Hey guys, short filler chapter really. Have a f*ckton of work to do, so I barely scraped this one out. Apologies for how bad it is xD

One Love

-Supah

Alfred was quietly cleaning up the Batcave when the Bat-computer buzzed into life. A quiet audio message that was near to static was logged on the computer. Alfred strode towards the marvelous supercomputer and promptly sat in the chair in front of it and went to work.

The message was unclear, but Alfred set about to deciphering it. With the power of the computer and Alfred's expertise the audio message was finally clear.

"Alfred.. Send help.. Ace Chemicals…"

It was Richard's voice.

"Oh dear!" Alfred muttered. This was most certainly not good. The young vigilante was stubborn, he would never cry for help. But now did he did? He's in serious trouble.

Alfred tapped a few buttons on the keyboard and the monitors Alfred placed in the Nightwing suit appeared on screen.

Heavy damage down the right side of the suit. Possibly left by a sword or a knife. The domino mask was completely destroyed, and there was some more light damage left throughout the suit.

Alfred tried to tap into Richard's feed, but the visuals were busted, which Alfred expected due to the unresponsive domino mask. Alfred tapped into the audio feed and it was static, as expected. His earpiece is most likely cracked, causing the irritating noise. Alfred deciphered the audio in the earpiece so he could hear it. It wasn't perfect, but it was clear enough to hear.

Someone was grunting, taking slow, careful footsteps. Was Richard on his way back home.

"Jesus Christ, Grayson. You are one heavy bastard."

With the exclamation, there was a loud thud, like a body being dropped.

"Oh no.." Alfred whispered in shock.

Was the boy dead?

Alfred stood up rather abruptly.

"I must inform Master Bruce immediately!"

"No need, I'm already getting ready."

Alfred turned his head towards the chamber where the Batsuit is hung, and sure enough, Bruce Wayne was halfway dressed into the suit.

"Why am I not surprised?"

Bruce pulled the cowl on while chuckling.

"I wouldn't know.", Batman smirked.

Batman dropped out of the Batwing, two thousand feet above the dark silhouette of Gotham.

"Activate detective vision."

With the world soaring past at a thousand feet per minute, Batman's vision turned blue and the audio signal location flashed up, bright orange.

Batman straightened his body up and dropped like a bullet towards the earth. He slammed rather angrily into the ground, frightening the absolute shit out of three lads smoking on the street.

All they said was generally;

"Oh fuck! It's Batman! Holy crap! We'll stop smoking omg."

Batman glared at them, the infamous bat-glare that intimidated anyone and everyone.

The loitering teens had enough and they sprinted away, dropping their joints.

Batman stood up, grunting. He had too long of a rest. Two and a half months of recovering!

The building down the alley was glowing, showing two figures inside.

One figure was armed with a handgun, which the detective vision deduced as a Sig Sauer P226.

Batman deduced him as the Red Hood. The other figure, who was slumped on the floor, presumably unconscious, was deduced as Nightwing. The building was old and abandoned, part of an apartment block.

Batman turned off detective vision and slipped through a shattered window. The hallway was crusting with mold, dirt and rats. The rats screeched and hurried away as Batman stealthy snuck down the hallway.

He armed a batarang and stepped into the dimly lit room where the criminal resided.

"S'up Bruce."

The Red Hood was sitting down on a desk, Nightwing sprawled at wall in the room. Blood covered the Red Hood's face.

"I'm not Bruce.", Batman growled.

"We all know that's a lie."

"Bruce Wayne and Batman are two separate consciences."

The bloodied criminal laughed and started picking some of the crusted blood off his face. His piercing green eyes disgruntled most people who were lucky enough to see them, but Batman's face remained as it was carved in stone.

The criminal continued to peel off the blood, staring at Batman as he did so.

Then Batman recognized him.

"Jason?"

Jason Todd peeled some more blood off his face and threw his head back, laughing delightfully.

"I'm so glad you recog-"

Batman dropped the batarang and punched Jason across the jaw.

"What the fuck was that for?!"

Batman punched him again, and again.

Batman punch him so hard he went flying off the table and slammed into the ground.

"No hug?"

Batman put his foot on Jason's face.

"You died."

"Yeah well, I'm alive again."

"You're just a fake copy."

"Drake was a fake copy of Robin."

Batman forced his boot down to shut up Jason.

"Drake? A fake Robin?", Batman stuttered with rage.

"Jason denied the potential in him. But I believed in him."

"And you let him die?"

Batman stamped his foot back down on fake Jason's jaw.

"Of course I did. Dick left for a year, I found you trying to steal the tyres of the batmobile and I saw a lost boy, who had potential to do great things, be a great hero."

Jason mumbled through the taste of Batman's boot.

"I understand that you tried to save me. But why… Why is the clown still alive?"

"Because I don't condone killing."

"Yet he does? You're going in a loop, you fool! He going to commit mass homicide, you throw him Arkham and someone fucking breaks him out!"

"Then I'll put him back into Arkham."

"You love him, don't you? He's your job! Without him, where would Batman be? It's a crazy love story full of-"

Batman curbstomped the fake Jason into unconsciousness.

"My job is to put down criminals like you, who have no purpose."

Batman tapped a couple of buttons on his gauntlet and the Batwing soared into life above the building. He picked up Dick and fake Jason and dragged them up towards the Batwing. He reached the rooftop and carefully placed Dick into the Batwing. He went to pick up fake Jason but Jason was actually pretending to be unconscious, and he lashed a kick at Batman and rolled off the building.

Batman went to leap off after him but what he didn't notice is that while the Red Hood rolled off he slashed the back of his cowl, making it useless for gliding.

Batman nearly fell off the building, while muttering "shit."

He got up and jumped in the Batwing.

"Take us home Alfred. I won't chase him now, Dick's hurt."

The Batwing soared into the skies like a majestic eagle and fired like a bullet away from the urban dystopia that was Gotham.