Chapter 13

It had been almost a week since Jasmine has seen Dick Grayson. To be fair, Bruce had told her that he was going to keep Dick under surveillance until he was sure that the drug was completely gone from his system, and he wasn't a threat to himself, or her. While Bruce kept information regarding him rather short and straight-forward, Tim gave her details. According to Tim, when Dick woke up, he had been almost delirious, saying that he had to kill her. Bruce had to restrain him at first, and once he calmed down, was able to try and talk him through what happened. He didn't listen, and kept repeating that he had to so he could get the euphoria he had received from the drug. That he would die if he didn't get another dose, which told Jasmine that they had been right in assuming this drug was highly addictive. Bruce had put him under sedation and injected him once again with another dose of the cure. Well, anti-drug.

The second day, apparently, had been much better. Dick had been calmer, and much more somber. Tim told her that he had been more aware of what happened, and that he had felt so crushingly guilty and devastated about the entire thing. Getting his thoughts together seemed to have been hard for him at times, and Tim said he spaced out constantly, just staring at the wall blankly before returning back to his original self. The drug had still been affecting him, but not to a point where he was delirious.

After that, Tim stated that Dick's recovery quickly progressed. However, Tim also said that Dick refused to speak about her, and if he did, he only spoke to Bruce about it. He had been released from one of the cells in the Batcave two days ago. For all Jasmine knew, he never came to see her, and he sure as hell didn't try to get in contact with her. She tried calling him, and knocking on his door. Once, she simply walked into his room. However, he was nowhere to be found. At least, it seemed that way. She knew for certain that he was still in Gotham, since she would ask Tim and Alfred about him constantly. He just seemed to be very good at avoiding her.

Jasmine herself had recovered well from her numerous injuries. Alfred had forced her to wear a sling on her left arm because of her shoulder, but that hadn't lasted very long. Jasmine hated making her injuries a big deal and they hardly hurt now since her pain tolerance returned as well. The bruises on her stomach were beginning to fade, and the one on her cheek was mostly gone. The bruises on her neck from where Dick had almost strangled her were still there, but they weren't extremely apparent or anything. In fact, only after a few days of being treated, she returned as Batwoman out on the streets. There weren't any major crimes happening at the moment, so the nights were relaxed for Gotham. She visited Bludhaven not too long ago to check up on it and stop a few criminals here and there as well. What really bugged her, however, was Red Hood. He was still out there, and from what he said, planned on speaking with her again. At the moment though, he hadn't made any appearance.

Jasmine knew full well that this whole thing hadn't been Dick's fault. She held no sense of fear or negative feelings towards him. All she wanted to do was see him, and make sure he was okay. He needed to know that this wasn't his fault. It all rested on Red Hood, and the drug that took over his mind. Now that a week had passed, she figured that it was about time the two of them spoke about it. Surely he didn't want to just avoid her…right? At least, Jasmine hoped that wasn't the case. They had just gotten back together, and she'd hate for this to tear them apart. Again. The hard part was that Jasmine had no idea where to find Dick at this point. During the two days, she has tried his room, the kitchen, the Batcave…everywhere. At the moment, it was evening. Already, she had her Batwoman suit on, with her mask dangling from her hand. She was just leaving his room. Already she had checked the kitchen, and now she was on her way to the Batcave, hoping to catch him training. As she walked towards the hidden elevator that would take her down to the Batcave, it sudden came up, and Tim stepped out, who stared at her for a moment before smiling almost nervously.

"Oh, hey Jasmine." He said, stepping out. Jasmine studied him for a moment before nodding in a way of greeting.

"Hey Tim. Is Dick down there?" She asked. The boy shifted his eyes a little to the side before answering.

"Nope. He's not down there," He stated before meeting her eyes. Jasmine sighed and shook her head, walking past him.

"You're a terrible liar."

"Jasmine! I mean…maybe you shouldn't see him just yet." He said, catching her arm. Jasmine was quiet for a moment before glancing at him from over her shoulder.

"Why not? You and Bruce both told me he was released, and if that's true, then he isn't a danger to me or to himself," She said strictly, and Tim swallowed hard, though he did let go of her arm.

"I don't think he wants to see you right now, Jasmine," He responded in a quiet voice. Jasmine winced and lowered her eyes.

"I guess I'll just have to find that out then," She murmured, and then stepped into the elevator. Tim stood outside of it as the doors closed behind her, and she stood still as it descended into the cave.

Did Dick really not want to see her? Jasmine supposed that it made sense, if he remembered everything that happened. Still, avoiding the subject wasn't going to help anything. The only way to move forward was to talk through it, and put it behind them. That's all that they could really do. If he kept fretting about it, then he was going to end up like she had been. Isolated, cold, self-hating and depressed. There was no way Jasmine was going to let him succumb to a life like that as she had.

As the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Jasmine stepped out. The sound of a punching bag getting pummeled immediately caught her attention, and she shifted her eyes over. There he was. After a week of being unable to see him, she couldn't help but study Dick and his characteristics for just a moment. He was wearing typical workout clothes. His light tanned skin was shining with sweat from the exertion of his workout. A few strands of his longish black hair were curved out while the majority was plastered to his temples and the back of his neck. The wrist her whip had shredded was wrapped, probably still healing. His bicep and leg were also wrapped from where her whip had dug into his skin. Dick's teeth seemed to be gritted and his blue-gray eyes narrowed. As she took a step forward, he landed one more hard punch to the punching bag, making it swing back, and then glanced over at her, holding out his hand to stop the punching bag from hitting him as it came back. His eyes were unreadable for a moment as they rested on her before narrowing, and he turned back and began punching the poor bag once more. Jasmine swallowed hard before taking a deep breath and walked over, though she kept a small distance from him and the punching bag.

