Another chapter. Whee!


Batman perched on a gargoyle, looking out over his city. The night had just begun and already he had stopped two robberies, a mugging, and a few drug deals. It kept him busy, which meant he didn't have time to dwell on his thoughts for too long. Thoughts that always, eventually, led him to Robin.

Looking up at the moon, he briefly wondered when he had last spent a significant amount of time in the sun. It must have been a while. He rarely went out as Bruce Wayne anymore and when he did, it was only for a photo-op with the Martian girl. Well, no loss. He had always been a creature of the night.

A gust of wind on an otherwise still night caught his attention and Batman looked over his shoulder to see Superman landing behind him. Batman grimaced but otherwise did not acknowledge his visitor.

"Hey."

Batman grunted in reply.

"I wanted to talk to you."

"Flash already did," Batman replied bitterly. He didn't have time for this.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," Superman said softly. "Look, I don't agree with the League. I don't think faking Dick's death is really going to solve anything." Batman remained silent. "Because even if you do that, you'll still know that somewhere out there, that he really is alive."

"Why does it matter?" Batman asked. "Things are fine the way they are."

"You and I both know that's not true. You can't lie to yourself, Bruce. The truth is you need Robin. You need him to keep you balanced."

"Well what do you suggest?" Batman spat. "He's gone."

"So we bring him back," Superman said. "We can open a portal to that dimension, go in and get him back."

Batman went ramrod straight at that suggestion. Bring him back? Were his ears deceiving him? Superman, of all people, was suggesting they… kidnap Dick?

"No," Batman heard himself saying.

"No? Why not?" Superman said, echoing the little voice inside Batman's head that was asking the very same question. "We both know that's what you-"

"No," Batman repeated quietly, surprised at himself. What was he saying? After all, there was nothing he wanted more than to have Robin back.

But not, he realized in that moment, if it meant making Robin miserable. Like Barry had said, Robin was happy now. Happier than he could ever be here. And though Batman's heart ached at his loss, he wasn't about to destroy Dick's happiness for the sake of his own.

It was a surprising, yet very cathartic revelation. As long as Dick was happy, then his own situation didn't matter. His heartache didn't matter. Maybe it really was time to move on. Maybe it was time to realize that Dick really was better off where he was and that he wasn't going to come back. That he didn't want him to come back to this life.

"I can't do that to him. I won't. He… deserves to be happy."

"Yeah, he does," Superman agreed. "But how happy would he be if he knew how close to the edge you were?"

"I'm not close to the 'edge'," Batman growled. Superman just gave him a pointed look of disbelief. "I'll be fine."

"I know you, Bruce. You're attracted to the darkness, like a moth is to light. You need someone to keep pulling you into the light."

"I don't need a babysitter," Batman grumbled, offended. "I know what I stand for. I know where the line is. I'm not going to cross it."

"Really? You're not? Is that why a petty thief is going to have to undergo six month of rehabilitation for stealing a purse with five bucks and a tube of lipstick in it?"

Batman looked away and kept silent.

"Bruce, this path that you're on, it's headed somewhere you don't want to be."

"I know where it leads," Batman growled. He steeled his resolve as the next words tumbled out of his mouth. "But I'd willingly walk straight into hell if it meant that Dick was happy and safe." He meant it. He knew damn well where he was headed. But it didn't matter now. Nothing mattered now.

"But-"

"Get out of my city," Batman ordered harshly, effectively ending the argument. There was no way he was going to let Superman try to get him to question himself on this. Dick was gone. And he was going to stay gone. "I have work to do."

Superman hesitated but Batman sent a withering glare in his direction. Finally, Superman drew back in defeat and jumped into the air. He hovered for a moment before disappearing in a streak of red and blue. Batman waited until he was gone before letting out a long breath.

His patrol of the city did not last too long after that. He was bone-weary and tired. Usually that didn't stop him, but tonight, he couldn't seem to bring himself to continue. He needed to get back to the cave and-

Batman stopped dead in his tracks. There, ahead of him, was the Batmobile, right where he had left it. But without the tires.

Unbelievable.

Someone had actually stolen the tires off the Batmobile! But that was impossible. There was no way anyone could disable the security measures. And even if they did-

The sound of metal dropping to the ground caught his attention as a boy appeared on the other side of the black vehicle. He looked at Batman for a moment, eyes wide, before taking off.

He didn't stand a chance.

Batman was in front of him in seconds. The kid ran into him and fell backwards onto the ground.

Batman studied him for a moment. He was in his early teens, maybe a little older than Dick, with dirty red hair and cloudy grey eyes. His clothes were dirty and it looked like he hadn't had a good meal in ages. The kid had to be scared, but wasn't showing it as he glared at Batman.

Batman looked from the car to him and then gestured to the tires on the ground. "Did you do this?"

"Duh."

Batman arched an eyebrow. Grown men wept when he used that tone. Who was this kid?

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"How did you get past the security measures?"

"You call those security measures?" the kid scoffed.

Batman narrowed his eyes, becoming increasingly annoyed at the non-answers he was getting. This kid was treading a dangerous road. If he thought he could-

Wait a second.

A crazy thought was forming in his head. Superman was right- he needed someone to stop him from going down that dark, dangerous road he was on. The same road this kid was on.

But maybe the way off the road was not to have someone pull him off. Maybe it was to save someone else from it. If he could bring this kid into the proverbial light, maybe he would inadvertently find himself there as well.

"What's your name, kid?" Batman asked, decision suddenly made without really being able to stop himself. He should've. He should've taken a mental step back to really think about where this would go. But the idea was already cemented in his mind.

"What's yours?" the kid shot back contemptuously.

"Your. Name," Batman said in a low voice. "Now."

The kid hesitated. Apparently even his brashness was no match for Batman's deadliest tone and glare combined. "Jason," he finally replied. "Jason Todd."

There was a moment of silence while Batman studied the kid one last time. It could work. It would work. This kid needed him. But not as much as Batman needed a Robin. "Well, Jason Todd- how would you like a job?"


I should perhaps mention that the inspiration for this story came from a couple of different places. The first being the Alfred Hitchcock movie Vertigo starring James Stewart and Kim Novak. The second being the following conversation between Alfred and Nightwing after Alfred states that he is worried about Dick's fleeting cheery outlook on life and how without it, this line of work could prove unsurvivable for him and Batman:

Nightwing: Alfred, what are you talking about? Bruce hasn't had any innate inner optimism this whole time, and he'll outlast every one of us!

Alfred: But of course he has had optimism! He has had you.

-Nightwing #99

As well as this conversation between Tim!Robin and Nightwing:

Robin: Remember how I once told you that Batman needed a Robin? Well, that's still true, but even more than that, he... he needs you. You know, not like every second or whatever, but at the end of the day, he needs to know you're still on his side. It's... important.

-Nightwing #110

Also, I watched Batman: Under the Red Hood. So the idea was always to put him in but now... well... Jason's canon in the YJ universe... Sniffle. Oh the joy. These are tears of happiness people.

Finally... HAPPY THANKSGIVING!