Sorry this took so long, my bad. Well here it is now! No use dwelling on the past. Here is our first look into Jason's head, and the batboys are forming a plan! Exciting stuff! Enjoy!

Jason

Jason finds it hard to see, it's bright and dark at the same time and he doesn't quite understand how it could be. He stands in front of a rather large door, it's ornate and splintered slightly, like someone had been clawing to get inside. He approaches it cautiously, hand outstretched to embrace the smooth wood grain. His calloused hands dance across the peeling paint. Eyes slightly closed he continues to explore the door's intricate face, a slight frown draws his eyebrows together as he reaches the torn pieces, the pieces stained with desperation. The feeling of the rough wood jolts him slightly and he jerks his hand away as if he'd touched an open flame.

Jason stumbles back, suddenly heaving for a breath in the static air. He glances at his hands bewildered, the door had felt so… sad. It had felt broken and tortured, he could feel the despair that had seeped to its core, it startled him. It was his own.

"You don't have to go in if you don't want to. You could stay here with me in-between."

Jason snaps his head to where the voice had come from, he finds the air empty.

"I'm down here you ass."

Glancing down, Jason finds himself facing a young boy, his face hidden by dark raven hair. He's a spindly child, small with sinewy muscles. The child is tiny, maybe 85 pounds soaking wet. Without seeing his face Jason knows who stands beside him, he heard it in his voice. When the small boy turns to look at him impatiently he finds himself staring into the fiery eyes of the late Jason Todd.

The two hold each other's gaze for a minute or two before the boy's attitude melts away and he turns his head back to his shoes. Under the baggy sweatshirt, Jason can see the child wears his robin uniform, still slightly too large in several places. A large sigh ripples through the small boy before he looks up at Jason again, who has turned his gaze back to the large door.

"Are you going to tell me what we're doing here or what?" Jason asks, eyes boring into the decorative handle of the door.

"Long story short," The young robin begins, "last time we died we didn't have a choice. It was chosen for us." A small shiver runs down the boy's spine.

"But this," the small bird continues, "this is your chance to choose. You probably don't remember but you've been here before, when people were keeping you alive and you tried to get through that door. You wanted to stay. Now, if you really want to, you can."

Jason looks down at the boy in bewilderment. He got to choose? Why? It seems unfair, oddly frightening and daunting considering he practically chose every night he strapped on his pistols. He shakes his head slightly to clear his mind and takes a step forward. He doesn't get much farther than that before a tiny hand grips his sleeve. Looking back at the boy he finds him bloody, hunched over himself and trembling with weakness. Jason's mouth goes dry and he doesn't know whether to embrace the boy or wrench free.

"Wait! Please! Don't go yet, you have to kill him! Please, c-can you please break the cycle, stop him! Stop him please!" the young boy pleads gripping Jason's shirt tighter.

It's right in this moment that he realizes where he is, this isn't heaven or hell or anywhere else but his own head. The same head he's been trapped inside all these years but now he gets a chance to break free of it. Jason takes a deep breath and kneels to the tiny boy's level. Was I really this small? He thinks to himself.

"He's never going to die Jason. Not here, in my mind. He'll always come back, unless we walk away, unless I walk away from you."

The small eyes in front of him widen in fear. "But I'm just a kid! You can't leave me here with him!"

"That's what I used to think too. Just a kid. But things are different now. Kori, Roy. Artemis, Bizarro. When I was your age I never let anyone in, I always thought I could do it alone."

"So, what are you saying? That this is my fault?"

"You came here by yourself, you never even gave yourself a chance. We died as we lived… Alone." Jason stands and pry's the small hands from his jacket.

The young boy nearly falls into himself without the support. "Y-you're not gonna save me?" A cackle follows the child's voice through the air causing them both to shiver. Jason turns his back and approaches the door. As he opens it he can hear the sickening KRACK of a crowbar hitting bone. The sound makes Jason jump and he swallows hard before answering the boy's anguished screams.

"If I could have, God - I would have."

Jason steps into the door and closes the stained wood behind him.

Damian

Things have all but returned to normal back at the manor. Pennyworth has nearly returned to his former self, although Damian can feel the slight tension that is directed towards his Father. Father though, who has never handled anything particularly well, has returned to his normal pensive self. Sitting alone in his room Damian was left to confront his mind in the dark hours before patrol began.

Damian, although loathe to admit it to even himself, is worried and oddly lonely. All of his so-called family members are gone with the wind and haven't reached out to the manor since the night of the incident with Todd. They had all called the manor when it first happened, but after Father had reacted they had withdrawn and become silent. Damian didn't really have a family at the league, so this absence of his brothers shouldn't jar him. Yet… here he is wishing to know of their whereabouts.

It was simply because each of them had, as embarrassing as it is for him to admit, assisted him and shown astonishing selflessness when faced with Damian in danger. He's never known how to feel about something like that. It was foolish for one thing, to risk one's self for another. But they all did it, and he would do it as well, without hesitation.

