apartment in the City Hall District. She barely stayed there, but she had zeta tube built into the basement of building that she bought out and is "under construction". The security of her home rivaled Barbara, Tim, and Bruce mainly because she spent years studying the security of the Batcave and Barbara's Clocktower and she learned a good amount of things from the Shadows and a touch of magic, though not much, she learned from the All Caste kept her "family" out of her home. And she enjoyed the looks she got whenever she went to the Manor and she noticed the frustrations in their eyes and she couldn't help but wonder which annoying preppy song they ended up being forced to listen to whenever they hit one of her firewalls.
Her anger was still there dancing like fire under her skin, but she kept it under control. She ended up forming a bond with her new sister and brother. She spent a lot of time with them outside of the suits. Cass and Tim hung onto her every word whenever she spoke about the trouble her and Jason used to get into. They could easily see that his death still affected her after all of this time and felt undeniably guilty for keeping the secret of his existence from her. But they said nothing and complied to Bruce's orders to not telling her.
Her entrance back into the limelight was one that took the world by storm. It was as if she was preteen again as she quickly ascended back to the top pedestal in the modeling world and having more interviews than days of the year. She dropped the Wayne part of her name though she knew she couldn't escape the legacy, but whenever she was on the runway…. She wasn't Lamia Wayne. She was just Lamia.
The Red Hood. She had heard many things about the crime lord and of course none of them were good. He stayed away from Happy Harbor and that was fine by her. She had heard of how he beat Tim within a inch of his life and the time he blew up Sionis' headquarters with a rocket launcher. She heard about the headless drug dealers and many other things. She learned of how he had settled in Bludhaven as the kind of hero that she and Jason would have love when they were kids. She knew that the superhero community did not like him and were planning to take him out without damage to their reputation.
What she hadn't known was that he was her very much alive and not-dead best friend.
She had been visiting the Batcave to use the computer to cross reference information on a drug dealer showing up in in the Harbor when she saw it. Descending down the stairs, the first few things she noticed were her father and her siblings standing around the computer. Oracle was showing on one screen with the not actually dead Spoiler standing slightly behind her. And on a larger screen was:
Jason Todd
Alis: Robin, Red Hood
Status: Alive
She dropped the tray of drinks she had been bringing down for Alfred.
All eyes turned to her, but she paid no mind because all she could pay attention was the fact that Jason was alive.
"Mia," Dick called out hesitantly as their father hurriedly closed the tab. Still she paid him no notice. Not even when Alfred, drawn from the sound of the crash, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"How long," she heard herself ask. "How long have you known?"
No one spoke for awhile. Then her father Bruce stated, "Shortly after he arrived on the scene."
"I'm not wrong to assume you all knew," she asked to the room as a whole. At their sheepish nods, she felt her fists clench together. "Why wasn't I made aware of this?"
"I fail to see how it concerns you," was what Bruce stated.
"BULLSHIT!" she screeched. "Jason is MINES! I should've been the first person you told."
Bruce paused. And Lamia faltered when she saw the sparks from her fist as her swords fought to be free. She took a deep breath and reigned in some of her anger. Just enough keep it from happening again.
"Why didn't you tell me," she stressed. Her voice sounded broken and lost to her own ears.
"Mia," Dick started and nearly paused when her intense gaze focused on him. "He's not the Jason you remember."
A snarl made its way to her face at his words, "You don't know the Jason I remember."
Dick winced because yeah, he sought himself up for that. "I deserve that, but Mia, this Jason kills people. He tried to kill Timmy!"
She scoffed none to gently, "Dick, I tried to kill Timmy. I tried to kill you."
Tim winced because it was true. He remember the look of pure murder in her eyes when she first saw him in the Robin suit.
"Your connection to Jason clouds your judgement and compromises your safety," Bruce stated in his Batman voice booking no argument.
"Pot meet Kettle," she shot back. "Or did you forget about all of the scum that you put in the hospital?"
Bruce growled and glared and if she was the same girl she was years ago… if she wasn't so fuel by her anger and grief these days then she would've flinched and submitted to his every demand. But Lamia wasn't that little girl and even that little girl was defiant. She glared back at him and pulled herself up to full height. Which actually wasn't that much. She was basically the same height as Cass.
"You will stay away from the Red Hood. Thats an order," he stated effectively ending the conversation.
"Fucking watch me," she hissed before spinning on her heel and walked right passed Alfred on the stairs. She'd be damned if anything was going to keep her from Jason. Death itself did not managed.
What made Bruce think he could?
Lamia pulled into Bludhaven on her bike with her cape flying dramatically out behind her. She had a dark scowl on her face that shown even through the domino mask. She looked around the streets before driving down an alley and stashing her bike. Pulling herself onto the rooftops, she put down the box of extra and new supplies and waited. Because Jason was a Bat no matter how long he and how far he flew from the Cavern. And all bats did everything in their power to kick unwanted heroes out their turfs. She pulled out her phone as she waited and noticed the very extensive list of missed calls and text messages just waiting and screaming for her attention. Scoffing, she turned her phone off and gaze out into the city.
It wasn't much. It wasn't Gotham nor Happy Harbor. It didn't hold the same beauty she had for either of her cities. She absently traced the remembrance rune with Jason's name tatted on around that she got on impulse with the other Outlaws during Dove's obsession with the Mortal Instruments book series.
"Who are you," a small voice questioned shocking Lamia out of her daze. She calmly turned her head to the size to see a small girl staring up at her clutching tightly to a phone.
Thats right. Jason uses a number for the kids to contact him for help.
"Im looking for Red Hood. Do you know where I can find him?"
"No," the girl said immediately. "You're a cape. You're just going to hurt him."
