Chapter 4

"And felled in the night,

By the ones you think you love,

They will come for you."

-Daniel in the Den by Bastille

Jason hovered on the edge of consciousness, faintly aware of the world around him. The smooth fabric of a cot pressed against his skin and the dull hum of machines threatened to lull him back to sleep. It was oddly… comforting. Familiar, that's what it was. It was the first time he'd woken up in a long time without the sounds of Crime Alley assaulting any peace that may have existed in his mind. For the first time in forever, he didn't hear criminals yelling and children crying in the apartment below.

He breathed in deeply and let the air escape from his lips. He'd recognize this place without opening his eyes. The smell, the sounds, the taste in his mouth when he breathed in. They were all familiar. They were all reminiscent of the days he'd spent training, working, fighting to be someone. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed the Batcave. Almost as much as he missed the lazy days in the Manor when he was just a part of the family. Not Robin, not some reformed street kid. Just Jason.

There had been too few of those days.

He opened his eyes and sat up. Neither the Bat nor Alfred were anywhere to be seen, but he knew there were cameras watching him. For the first time, he really took stock of how much smaller he was – and the hungry pang in his stomach. It was true. He was a kid again.

He slid off the bed, surprised at the wobbliness he felt as his feet hit the ground at first. How long had he been asleep?

Groggily, he shuffled out of the infirmary. He knew where the Bat would be. As he walked, and his mind cleared, he wondered if he should act as if he were in awe of his surroundings. It would probably be more convincing that way. He blinked several times, looking up and staring with his mouth slightly agape, pretending as if he thought the cave was the coolest thing he'd ever seen.

He continued with his charade till he saw him. Batman. Bruce. The man was paying him no attention, though he obviously knew that Jason was lurking just behind him as he typed away on the computer. He'd kept the cowl on to cover his face. Clearly, he didn't want to reveal his identity just yet. But Jason knew Bruce, knew that there was some reason for him to be brought here instead of to a hospital or a boy's home.

So he just stood there, waiting for Batman to make his move, his mind cluttered with too many memories to count. He thought about how he tried to scare Bruce their first night out, how the trick had worked on Alfred but had been lost on his father. But Bruce had smiled, though. He'd stopped smiling by the end of it all.

Suddenly, Jason didn't want to be here. He didn't want to be around this man, or in this cave, or anywhere near Gotham at all. He remembered trying so damn hard to be good enough. To be the best Robin. To prove that Bruce wasn't a fool in thinking that he could handle it. All in vain. Because he replaced me like he replaced the batteries in the remote.

He hated Bruce. Hated him for what he did, what he'd done. He didn't even care enough about him to choose him over that piece of trash, Joker. He was just going to walk away. All he wanted was to put Jason in Arkham.

And even if this was the past, how was that going to change things?! If he wasn't good enough before, how was he good enough now? Hell, Bruce hated him more than ever now! How stupid was he to actually agree to this?

"You can come over." Batman's voice sliced through his thoughts. Jason looked up, to see the Bat watching his reflection against the dark computer screen. He felt so stupid. Being here, now, just ripped open the already bleeding wounds even more. But he obeyed. He shuffled over. He might as well try, hadn't he? It wasn't like he could magically go back to the future. Abraxos had said so himself.

There really was no point in second-guessing himself now that he'd already made his choice. There wasn't a magical 'rewind' button he could push.

"You don't seem like the type of kid to be so quiet," Batman commented, still not looking at him. Jason didn't respond to that. It was a rare moment when he wasn't so sure about what to say.

"Why did you bring me here?" Jason finally asked. It sounded like the kind of clichéd line he should say and he was, actually, wondering it. Why did Bruce bring him here? The first time he tried to throw him off on the Boy's Home. What was different now? Abraxos probably had something to do with it, he guessed. It made sense. The man, or angel, or whatever he was, seemed like the meddling type, despite his refinement.

Batman made a sound that was almost like a sigh. "To be honest, I don't even know."

Jason was surprised. He'd expected some short, curt response or a lecture, or both. Not… this. Batman didn't just admit when he didn't know something. He was the quintessential 'know-it-all'. Jason almost wanted to laugh.

"I thought the Batman was supposed to know everything," he finally replied. When he caught himself, he added, "At least, that's what the papers and TV people make it sound like."

Bruce snorted. "I do." He turned his chair so that he looked at Jason.

"That's impossible," Jason replied. "You just admitted you didn't know why you brought me here."

"I do know," Bruce replied slowly. "I'm just not sure about how to go about… explaining it."

The weight and anger in Jason's chest seemed to be fading as he moved closer to Batman. "That's nice. Should I be scared? Is this my cue to start running around and screaming hysterically because I can't get out?"

To his surprise, Bruce actually laughed. "No, nothing like that."

Jason was at war with himself. He wanted to slip into his old role, into the Jason that had been light-hearted (well, as light-hearted as he'd ever been) and that had joked and laughed and spent days on end teasing his father. But that part of him, that person he used to be, was in a battle with the person he was – the person he'd become. The Jason who hated Bruce, the one who'd stopped impressing Batman with his quick wit and humorous antics ages ago. The Jason that had been betrayed, whose trust had been broken, who'd sworn vengeance.

"Well, that's a relief," he said at length. "But, seriously… aren't you… angry?"

"I wasn't angry to begin with," Bruce replied. That hardly seemed like a rock-solid fact, but Jason rolled with it. "Actually, I was impressed. Most kids your age wouldn't have the guts to try and steal from the Bat himself." Still pretty arrogant, Jason thought.

"Most kids my age wouldn't even know the right tools to get a tire off," he told him. "But that doesn't explain-"

"I'm getting to that part," Bruce cut him off. "You want to tell me your name first, though?" Jason knew it was a ploy, to see if he'd lie. Batman already knew he was. He was Batman. He'd probably known mere minutes after he got back to the cave. After all, a quick search and he'd find where Jason had been caught stealing early on in his so-called criminal career. The only time he'd been caught, though – which was something Jason was almost proud of.

"Jason Todd."

Bruce nodded. "Your parents – what happened to them? Are they alive?"

"No, they're dead." He didn't want to elaborate, especially since he knew that Bruce probably had this information already too.

"Where do you live?" This question was earnest. That was the one thing no records had, because Jason lived nowhere but on the streets and in the occasional abandoned apartment complex.

"I don't have a home," he replied. He got the feeling that he knew where this conversation was headed, but to appear realistic, he added, "But I'm not going to any stupid Boys' Home if that's what you're thinking."

He glared, for show. Batman shook his head. "That's now what I had in mind, exactly."

"Then what do you have in mind?"

Bruce stood up. "Come with me."

So, yep – Jason's not so sure about this 'second chance' thing anymore. But who would be? This chapter was mostly about his warring emotions with a small part of plot thrown in – but it had to be done. After all, Jason can be adequately described as an emotional character. His emotions are what usually play a huge role in his decisions, so it figures that he'd be at war with himself. Sorry it this was a bit boring, by the way Things should pick up next chapter, but I'm not making any promises (At least this one was longer than last time)

Thanks to all who've reviewed, followed, and/or favorited! I hope you guys continue to like it! Please leave a review! Until next time, I bid you a good day/night