It was at this realization that the longing for their presence grew. No, that's absurd, he doesn't miss them, assassins are solitary people. But, Damian isn't an assassin anymore, no he's part of the Bat-clan. Or the Bat-family as the news dubbed them. Neither a clan or family can be composed of a solitary member, no they had many members, and there was a strange bond of trust he felt with each of them, even with Drake.

Damian was positive that Pennyworth had been contacted by his siblings, but he wasn't talking. Pennyworth was one of the few people on this earth that he wholly respected and had no plan to pester him. There was no use getting Father involved, he seems to have accepted Todd's disappearance as if he had died peacefully at an old age. He was oddly at peace with the whole ordeal, and it made Damian antsy. Father was the type of person to worry or fret about a situation until the point of madness, as he's doing with his marriage being called off. But with Todd, someone Father usually kept tabs on, he seems to have written him off as… as what exactly it was hard to say. Finished? No longer his problem? Dead? It was all very perplexing.

Whatever the case Damian felt it was his responsibility to assure the rest of their clan was well. If Father wasn't going to do anything about it than he was, it's just that simple. As Damian stood to begin packing for his journey he wondered how he should go about it. Should he merely sneak out without a trace, leaving the possibility of Father tracking him down? Should he confide in Pennyworth for help at the risk of the older man telling Father out of worry? Maybe he could tell Father he was going to the Kent's, that would buy him some time before he discovered it was a lie. Either way he would need to be extremely cautious, Gotham didn't call Father the greatest detective for nothing.

Whichever decision he made he would have to be sure to leave behind no physical trail and follow no patterns. Although, a small part of Damian wanted Father to follow him to Todd and see for himself the destruction he has caused. He would need to buy himself some time then, he would go with telling Father that he was going to the Kent's, and he'll bring Pennyworth in on the plan as well, the man is a genius.

Damian packed his bag well, leaving plenty of rooms for the snacks Pennyworth was sure to provide. He was sure to include several small weapons, his spare Robin uniform, a traceless burner phone Todd gave him years ago as a gag gift, several changes of clothes and a small wad of cash he had slowly been sneaking from Father for emergencies. Zipping up his backpack he slid the small phone into his pocket, recalling how Todd had remarked "When you become my ninja sidekick you'll need this." The thought almost made him smile.

Down to the kitchen Damian found Pennyworth preparing their usual pre-patrol snack. Finely cutting cheese and apples and salami for a nutritious snack that Father would likely ignore. Damian walked to the counter and plopped himself on a stool. Leaning his elbows on the island he let out a long sigh.

"Pennyworth."

"Master Damian. Is there something I can assist you with?"

"Father is still in the cave yes?"

"As he always is young sir. May I ask what is troubling you?"

"I was wondering if I would be able to confide in you confidentially about something?"

That caught the older man's attention. He straightened up, gently put down the knife he was using and offered up his complete attention.

"You may indeed. Whatever we discuss will stay strictly between us. Does this inquiry have to do with the packed bag you have hidden beneath your stool?"

Damian nods and shuffles his feet slightly beneath him.

"Pennyworth I wish to go and find Todd and the others."

There is a small stretch of silence while Pennyworth narrows down exactly how to respond. There is no use for him to ask foolish questions like why, or when. He gives a small cough to clear his throat.

"As you know, I technically can't encourage running away. Although I personally believe that you visiting with the other young sirs will do you all some good."

"I concur. I plan to tell father that I have been invited to the Kent's to stay for a while and that I will be skipping patrol tonight to miss traffic. Obviously, that is a blatant lie but will buy me some time before he comes to try and find me. If you would encourage him to let me skip patrol and drive me out of town I'm sure I can find my way to them from there."

Pennyworth nods slowly, mulling it over. "Would you like me to inform Master Richard or your arrival?"

Damian takes a moment to think of any possible consequences that a simple phone call could bring to light. After careful consideration Damian nods.

"Well alright then young sir. I suppose I should wrap these up for your trip then"

Pennyworth carefully folds the food into wax paper then into a zip lock bag before placing it in front of the young boy.

"Now go disable the tracker in the Mercedes, I'll inform Master Bruce of your leaving."

Damian catches a slight smile on the old man's face before he walks briskly away. Damian allows himself an easy sigh before packing up the food and jumping off of the stool to begin his work.

Tim

They still haven't heard from Roy, and Tim is heading into "seriously concerned" territory. They keep moving to keep themselves busy, not staying at a particular safe house for more than a few days. Keeping low profiles and staying under the radar during patrol so as to keep from running into a particular condescending bat. Tim finds himself at the top of the fire escape outside of his window without remembering climbing up there. He frowns slightly before dismissing it as exhaustion and climbing through into his bedroom. Once inside he picks up the tail end of a phone conversation Dick is having in the kitchen.