"I'm not going to hurt him," she denied and lied immediately. She was going to kick his fucking ass. "I need to talk to him. It's important."
"About what," the girl inquired.
"None of your business," Lamia snapped irritated before she took a deep breath. It would do her no good if she pissed the little girl off and that meant she'd probably have to actively search for Jason. And then she can't even promise that she wouldn't send him back to a grave if she had to do that. "Look, doll, I need you to call up Hood so that me and him can talk. And if it makes you feel any better, then you can stay here and listen. I promise not to fight him."
The girl stared at her phone a few moments before dialing a number on the phone and walking a little further away to speak quietly to who she was guessing was Jason. Few moments later, she hung up but she kept her distance so Lamia could only guess that Jason was on his way.
She felt nervous to what she was going to actually say to him when he showed up. She didn't really know how to feel. Relief and happiness were quite evident, but she was angry and sad and confused. And quite honestly, she was so tired of secrets.
She heard him before the acknowledgement was made. She was glad that she brought supplies because that grappling hook sound horrible.
"Izzy said you had something important to tell me, he stated after a while from behind her. She slowly turned and came domino to domino with the bestfriend she had once loss. He had ditched the red hood and the white streak in his curly hair shined brilliantly. Lazarus Pits, a voice whispered in her head that sound a lot like Talia and Ra Al Ghul. He was taller and buffer than she remembered. He had filled out nicely and it was evident that his thunder thighs he had as a child were even thicker and delicious. The stray thought of how he'd fit into the Outlaw dynamic now flittered around in her mind before she chased it away.
"Yeah. First, I want to say, sorry Izzy for lying," and before anyone could process her statement, her fist connected with his face like all of those years ago when they first met.
"How fucking dare you," she hissed dangerously. "You left me!"
Izzy froze in her spot. Seemingly wanting to interrupt and hit her back but refraining from doing so because Jason was there and she knew he could handle himself.
"Four years and nine months, Hood. You left me for four years and nine months! Do you know how fucking lost I've been without you!"
"What the hel-"
"SHUT UP! YOU DON'T GET TO SPEAK! NOT NOW! FOUR YEARS AND NINE MONTHS I HAVE BEEN GRIEVING OVER YOU. ON THE VERGE OF LOSING MY FUCKING SANITY BECAUSE I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO LIVE WITHOUT YOU BY MY SIDE! I CRIED OVER YOU! I BEAT JOKER INTO A COMA FOR YOU! I GAVE UP MY LIFE BOTH OF THEM FOR YOU! I NEARLY KILLED 'WING AND ROBIN FOR YOU!" Her voice rose with every word until she was screaming at the top of her lungs. She forced herself to stay rooted in her spot. She wouldn't continue to attack him. Not with the little girl on the roof that could catch the brute of it if they were careful. And if it came down to it, careful was going to be out the window.
"After everything we have been through together, why didn't you tell me? Why did I have to be last person to know? Forget everyone else. You're my brother. You're mine. I thought we were family! But all of them knew about you before I did! I swear to the gods of Olympus that I want to kill you right now."
"G-"
"Its Cyan now," she snapped. She glared even harsher at him, "I have so many things I want to say to you. I had a whole speech ready when I was on my way over here. But honestly, right now I don't know what to say but to wonder if all of those years together meant anything to you? Because they meant everything to me."
Tears were gathering in her and streaming down only to be captured by her mask. She clenched her fist together. "Be honest with me."
"Fuck," he growled. The two of them seemingly forgot the little girl standing on the roof with them. Jason began to pace around in agitation. "You don't think they meant anything to me? Those years with you by my side mean more to me than anything else in my life. You don't know how hard i've been beating myself and stopping myself from traveling over to Gotham and the Harbor to come see you. Tell you that I was back."
"Then why didn't you," she cried out.
"Because I'm not the same person you remember!" he yelled back. "I'm not the little kid from your memories. I'm a monster now. A killer."
"I don't care what the hell you think you are," she spazzed. "I don't care if you're a monster. You don't think I look myself in the face and think the same thing every time i snap and black out in anger? You're my best friend, Red. You always have been and I don't care if i have to come to say every day to stick it in your head. You are mine and I am yours. And nothing can change that."
He shook his head and took a step away from her as if he was going to leave. She shot forward and latched onto his wrist as she looked him in lenses of his mask as if she was looking into his eyes.
"I am so fucking happy that you're alive and that you came back. I don't want to ever lose you again," she pleaded. Her voice choked up on words and she left the sob stuck in her throat out as Jason pulled her into a tight hug. "I missed you so much and I'm just so happy you're back. Please. Please. Don't leave me again."
She could feel him shaking as he pulled her closer and she held onto him just as tightly. "Never again, Gem. I promise."
They stayed that way for awhile longer before the sound of a camera clicking drew their attention to the little standing to side looking sheepishly at them. "The other kids wanted to know what was going on. Im posting it on the website."
Jason groaned softly before chuckling and pulling away from her. He looked over her shoulder to the box still sitting where she had first stood before she punched him. "You brought gifts?"
She scoffed lightly. Her whole being still overcome with emotions, "A peace offering if it came to the point of us beating the mess out of each other and throwing each other off the buildings."
"You were prepared to lose," he teased and she let a smile dance across her lips. "If anyone was going to lose, it was going to be you."
He smiled at her. "Wait here, let me get Izzy back home and we can catch up."
"I'll like that," she smiled back. The long suffering amount of anger that burned like fire in her veins simmered down and cooled as she finally felt true happiness in her being after so long.
Because Jason was back and everything was going to be okay. She finally had her family back and that was all that mattered.