Chapter 7: Some Extra Help

Autumn's POV

One week, it's been one week since we moved in my old home...I'm starting to regret coming back to this place, it's just one of our old houses (the only one that hasn't been touched over the years). Even if my dad and I only spent one year here...it was the year when I was happy, now the memories just bring pain to me...memories remind me that they're just that...they're just memories...they're all in the past, and whatever is in the past is already gone...just like my dad. In this house, it was where my dad stopped being so cold towards me. I look at the pictures displayed on the desk by the TV, as I remember the past.

I remember when dad took this picture of the both of us, it was the first time he smiled at me...it's a good thing that I don't remember what happened that day, I know it would hurt me more. I glance at the door, I remember hearing dad's footsteps as he unlocked the front door, he usually came home tired, but he somehow still had the energy to smile at me…even for less than a second. I remember when I told him that I wanted this house to be our permanent home, and he answered with a quick "okay." I'll never know why, but after he took me out of Hundreds of Acres...he suddenly became lighter with me even during ytraining...but I still saw the aura of the world on his back around him.

I really am starting to regret suggesting to come here, but it's better than Jason's crappy apartment that looks like it's about to fall apart, and the place is cloaked, plus it has amazing tech that I can work with, the house even has firearms hidden in dad's old "work room", that I only figured out last night.

"Morning Jase" I greet him as he makes his way to the washroom, he scowls and groans in response...ah, good ol' Jason, always in a bad mood in the mornings until after he's taken a warm shower and a good breakfast. I'm much like him, I'm always angry when I just wake up, especially when I haven't gotten any sleep what so ever, but luckily, I wake up before the sun's even up yet.

I love practicing my moves in the training hall and upgrading our tech and polishing the knives and guns hidden behind the book shelves of the dad's work room...but everytime I enter that room...it smells a lot like my dad, and everytime I train in the training hall, I remember the tips dad used to give me while I trained, I remember trying to imitate his moves and succeeding later on…

Why did I have to suddenly remember this place?! Grrrr... Good memories of the past bring pain to the present.

Jason's POV

After I've taken a warm shower to wash away the nightmares and the anger, I put on my pants and gray shirt, I have things to do today, I still have to beat Batman to get to Scarecrow, then I have to get Bane who just recently broke out of Arkham, I also have to take care of my drug ring and remind my people why they shouldn't deal to kids, then sabotage Black Mask's shipments...the usual.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror, I look like s***, dark circles under my eyes, messy wet hair and pale skin...It's not like I can look as perfect as Dick and his little sister, not after all I've been through...dying then coming back...

"HAHAHAHA!" Psychopathic cackling suddenly echoes my mind, my eyes widen as I look at my own reflection...The Joker's face suddenly replaces mine. A mixture of fear and rage fill my mind, the world starts to blur "HELLO BIRD BOY! Oh wait...I mean EX-BIRD BOY!" The reflection laughs "SO HOW ARE YOU? I see you've been doing good...turning into good old Uncle J!" Joker cackles "NO! I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU! I WILL NEVER BE YOU!" "Oh but don't you wee hoodie? YOU ARE EXACTLY LIKE ME!" "NOOOOOO!" I yell at The Joker, I ball my hands into fists then punch the mirror, and I sit on the edge of the wall holding my hair "NOOO!" I stare at the pieces of the mirror on the floor, the Joker laughs and mocks me as his face disappears.

I sob as I clutch my hair, the world becoming blurry and dark, I can hear the door burst open, and yelling, then I feel warm arms wrap around me and then...nothing.

****Break****

I wake up in my warm and comfy bed. I sit up and hold onto my head "what?" I look around the room, Autumn is sitting on the chair right in front my wooden desk listening to music and staring out the window. "Ugh" I groan, it's like what, one o clock? Autumn's head turns to me "oh hey Jase, you're up, you've been out for two hours" "really? I haven't noticed." I say sarcastically rubbing my eyes "what happened?" "How do you feel?" "Peachy" she walks to me and takes the glass of water on the side table "here, I'm guessing your throat is dry" why is she so good at this guessing game? I take the water then give it back to her "what happened?" I groan "you don't remember?" She smirks "I remember showering, then passing out for some reason...what happened to my hands?" My knuckles are bandaged "um...you kinda smashed the mirror, you were dosed with a less concentrated form of the Scarecrow's fear toxin...I was able to find the antidote before you went critical." She pushes back the hair covering her face "What happened to the Scarecrow?" "He was taken back to Arkham last night, you need to keep yourself updated."

