A/N: And I said I'd get this out soon after the last one.
Dang, guys, I'm sorry. I just needed to stick to the update schedule I made up. For those of you who care, it's:
"We Do What We Must", "Dissociation", then "I Can Break Too".
This chapter has confrontations and broken hearts, so…
(I don't think I did very good. Tell me what you think? This one was harder to write for some reason…)
Also! I don't think I made this clear enough, but Dick's dead. He didn't make it, and sorry, but this isn't going to be one of those miracle resurrections. He's gone, for good.
Up next after this: An injured Jason, and Bruce's reaction. Stay tuned! ;)
Er... Review, please!
Recommended Song: Everybody Knows, by Sigrid
WARNINGS: None, aside from some pretty strong language. (*cough* Jason *cough cough*)
What You've Done (Part Two)
Romans 6:21—"What consequences did you get from doing things that you are now ashamed of? The outcome of those things is death."
NO PERSPECTIVE
The Bat's Boys stood side-by-side as they faced the group of teenagers. The order (from right to left) was Red Robin, Red Hood, then Robin. The Team was tied together with links designed to hold Superman in the center of the room where the Bats had arrived.
As the group of "heroes" began rousing, they took notice of their attackers standing before them with crossed arms.
The first to speak was M'gann.
"Robin? Why?"
Red Robin twitched at the name but didn't respond. It had been pre-established that Red Hood would be the first one to speak. Then came Red Robin, then—if he was feeling up to it—Robin.
"Don't talk to them," Hood deadpanned. "I'm the one you need to concern yourself with right now."
"What? Why? Wait…" Impulse's eyes narrowed at the Bat in the center. Realizing who it was, he gasped. "AREYOUTHEREDHOOD?YOU'RETHEREDHOODTHAT'SSOCRASHAMIDREAMINGI'MDREAMINGRIGHTTHISCAN'TBEREALHOLYSHITI*—"
Blue Beetle cut his best friend off with an annoyed snap of, "Dude! Totally not the time for this! They just tied us up and handed us our asses on a silver platter!" Turning to face the pre-mentioned Bats he asked, "What do you want?"
Red Hood barked out a harsh laugh. "What do we want? That's the question, Jaime. One that doesn't have an easy question."
La'gann was dumb enough to open his cocky-ass mouth next. "Did Nightwing," the name was spat like poison, "put you up to this?! Neptune's Beard! We should have known!" The Atlantean failed to notice the way Red Hood's hand twitched towards his gun, how Red Robin's hands tightened on the bo-staff, and how Robin's hand inched for his hidden blade.
"Impulse shouldn't be with them," Red Robin gritted out in a whisper. "He wasn't around."
Red Hood took a deep breath through his nostrils, exhaling slowly afterwards. "Robin, take care of Bart's bonds."
Without argument, the youngest of the Bat-Clan drew his katana and, in one swift motion, broke through the speedster's bonds.
Bart rubbed his wrists and looked from his bound teammates, to the tensed up Bats. "I feel like I've missed something major…"
"You bastards never answered my question!" La'gaan exploded. He seemed determined not to be ignored, and that could be his downfall.
Red Hood rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck to relieve some of the collected tension. "Nothing you need to worry about, Impulse," he answered Bart instead. "This is between us," Red Hood gestured to himself and his brothers, "and those puto culos."
Bart's brow crinkled in confusion. "What? Why? What happened? And, hey, where's Nightwing—you guys are here and usually when you're here he's here too—ohnodisomethinghappentohim?Ishehurt?WhencanIseehim?"
La'gaan fumed where he sat. "Is that coward too much of a wuss to show his lying face here again?!"
A blade found a new home deep in La'gaan's kneecap, drawing an agonized and surprised scream from the Atlantean. The blade's hilt was initialed with the letters JT inscribed into it.
"Callate tu pinche puto boca, hijo de puta mierda. You don't know what you're fuckig talking about," Hood snapped harshly. His glare became as powerful as the infamous Batglare as it bore into each of the bound members of the Team. "None of you know what you've done, and now I'm wondering if you'd even care."
