Guest 1 and 3, so glad you've liked chapter 7 :) I totally agree – Jason should definitively marry Babs already!

Guest 2, if you keep posting comments like this without giving me any way to answer you but on top of the next chapter, god, do you realize how much feels you've given me? How much I squealed reading your review? I mean, I'm the one smiling like a maniac when I'm reading your reviews. Anyway, yes, YES, Jason. And Babs. And feels. And Jason just can't help it and I didn't even expect to write that in last chapter but then it just happened. So no, you didn't overanalysed, at all, and… yeah, he doesn't care about Jason Todd at all. Let's show him how wrong he is :)

sososo

Chapter 8

This wasn't happening. Barbara's screens were covered in windows, all showing news from the same event: a horrible shooting which had occurred the previous night in the Bowery. The media weren't exactly condemning, considering the kind of people who had been killed, but the body count rated high even for Gotham.

Twenty-three people. Including the henchmen, the boss, the laboratory assistants, and one prostitute who had been at the wrong place at the wrong time, they said. She was the only one who had been killed by a different gun, though, so it was safe to bet she had been dead before the shooter arrived.

The shooter.

"Jason, what have you done?" she whispered, horrified.

He had killed before. A lot of people, she knew. But not like that. This, this was madness. He had snapped again, his brain switching from the perfectly nice boy who had prepared tea for her to a mindless killer, unable to think things through. Unable to feel. She feared it had been the point.

And this time, she had been the one to trigger him. She knew better than to put those dead on her conscience, but – still. It felt heavy.

There wasn't much she could do now. Actually, there was only one possible answer to this.

She shut down the computer, went down the stairs and grabbing her coat. Her dad was in the living room, watching TV; she kissed him on the cheek.

"Going out. Cass will be there in an hour. Please tell her I'm sorry and will be there next week with hot chocolate."

Jim frowned.

"Is everything alright?"

"It will be", she assured him.

Undisturbed, he shut down the TV and wheeled to the kitchen.

"If you're going to skip her lessons, I will at least greet her with something to eat."

Barbara grinned, and went to hug him some more. Her dad was the best, she'd always known, and it showed a lot in the way he handled the young girl. He didn't mind her barely speaking, unfazed by the way she talked more with movements than with words.

Then again, with Bruce, he'd had training.

"Love you, see you later!" Barbara said, before heading to her car.

Twenty minutes later, she was parking in front of the Wayne manor.

sososo

Jason didn't feel better, but he felt like himself again, which was a start. Not nice, or bright, or a good person – no. Just 100% Jason Todd. Granted, it meant he felt like shit. Because he might not be bright but he also wasn't stupid. Unfortunately. And he could lie to everyone but to himself, no matter how hard he tried.

Killing people to show how much of a bad guy he was, huh? To prove the world he was doomed, had been since the beginning, and could never be saved.

To tell his damn brain that, yeah, he hadn't been wrong, there had never been another path for him. He was born trash and would die as trash. Which meant he could make the choices none of the others would make. Because he was damned already. It didn't make him worse.

Fuck. Jason hated himself so damn much. How stupid, how immature had someone to be to kill people for that?

Suddenly, a shadow moved on his left. He dodged by reflex, instinctively blocking the blow that would be coming to hit his spleen. But rather than Batman's brute force, he found himself facing Nightwing's impossible twists. Dick kicked him out of balance, targeting his ankle then the hand he caught himself on, forcing him to roll away.

As Jason was adapting his movements, Dick switched to a more direct style, striking Jason head on. Literally.

"Are you nuts?" Jason yelled, because only someone with a seriously deranged personality would bang his forehead against a helmet on purpose.

That did the trick, though. Dick used Jason's surprise and loss of balance to slam him against the ground. Even with the helmet, Jason saw stars. Damn. The first Robin had always been good; clearly he had gotten better.

"Had enough?" Nightwing asked, his hand closed against Jason's throat.

Was this a real question?

"Yeah. Sure", Jason answered, not bothering to make it sound like anything else than sarcasm.

"Good."

Dick released his grip but, before Jason could take advantage of it, muscled arms wrapped around his chest. It took him a few seconds to realize he was being hugged.

And one more to understand Barbara had sold him out.

His vision turned red. Deliberately, he put his hands on Dick's back – only to press two specific points which made the older man twist in pain. To his surprise, though, the grip only tightened.

"I'm not letting you go", Dick panted. "Not again."

"You sure meet daddy's standards for theatrics", Jason cursed, fighting to get free.

Dick still didn't release him. Jason bucked, rolling over him, taking advantage of his height and bulk – and of his brother not being used to it.