"Well, sorry but last night I was dizzy with the fear toxin" "you should check out the news on one of the computers in the work room" I roll my eyes "I did, I even found out that The Joker escaped Arkham" she tenses at the mention of that mad man's name, and for a second I see the rage building up in her eyes "but Batman and Nightingale caught him and brought him back to Arkham before I got my hands on him" I ball my hands into fists. Autumn turns her head and looks out the window "they shouldn't get in your way" she mumbles "that psychopath should die"

she looks back at me as I stand up "wait, where are you going?" She tries to block my way as I stumbles towards the door, I stand up straight reminding her of our big height difference, she straightens her back and hardens her face as if she's saying she can take me down "I have to find Bane before the bats do" she intensely looks into my eyes, staring into my soul, and I shiver a little, she's found a way to break through my mental barriers just by looking at me, how? I have no idea, I'm not the kind of person that anyone could easily break through…well, supposedly. She sighs "Bane's still out, he broke out at around five am" I nod and she moves out of the way. "I'm going to pin point his position in the tech room" she smirks "oh so that's what you're calling it now? Tech room? You do know that there are lab materials in there and a whole wall of guns" "oh, I think you should transfer the guns to the training hall" she nods "okay, I will" she agrees without questioning my opinion "you gonna help me out or what?" She nearly jumps "really?!" She grins as we walk down the hallway "calm down, we're just gonna pinpoint the guy, and I'm not very good with tech" "awesome!" She runs so fast, Wally West would have been jealous. She enters the tech room with me right behind her.

****Break****

She hacked into the Bat Cave's system a while ago, the kid's got some tech skills...maybe as good as my Replacement, those skills could come in handy sometime "he's in your territory" she looks at me and I nod "you should suit up and leave when the sun goes down" I nod "yeah"

****Break****

she leaves the room and I suit up, I hold onto my helmet as I head for the garage and go for one of the new bullet proof motorcycles, Autumn stands right behind me and puts a com in her ear "I added a com in your helmet, so that we can communicate during missions, I can help you out while working with the tech here at home" I smirk and get on the motorcycle "so what you're gonna be Oracle now?" She smiles and shakes her head "no, I'm not stuck in a wheelchair...but it's something like what Barbara Gordon does" I hum in response and put on my helmet once I see that the sun goes down.

I start the motorcycle and Autumn moves out of the way "Hey, Jase?" I look at her "yeah?" She looks serious "just...just don't die okay?" I smile at my protective little sister although I know she can't see my smile under the helmet, I nod "okay" and turn my head to see the dark road.

I drive on my motorcycle. The house that we live in is the biggest in this street, it seems so out of place with the old buildings and the crappy houses. "Hood, Nightwing's after Bane as well, watch out for him" "it'll have to be the other way around. Does he know I'm on the move?" "No" "good...I wonder how they are, I haven't seen them for a week" "so you miss them?" She mocks "no, I don't miss them...I'm just wondering what they're up to" "you know...I think that you're just hiding yourself from them" "what do you expect?" "Oh...I don't know...just wondering if you miss them, at all" I grip the handles "Well I don't...I don't need them, and I don't need anyone" silence "you can think that" her tone lowers "you can say that you don't need anyone...but as your younger sister, I'll advise you to stop lying to yourself." More silence…

**** Break ****

Dick's POV

This wasn't supposed to happen…

I went on my own to search for Bane because Tim, and Chris had important homework and Bruce still had to take care of this...Demon problem. I simply entered The East Side and things went down from there.

I tracked down Bane to one of these high old buildings, I caught him red handed dealing with drug dealers, that was when the Red Hood came from behind me "hello dickhead" he greeted me with his crimson red helmet.

We fought, we inflicted injuries on each other, but then Bane suddenly butted in, with Hood and I working against each other, not together...things didn't go so well. Bane went for Hood while I handled the henchmen, while I was distracted with the many henchmen, Bane suddenly overpowered Jason. Bane punched Jason's helmet and Jason flew right across the roof of the building, I stopped everything I was doing and jumped towards Hood's flying body, luckily I was able to catch his arm before I almost fell off the building my self.