Red Robin's jaw muscled flexed. He knew what was about to come.
Red Hood's voice lowered dangerously into a monotone voice that sounded so empty, and hollow, that goosebumps raised along each of the members of the Young Justice Team's skin. "Would you like to know?"
Garfield was the one who spoke up in a shaky voice. "What did we do?"
Red Robin stepped forward beside Red Hood. Robin slunk back behind Red Hood, hanging in his shadow. "Right now, someone in Blϋdhaven just got mugged. Someone else just died. Someone else won't have a husband coming home. Another person won't see their daughter ever again. Yet another person is being raped."
"Someone," Robin croaked out, "shouldn't expect to see their mother alive, ever again. They should hope their last conversation was a pleasant one."
The Team sat—or in Bart's case, stood—in stunned silence. They all knew Blϋdhaven is Nightwing's city—why he wouldn't be preventing at least half of those things is beyond them.
When Zatanna opened her mouth to ask why he was letting this happen, Red Hood spoke over her.
"They're all wondering one thing: Where's Nightwing? Maybe some are thinking: Nightwin'll stop this—he'll save me. But one thing they don't know is that Nightwing won't be showing up. He won't save them. He won't protect them.
"He can't. Not anymore."
M'gann's eyes were watering as she asked the question on all their—save the Bats—minds. "Why?"
Red Hood shrugged as Red Robin and Robin shrunk back visibly. Those two knew the answer, and they hated it; despised it, with a passion.
"'Cause s'kinda hard to do that from the grave."
The Team… were at a loss for words. Bart's eyes—like his teammates' eyes— widened. He stumbled back a few steps until he was sliding down the wall beside the Zeta Tubes. He kept repeating one word over and over in a low whisper. "No… No, n-n-no, nonononononono." His hands went to his head before they dragged down to his face. Drawing his knees to his chest, Bart hid his face in his legs as he tried to keep it together.
Zatanna, Conner, M'gann, and Garfield could only stare at the Bats dumbly. La'gaan was hunched into himself, as much as the bonds would allow, over his knee, but he lifted his head to stare at the Bats with wide eyes as well.
Red Hood snorted. So the fish hadn't been expecting that for an answer, had he?
Zatanna was the one to ask the moronic question. "H-he's… He's dead?"
Robin stepped forward with a furious snarl. "No, Red Hood was just making another morbid joke. Yes, Nightwing is in the ground."
Red Hood wrapped an arm around Robin. "Stand down," he murmured. "Not the time. Dick wouldn't want you to hurt them."
"But you did," Robin whispered back harshly.
"Because I never gave a shit about Dickie-bird's requests, Demon. I know you do."
Robin sagged into Red Hood's hold and the eldest of the Bats nodded at Red Robin, who's face had gone from pained, to an unreadable slate.
Red Robin spoke in the same empty monotone Red Hood had. "You guys sent him there. He's pushing up daises because of you. That family expecting their dad to get home from work safe and alive? They'll probably find his body in some random alley. That girl's parents who are expecting her home in a few hours? They shouldn't wait up for her to go to bed. Why?
"Because of you.
"Words, believe it or not, can break someone."
Red Robin sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose as his words sunk in. "You don't even know all the responsibilities he was dealing with," he muttered. Louder, Red Robin spoke and dropped his hand. "Gotham was thrust into chaos when Batman disappeared. We were all being run ragged without a Batman, so who do you think stepped up? Nightwing. He was Batman, Nightwing, an officer in the BPD, leader of this 'Team', and our brother all at the same time. You guys can't even imagine the kind of stuff he had to go through.
"And you guys judged his decisions. You hated him for the choices he was forced to make. The choices he made for the benefit of the Team." Red Robin shook his head and waved to Red Hood. Turning, he faced the Zeta Tubes with his head in his hands, and his shoulders trembling with his suppressed emotions.