No. Not his brother, damnit! Furious, Jason punched him on the face, and would have kept going if Nightwing hadn't caught his wrist and twisted it to take the upper hand, managing to get back on his feet. They ended up sparring violently, neither of them holding back. And the circus freak knew how to throw a punch, fuck him. Jason spat a tooth.

"Apparently, you haven't", Dick pointed out.

He was exactly as infuriating as he had been before Jason died. That made one want to crawl back into one's grave.

"I haven't what?" Jason balked.

The prick grinned.

"Had enough."

How could he? How dare he? He had never showed anything but hostility toward Jason when he was Robin, except at the very end, when he'd been so glad Bruce was talking to him again he would have done anything to make it last. Probably because, by then, Dick had realized Jason hadn't replaced him, but merely served as a crutch in his absence.

"Yes, yes I have!" Jason snarled, his punches getting faster and meaner. "Enough of you, enough of your face, enough of your fucking self-righteous ass!"

"Hey! I am told my ass is nice!"

Jason struck so hard the rooftop's tile broke. Dick finally seemed to realize his jokes only made him more furious, and put on his serious face.

"Jason."

"Shut up!"

"No, you shut up!" Dick shouted, and one felt something, to see Nightwing angry, he who was always so composed. Something like delight. "You were dead! How could you not…"

"Buhu, my little brother died, cry me a river", Jason interrupted. "We were never brothers in the first place, you moron. We barely talked to each other."

"Yes!"

Alright, that got Jason to stop. He had expected hearten speeches, assurance of life-long love or pure aggressiveness. But admission?

"Yes", Dick repeated, quieter. "And it was stupid of both of us."

If he had elaborated in any way, talking about guilt or pointing fingers, or Heaven forbid playing the card of his recent trauma of losing Bludhaven, Jason would have been able to shut him down. But this? This still hurt. Because at 13, Jason had wished so hard to become part of a real family.

Yeah, right. And all wooden puppets got someday transformed in real boys. Except not.

Antagonism aside, Jason knew Dick Grayson. The man was physical about a lot of things, touching people when he was sad and when he was happy and when they told him to leave them the fuck alone. Talking to a blank face wouldn't do, he had to see.

So Jason removed his helmet. Then his domino.

Jason saw Dick's face crumple, his eyes widening behind his mask. No wonder. He wasn't seeing a starry-eyed 15-year-old, but the face of a hardened adult who had pulled the trigger and didn't regret it.

"Tell Babs that her best try failed", Jason commented before jumping from the rooftop.

Thankfully, Dick didn't try to follow. Jason needed to think. And, first of all, he needed to get his things and move away from his base. None of the others he had around town were as comfortable but they would have to do.

He removed his earpiece to dump it in a trash a few streets away. That's when he became aware that he was being tailed – and not by Dick. With a shock, he realized the steps were way too light to be Bruce's.

And that he would have never felt anything if his pursuer hadn't wanted him to.

Jason took a deep breath.

"Alright, let's get this over with. What do you want, Robin?"

The last word grazed his throat, the words bitter on his tongue. Yet, when a slim figure stepped out of the shadows, the wave that hit him wasn't anger, but longing.

The new Robin had modified the uniform, which was hardly news. For the first time, Jason thought it was a good idea. This wasn't a mimic of Beloved Dick Grayson the First, even less of the eagerly forgotten Jason wanna-be-teenaged-vigilante Todd. While still being a tribute to the name, it was more practical, blending in the shadows, slimmer, enhancing both his wearer's protection and stealth. It suited the new Robin like a glove.

"Aren't you supposed to be grounded?" Jason commented, because he had no idea what else to say.

"I don't think obedience has ever been any Robin's specialty."

Jason laughed, making him jump. The kid was nervous. Which meant he had sense, considering what happened last time they'd crossed path, and what Jason had just done to Dick – admittedly, Dick had given everything back. Yet, it hurt.

Jason was starting to be tired of being hurt all the damn time.

"Don't worry, kid, I don't have explosives on me this time", Jason said, then thought again. "Or, well, I don't intend to use them. On you, anyway?"

Robin nodded seriously.

"I suppose that will have to do."

If one squinted one's eyes hard enough, maybe with the help of some tools such as a microscope, this sounded like humor.

Alright. This metaphor didn't make any sense. That only meant Jason needed to get some sleep – which he wouldn't, not today, not with the mess his brain was turning into since last night.

"Now that non-lethal intentions have been established, what do you want?"

"To say thank you", Robin answered quickly.

"About your father? Don't mention it."

To Jason's surprise, the kid shook his head.

"No. For having been Robin. I… mean this in a good way?" the kid finished clumsily.

That one had to get along with Bruce tremendously. Jason snorted. Then chuckled. Then downright started to laugh. The kid turned bright red, which made things worse. Soon, Jason actually had to lean against a streetlamp not to fall.