"Does he know where we are? … Oh okay. And Bruce doesn't know he's coming? … Let's hope that works then. … And he packed accordingly? … Okay good, we're going to need his help once we run out of patience."

Dick lets out a small, but genuine, chuckle. There's more silence as the other end of the line responds.

"We will. I'll update you as soon as he's in my sights. … Of course, we will!"

He laughs again, this time even brighter than before. Tim lets the sound warm the center of his chest.

"Yeah, I love you too, talk to you later. Bye."

Tim sits on his bed and slowly begins to peel off the pieces of his Red Robin persona. While he goes through the motions he allows his mind to wander. He thinks of silly things really, like what makes the perfect fry, or what was the name of that one book he read one time that he liked? Then his mind circles back to Jason and he decides a wandering mind is a dangerous one.

Clad in sweatpants that are several sizes too big for him, Tim stumbles out of his bedroom. He finds Dick sprawled on the couch eating take out and channel surfing. Looking over his shoulder Dick lets out a bark of laughter, taking in the cuffs at the bottom of Tim's pants where he'd rolled them up several times.

"Shut up Dick. The only spare clothes here are Jason's size."

That shuts them both up. The room fills with static as neither of them know how to respond. Dick clears his throat and goes back to channel surfing. Tim takes this as the moment passing and moves to join him on the couch. He was just reaching for a carton of egg rolls when the voice of Gotham's usual late-night reporter cracks through the TV.

"The streets are still quiet from the showdown between one of Gotham's former favorite vigilantes the Red Hood and the infamous tycoon known as the Penguin. Oswald Cobblepot was moved out of the ICU today. The big Gotham name was gunned down by the infamous outlaw Red Hood just over a week ago. Red Hood has been MIA since the attack, although the vigilante Batman has told the GCP to call off Red Hood's bounty, stating that the threat has been neutralized. Oswald Cobblepot will make a full recovery, minus one eye, and will be out of the hospital soon. Once again Gotham City thanks Batman for his efforts in taking down the dangerous outlaw Red Hood. The Gotham populous is split on the disappearance of Red Hood, the upper-class families claiming they feel safer now that he has vanished and the lower-class families pleading for his safe return to them. Either way the streets are quiet tonight. This is Becky Narita with tonight's news. Back to Peter with tomorrow's forecast."

Dick quickly clicks off the TV and both young men stare at its blank screen, mouths slightly agape, hungry for something to say, anything to say. The silence stretches longer than it should and yet both of them fail to speak up. It isn't until Dick's phone rings that the silence is broken. But neither of them reaches for it, they just continue to stare. Threat has been neutralized. What in the fuck is that even supposed to mean? Tim glances over at Dick, who has yet to move his eyes from the TV, and after a few weak attempts to get him to answer his phone, Tim just stretches across the couch and snags it for himself. He puts the phone up to his ear and is met with the sound of Alfred on the other line.

"Hello? Master Richard are you there?"

"Oh, hey Alfred. It's Tim, Dick is… preoccupied at the moment."

"I am simply calling to alert you that Master Damian's plan went off without a hitch and we are now heading your way. He should arrive at your apartment in a matter of hours."

Tim makes a mental note to ask Dick about that later.

"Um okay cool. We'll be here."

As Alfred responds Tim watches as Dick catches up to his thoughts and the rage starts to simmer off of him. He stands, whispering to himself about Bruce being an idiot, which Tim can't dispute. Dick continues to pace, faster and faster.

"Master Timothy are you still there?" Alfred's crisp voice snaps him from his stupor.

"Yes. Sorry Alf. One of us will call you when Damian gets here.

"Alright lad. I will talk to you soon."

"Talk to you soon Alf. Love ya, bye."

Tim ends the call and before he can make another move Dick snatches it from him, still mumbling to himself and pacing ever faster. Tim, realizing its best to leave him be, reaches for the egg rolls and curls himself into the couch.

"Demon Spawn is on his way, in case you were wondering." Tim manages around a bite of egg roll. He swallows and before he takes another bite he adds,

"Oh, and Dick, don't call him, it'll just make you angrier." Tim takes a bite and the pacing behind him stops for a second, like he's contemplating what Tim said. There's a scoff, and the pacing resumes.

"Shut up Tim."

Tim shrugs and continues cramming egg rolls down his throat as Dick storms to the far bedroom and slams the door behind him. Whether you believe it or not, the man's got a mean streak.

"At least bounce the signal so he can't track us!" Tim calls over his shoulder. He's met with no response and lets out a weary sigh.

"It's just going to make things worse." Tim says quietly to his remaining egg rolls.

"It always makes things worse."

From the bedroom behind him he hears Dick nearly scream, "What in the hell is that matter with you?" before he grabs the remote and blasts the TV to block out the fighting.

What do you guys think will happen next? Who do you want to hear from? Let me know! I have a lot of stuff coming up so this next chapter may take awhile, but it will come! I promise I'll get it done... eventually. But it will come.

Until next time,

MS