"Oh," Red Hood spoke, "by the way. If you dare show up at his funeral, nobody, not even Batman, will be able to find your bodies. 'Cept for Impulse." Red Hood looked to the grief-stricken speedster. "He can go."
The Bats made their way to the Zeta Tubes. Robin was practically attached to Red Hood's left leg, and Red Robin was tightly tucked against the right half of Red Hood, who held them both tightly as he limped beside them.
Just before they disappeared, Red Hood spoke one final time.
"Oh, and Nightwing wanted us—well, Roy, actually—to tell you that you won't have to worry about seeing him again, and he's sorry for having existed." In a flash of yellow, the Bats were gone.
Those parting words crushed whatever may have been left of the Team. They all—save for stunned Garfield, Conner, and La'gaan—broke down into hysterical sobs. Even then, tears had eased their ways down Garfield's face, cutting glinting tracks down his cheeks.
Eventually, an hour or so later, Bart calmed enough to free his teammates from their bonds and speed back to Central for some comfort.
Coursing through their minds was one question.
What had they done?
A/N: *Nobody can convince me that Jason, in the future Bart existed in, was a bad guy. He is a hero in that future through and through; fight me! ;)
I won't be translating the Spanish because, well… Those were some pretty intense words Jay used, and I don't think it'd do anyone any good to know them…
Reviews, it is, then!
Astaroth3317: I'm glad you like it! I guess I didn't make it clear enough, but… Dickie's dead…
Jenniferg7: I'm just full of surprises, hm? Lol, but yeah. I think I should have made that clearer… I'm sorry about that! Thanks! I felt like they'd pay tribute to their brother in some way.
dghornick: Babs, I'm not too good at. I don't really know about her character, nor do I quite care to just yet. She doesn't interest me, and I don't want to… do a half-assed job with it, so I won't be including much of her. She'll be at the funeral, but she won't have many speaking lines, and I won't be doing any chapters from her perspective.
Orion Hunts: Thanks for the kind words and compliments! I'm glad you liked the Bat's boys getting a bit of revenge, and am flattered with your words about Dickie. I tried really hard on that chapter, so your kind words are much appreciated!
contagiouslovexoxo: Yep! Another one! There are still quite a few left to go, so expect the updates!
Same Guest As Last Time: Yes, I did, and yes, I am. Pentecostal Christian, to be specific. I'm glad you're loving the story! It's honestly been a sort of therapy to write this, and I'm glad I've touched so many. Also glad I've gotten you hooked to the fic! :D
Guest: No, I'm afraid not. I, like with Barbra, do not know Zatanna's character well—or at all—and don't want to attempt at her, because I don't want to disappoint. I am sorry if I disappointed you just now with saying that, but I'm just being honest here.
Inthenightguest: I'm sorry I'm just updating, but I have other stories that are ongoing as well and can't just ignore them and the readers to focus solely on this, because it wouldn't be fair, would it? I'm sorry you're dealing with that—I have too and it really was a bad time in my life. I hope things improve soon for you, and wish you the best :)
Love: Dick's dead. I had to put Damian's call in after I did his death scene, and I realize that wasn't the best place to put that. I'm sorry for the mix-up!
Jojo Dye: Erm… Whoops. Sorry it's so late! I really was hoping to get this out sooner but, alas, it took longer than expected to update my other two stories. Sorry!
annieduncan17: I'm sorry this is out late! I'm also extremely sorry to say that Dick won't be making a miraculous recovery from death the way Jason did—not everyone's so lucky, I'm afraid. It is sad that this had to happen to bring the brothers together, hm? About Wally… well, we'll see. Thank you! I hope you liked the update!
fredandgeorgerule: *looks around* Oh, wait, me?! I've never been a nurse before whatdoIdo? Lol, but I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
The Wonder Fan: Here's the update! I hope you enjoyed it!
garbalditatiana: First off, I hope I spelled your username right… Sorry if I didn't! Hard for me to read those letters for some reason… I'm happy you're liking it! To you, I did update soon, huh? Well you got the Team's reaction, and next up is Bruce's. Hope you liked this chapter!
Have a great week, peoples!