Robin straightened, wrapping himself in his cape.

"I'm sorry", Jason managed, giggling.

"Please do laugh at my awkwardness. I won't mind."

The kid also managed a very good imitation of the Bats deadpan humor. Jason could appreciate that.

"You little bat", he said, composing himself. "I can see someone's influence, here. Or just the reason why he chose you, I guess."

"He didn't choose me", Robin countered.

Jason frowned. What did he mean?

"Batman needs a Robin", the teenager developed, as if that explained everything. In a way, it did.

"You mean you, what, went knocking on his door to ask him for a job?" Jason asked, amused at the idea.

"Literally, yes."

Alright, that one got him.

"What do you mean literally?"

"I went to knock at his door to…"

"What do you mean knock at his door?" Jason yelped and, honestly, he hadn't realized his voice could still produce such high-pitched sounds.

The kid had the nerve to look amused.

"Well, I raised my hand and…"

"Kid!"

The dork laughed. Well. Chuckled, but coming from a Bat, it was as good as a full-throat laughter.

"I'm sorry", Robin apologized. "One doesn't get to brag in front of his dead idol very often. No offense."

"None taken", Jason replied, a bit stunned. Idol?

"I might have been kind of a… stalker? Before all this?" Robin explained, waving at his suit. "I was… hem. A fan. Even before you became Robin but… I was a bit young still. Nightwing had already taken the name when I started to follow you around."

"You followed us?"

It sounded like Jason was stuck on repeating the kid's sentences, but he couldn't help it.

"To take pictures."

"You have pictures of Batman and Robin", Jason said out loud, just to make it clear.

The kid nodded. Christ.

"He must have loved that one", Jason muttered to himself.

"He had me destroy them all, of course", the teenager mentioned. Then he grinned. "And I kept copies. Of course."

Jason had to fight not to grin back. This kid had something.

And that something was Robin.

"It gives you magic", Jason stated, stuck between bafflement and wonder.

The kid blinked. Then smiled.

"Thank you."

"You can't possibly know what it means", Jason exclaimed.

"You said that in the cave."

Jason started. Robin blushed. Then cleared his throat, trying to gain back some composure.

"When I started, I was… I wanted to learn from you."

"From the Robin who died?" Jason commented sarcastically.

"From the Robin who saved so many lives and, yes, died doing so."

Why did it hurt coming from Babs and Dick, but not coming from his fucking replacement? If he could, Jason would sue his own brain for driving him crazy. Honest. How did the damn thing work? Oh, right. He'd been hit on the head. That explained a lot.

Not so badly for his short-term memory to be defective, however.

"You still didn't tell me how you went to knock at his door, brat."

Robin grinned and, before he even moved, Jason knew what he was going to do. He still didn't have the time to catch him before the kid grappled away.

"That's a story for another time! Gotta go!"

In a blink, he disappeared, melting back in the shadows. Jason swore, but his heart wasn't in it. He actually felt more peaceful than he had in a long, long time.

sososo

Jason should have known better than to think he could drop out of Barbara's radar. Oh, he was good, one of the best, but she didn't intend to lose track of him ever again. If he died and was put in yet another grave, she'd make sure the new one would be better monitored than the damn Batcave.

She didn't feel any guilt at having 'betrayed' him by telling Dick he was alive, either. The revelation had been long due. Dick had only been mad at her for half a second before just crumpling from relief because he got a second chance at this. Because his not-so-little brother was alive.

She had let him handle how to diffuse the information past that point. Dick had kept it to himself. Then again, when had Tim ever needed anyone to tell him things?

Unfortunately, the little bird shared this trait with his mentor. So here Barbara found herself, at two in the morning, monitoring her screens. Bruce was bound to intervene and she wanted to be aware of it in time if someone had to do damage-management.

Or she could code some facial recognition based on Batman's cowl to wake her up whenever he'd enter Red Hood's new base – if you could so qualify the squalid flat he'd settled into. Hell, the place had had to have been insalubrious the previous decade. It was a wonder his security system worked at all. Admittedly, he'd had to install his own generator.

Her brain was dozing off. She had expected Bruce to corner Jason the very day Dick and Tim had, but that had been almost a week ago. She was tired.

She started coding the facial recognition, care be damned – and, of course, that's when Batman showed up. He did so in the most polite way he knew about, too: by letting the security system pick up his presence before actually entering the room.

So he did know the meaning of 'personal space'. Barbara was impressed. Maybe he'd even waited this long specifically to give Jason's time to breathe.

Yeah, right.

Batman found himself facing the barrel of a gun – two, to be exact. Barbara bit her lips not to grin. She knew there was a reason why she loved Jason so much. Then she remembered he was able to actually pull the trigger, and sighed.