But Bane took a large piece of debris from the building's roof and threw it at me while I was trying to bring Jason's unconscious body up.

Now...I dangle off the edge of this roof, holding onto the side of the building and onto Jason's slipping arm. "HOOD!" I try to yell as my hands starts to slip because of the rain. Jason doesn't move, he's just dead weight now...I can't get up and I can't bring him up if he's unconscious and I'm slowly slipping off the edge of the building as Bane stands above me, grinning. "Two prices at once...plus, there's no bat to tell me I can't shove you off this building" Bane mocks as he steps on my fingers. "Gah!" I yell once I hear the cracking of my fingers under the heavy weight, but I don't let go.

I clench my teeth and look down at the shiny helmet of the unconscious Red Hood. Don't worry Jason I won't let you die...not again, I won't let go. And I'm not gonna die the same way my parents did, I'm not gonna leave my brothers and sister, I won't leave my father and my grandfather. If Bruce loses us both...I don't know how he'll live with the guilt, I don't want my dad to be hurt because I let go and gave up...no, I won't let go.

The thunder booms and lightning strikes as I look at the man that will soon be my killer.

I shut my eyes, waiting for the moment of my death. "AHHHH!" I hear someone yell, at first I think it's my voice but it's not...it's Bane's. I open my eyes when I feel hands grab onto my wrist "come on!" Bane's image is gone, he's retreated for some reason, now a kid wearing a black hood over her head covering her eyes pulls me up "get up!" Definitely a girl, I can hear it in her voice. She pulls me up and slowly I clump up with one hand and her support, I pull Jason up with me and the girl in a black hoodie and tattered jeans takes The Red Hood.

I lay on the wet floor, on my hands and knees as I watch the girl take out Jason's helmet, to feel his pulse "he's okay" she breathes "who...who are you?" I ask as she stands up and takes Jason by his arm "I'm nobody" she says "just a friend of your brother...a friend that he "doesn't need," apparently" although I can't see her face in the dark, I can sense that she's furrowing her eyebrows. "Remember dickhead...I'm nobody" I slowly stand up as she takes Jason.

I take one last look at the hooded girl as lightning strikes from behind her and then smoke starts to surround her and she disappears with The Red Hood.

I hold onto my arm, my mind still processing the event...who was she?

"AAAH" I turn my head to see Bane on the floor, lying on the wet ground in a small puddle of red wetness. I look behind him and see bloody dead bodies without heads, burned off faces or with bullets in their chests surrounding Bane.

Bane has a knife stuck in his shoulder and a bullet in his leg, there are cuts all over his face, horrible burns on his arms, and red oozing out of the wires that were supposedly connected to his back, his eye is swollen and he's just laying on the ground groaning in pain.

Jason's POV

I wake up in the same cozy bed I was once in hours ago, with a cast around my right arm. "Not again" I moan as I sit up "Jason!" Autumn appears right in front of me sitting on the edge of my bed, she suddenly hugs me tightly still taking note of my arm "Autumn...why…" Then I suddenly remember what happened "you almost fell of a building stupid! Luckily Grayson saved your ass before you fell, but both of you almost died! It's a good thing I came after you when your com went dead!" She says letting go of the warm hug, her eyes becoming soft, but traces of a smile are gone "you have a tracer on me?" "No…" she says looking down...then her eyes suddenly shoot back up at me with anger, rage, or is it concern? Worry? "WHAT THE F***!?" She suddenly exclaims

"What?" "YOU ALMOST DIED!" "I almost die all the time" she looks down "every time I put on the helmet I'm a moving target...I thought you understood" "I do...but" her voice becomes soft "I don't like it" "well, I don't like dying then coming back either, but we can't all get what we want, now can we?" I accidentally snarl and she tenses but doesn't look at me "I know that...but Jase" she looks at me with pleading eyes "you're going to destroy yourself" "...I already have" I turn my head away from her

"no...Jason, you have to stop...being-" My eyes shoot towards her, "What? Being Red Hood? Don't you see? I am Red Hood, you can't change that, no one can take him away from me because he and I are the same" I bark as I stand up ignoring the pain in my arm "But...you don't get it" she stands up "you're all I have left...I already lost a brother once...I don't wanna lose another one...not again. And with being the Red Hood...it's more likely that you will...die" "I never really cared if I died" I whisper "but I do…" she whispers back "I don't...I don't wanna be alone again...you don't have to be the best big brother ever...you just have to be there, and...alive...not, risking your life every day with no one watching your back" I put my good hand on her shoulder "listen Autumn...I am The Red Hood...I can't just give it up because, The Red Hood is all I am...or I would just be revenge and anger...I would be nothing-" "just a lost kid looking for a family…" she continues as she stares at me with sad eyes.