She mostly hoped this wasn't a bad day.

"Go away."

"Jason…"

"Go away, Bruce."

"You know I won't."

"I know you will leave of your own will or I'll drag your body out of here."

"You didn't point guns at Dick."

He had a good point, Barbara thought. It hit a nerve, too: for a second, she thought Jason was going to hit him with the handle. Which was probably what Bruce had aimed for. Such a movement would have made it possible for him to disarm Jason.

Jason controlled his temper, however.

"I'll do better next time."

She shuddered. It sounded more like a promise than a threat.

Bruce observed his lost son, his face blank under the cowl. Since he'd surprised Jason at his base, he wasn't wearing his helmet. He looked oddly fragile like this. Because he was afraid, Barbara realized.

Alright, now she felt guilty. It had to be done, though. She couldn't stand the idea of Jason staying alone. Her knowing about him being alive wasn't enough. The entire world knowing wasn't enough, not if Jason didn't realize what he meant to the people he knew.

"I didn't think I'd find you here", Bruce suddenly admitted.

For some reason, Jason tensed. Barbara frowned, her fingers flying on the keyboard because this had to mean something. The system scanned her files. The answer popped up in less than three seconds.

Shit. She should have known this. This place – the building – the very flat – had been Jason's before. Because it had been his mother's. This was where Jason had grown up, on Crime Alley.

It was emotionally charged so of course Jason had to roll his eyes.

"That's kind of why I picked the place. I should have known better. You still have a thing for dramatic memories."

Bruce pursed his lips, which Jason took as an encouragement. Of course.

"I mean, do you still come with flowers every year? Do you realize how obvious it makes your identity? Granted, a lot of people die in Gotham every year, especially in Crime Alley, but, come on. This date? It's almost a national mourning day. Someone is bound to notice."

He was good, Barbara estimated. Hitting Bruce's buttons was kind of easy, though, when one didn't mind playing the dead parents card.

Jason yet had to realize that the dead son card was much, much worse.

"I didn't come here for them today", Bruce said.

"No, of course not, it's not an anniversary. If they walked out of the grave, you'd probably be appalled. You do realize they'd be horrified at what you'd sacrificed for their sake, right?"

"I don't do this for them. And they aren't what I came to talk about."

"Do I look like I care about what you have to say?" Jason mocked.

"You didn't shoot me yet."

Bruce's concise answer made Jason tense all over again. The fragile shield of his taunts was easily shattered – and just that, a shield. It had always been, Babs realized, and of course Bruce knew as much. He had lived with Jason as a child after all.

"Stop it", Jason snapped, waving his gun at him.

That was the opening Bruce had been waiting for. Yet – he didn't move. He merely titled his head, pointing out the mistake without acting on it. Jason paled, gritting his teeth. But he didn't shoot.

Barbara breathed out. He couldn't shoot. Not at Bruce. Nor at Dick. Not even at Tim, despite what had happened with the explosion. He might have, when he'd first come back, but now that he'd talked to the child? He didn't see him as his replacement anymore, but as part of the family. Or part of the Robin legacy, at least.

"Come back", Bruce said.

"Go to hell."

"Please."

Jason smirked.

"Wow, I lived long enough to hear you beg at last! … Wait."

Someone ought to tell him joking about his death wasn't funny. Not to those who had outlived him, anyway. Maybe someday Barbara would feel secure enough about Jason's safety to laugh about this – her sense of humor certainly was dark enough – but not yet.

Bruce just stared at him.

"What? I'm not going to take the request seriously because it's not. Did you really think you could just burst in, ask nicely, and I'd hang my guns back on the wall and follow you? Are you that self-centered?"

"I have to hope you might come back."

The statement had meant to be firm, but Bruce's voice broke on the last word. Barbara had to zoom in to see Jason wince, but he did.

"I note that doesn't prevent you from making your rules a condition", Jason pointed out.

"Those aren't my rules. You're killing people."

"Buhu, the bad guys won't come back to hurt anyone!"

"That's not what we stand for."

"That's not what you stand for, I'm well aware of that! One would have thought the death of your partner would have been fucking enough for you to finally take measures! But no. No. Fuck you Bruce!"

Bruce straightened and, suddenly, it was Batman standing in front of Jason.

"You cannot ask me to bend my one rule, even for your sake. I never pretended to be anything else than who I am…"

"You pretended to be my father!" Jason yelled.

Batman disappeared, leaving only a mangled Bruce behind.

"I am."

Jason lowered his hands at last. His shoulders were trembling. He was crying.

Barbara closed her video feed. They wouldn't kill each other today; it was time for her to give them some privacy.

sososo

Ending notes: Hope you're all still enjoying this! :D