"I know...I get it...but, someone needs to watch your back…" no one has ever really cared if I were safe ever since I came back, but my little sister does "your family...they're doing a great job at it…" she's sarcastic even if she's sad "I'm 24/7 as Red Hood and as Jason Todd, you know that" "exactly...you think I can just sit here knowing that my big brother's out there going on suicide missions? And I can't do anything about it to convince him to stop?" A short silence "no...I need to watch your back 24/7, as Jason Todd and as Red Hood" "why?" "Because. You're my brother, my only family...and...I care about my family" she suddenly hugs me "and I don't want to lose anyone else...not again" she whispers and lets go

"I'm not going to let you die…" "you know I have to be him...I can't stop being him. Someone needs to help the innocent, and the Batman is just letting the ones who hurt them live!" "I know, Jason…" "Really?" "Yes. The first thing that dad taught me was that those who hurt the innocent should die" she says with anger in her voice as her eyes pierce right through me "but…" her voice becomes soft again "...I'm your little sister, you're going to die if you continue this alone...I care about the innocent too and I agree with your methods...and so" her voice becomes louder and more stern "I've made a decision" "what is that?" "I'm gonna be your partner" I pause "...n...no" I say sternly, but she doesn't even flinch "I'm going to watch your back, whether you like it or not" "well I don't like it! You're going to put your own life in danger!" "I know how this works...I've done these sort of things before" "what about your training?" "What about it? I've been trained since birth! I was on the streets for...how long? I fought in a f***ing war, and here you are telling me that I don't have enough training? Hell, my mentors were Ducra and Talia!"

She does seems to have potential "besides…" she continues "I still need to take revenge" she mumbles and I tense...I don't want her to turn into me...but this could help her cope...maybe. Would I really want to torture her the same way Bruce tortured me when I was Robin with those thoughts in mind "is he coming back alive?" I've been there, done that...I know how it feels. Maybe...this is the way that I can be a better brother somehow, I can be a great partner to her...a second chance to be a partner, although it's funny how...I was the sidekick and now she wants to be my sidekick, does she? "I can even be called a sidekick if you want." She does want to be a sidekick, why, would anyone wanna be called a stupid sidekick "just as long as I can watch your back" that's why.

If I'm always away on these missions as Red Hood and I just leave her behind alone at home, then it's harder for me to keep an eye on her, but if she's fighting side by side with me...then it could be easier to watch her right? Maybe...just maybe...but what if she dies like I did? It would be my fault…

"Jason?" She pulls me back into reality "you're not changing my mind...ever. When I make up my mind I never change it" I can tell she's telling the truth. I stare into her callous but serious eyes, then slowly...I nod. A small smile tugs on her lips "it's not like I needed your approval anyways" she mutters as she brushes the hair on her face with her fingers. Ahh yes, this is Autumn, my annoying but caring little sister, it's only been a week and I've already warmed up to this little girl.

I sigh "one week...come up with a mantle, a suit, a name...I wanna test your skills, see if your ready to go on the field" she rolls her eyes "no worries Jase, as long as I get to watch your back" she's back to her old self "and you do know the consequences of your choice" she rolls her eyes again "you do know the consequences of your choice" she imitates me with a low mocking voice "I told don't worry so much" "well you do" "well you go on a suicide mission every night" "...you won't be able to live a normal life" "Please, I don't know the meaning of normal, plus you're my brother, The Red Hood...I don't think I will ever know the meaning of 'normal'" she smiles. "One week" I repeat and she nods "although I'm warning you...I'm, different on the field" I nod "I am too" she nods and walks out my door.

I sit on my bed and turn on the TV "Bane was found, with a couple of dead men who were formerly drug dealers, burned, stabbed and shot at. Bane was immediately brought to Gotham General by the GCPD, the man or woman who has inflicted many injuries to this criminal is still unknown. Although many suspect that this is the work of The Red Hood." I raise my eyebrow and turn my head to look out the window , a dream catcher hangs on the screen of the window.

I smirk.