"What did that poor innocent punching bag do to you?" Jasmine teased him lightheartedly, offering a light smile to try and lift the mood. She noticed Dick's eyes shift to her for a moment before he simply scowled a little then landed a harder punch to the punching bag. Jasmine's smile faltered at this.

"I was just-"

"I know." He said shortly, cutting her off as she spoke.

"Dick-" She breathed out quietly, but was once again cut off.

"You shouldn't be around me," He said sharply, landing one last hard punch then turned his back to her and stalked away. He didn't go very far, however. Just to a pole where he drew off a white towel and drew it over his face and the back of his neck.

"Why not? You're my boyfriend, Dick. I want to be around you," She spoke to him gently, walking towards him a little tentatively.

Dick let out a short, humorless, laugh and looked at her from over his shoulder, his blue-gray eyes blazing, "Yeah? Well you shouldn't want to be."

"It wasn't your fault, Dick."

"Like hell it was!" He shouted before closing his eyes and pressing his hand against his eyes. She heard him take a shaky inhalation of breath before turning his body completely towards her. He drew his hand down; finally seeming to actually look at her for the first time she came down there. She watched as guilt, pain and self-hatred filled his eyes.

"You were drugged, Dick. It altered your thought process, and made you completely susceptible to Red Hood's orders. You didn't do this. Hood and his damn drug did. You were his victim." She explained to him firmly. Dick squeezed his eyes shut as her words before slowly shaking his head.

"I would have killed you."

"But you didn't."

"That's not the point, Jasmine!" He burst out, looking at her again. He gazed at her for a moment before warily walking towards her. Jasmine stayed in place, catching her breath as he lightly tilted her chin up then moved his hand gently to her neck. She felt his fingers pulling down the tight fabric that lightly covered the skin along her neck. As the bruises were exposed, she heard him take in a sharp inhale of breath followed by his thumbs lightly brushing across her skin. Dick then drew his hand to her cheek, running his thumb lightly along the fading bruise.

"And your stomach?" He asked in a low, hoarse voice. Jasmine frowned and reached up, gently moving his hand from her cheek.

"Stop feeding your guilt."

"Look at what I did to you, Jasmine." Dick said painfully, pulling his hand from hers and looking away, "You should stay away from me. I've caused you enough damage as it is."

"Don't do this to me, Dick! I am not letting you disappear from my life again!" Jasmine said strongly, walking up to him in a few, short strides and rested her hand on his cheek. She turned his face to hers and gazed into his eyes, "This isn't your fault. This is all on Red Hood and his drug. You aren't the one to blame for my injuries. The only reason I'm not dead is because of your willpower at the end. You were able to fight against the drug and stop yourself from pulling the trigger. Not me. This guilt you feel? It's misplaced, Dick. You had no control over what you did," She spoke to him softly.

"I was aware, Jasmine. I was happy to beat the living shit out of you with the simple idea that Red Hood would give me another dose. If I'm so fucking strong, then why didn't I pull out of it earlier? Tell me that," He spoke to her lowly.

"That was the drug altering your thought process. It made you feel euphoric to take orders, and made you think that you needed Red Hood and more of the drug. The two of us fighting isn't anything new to you. Sparring is a normal part of this vigilante thing. In your drug-induced mind, it didn't make the connection. What snapped you out of it was killing me, because you don't kill, and I'm sure you've never even considered killing me," Jasmine explained to him levelly.

Dick stared at her with an unreadable gaze for a moment before pulling away, "You're right. I've never considered killing you. At least, I hadn't until a week ago. I almost pulled that trigger, Jasmine," He whispered.

"Dick, we've been through this. That wasn't you," Jasmine said softly, walking up to him and took his hand into hers, "Come with me into Gotham tonight. It'll be a simple night. Nothing crazy is happening," She offered to him hopefully. He looked to her, his eyes poignant, and drew his hand away from hers.

"I can't, Jasmine. I'm terrified that this drug's effects will come back and I'll…kill you. I couldn't live with myself if that happened. I just…I need time, Jasmine. I need time to process everything that happened. Everything I did to you. Alone," Dick said to her sorrowfully, but also strictly, walking past her and towards the punching bag again, "Please…just leave."

Jasmine stared at him, watching as he began to land punches to the punching bag like earlier. Her lips were parted, and the words she wanted to say were struck in her throat. Slowly, she looked down, trying to suppress the swirl of emotions wanting to overtake her at the moment. She understood his request, but that didn't mean she exactly liked it. If he needed to be alone to figure everything out, however, then she would leave him alone. She just wanted him to be happy and back to his original self. Jasmine placed her mask on then silently walked past him and towards the motorcycle she used.

Batwoman swung her leg over the vehicle and settled in it. She glanced one more time at Dick, who had paused and was looking over at her. However, he slowly turned away once more and then continued beating up the punching bag. Batwoman lowered her head, sighing sadly before starting up the motorcycle. It roared to life and she took off towards Gotham. Right now, she didn't want to think about her and Dick's conversation. She just wanted to beat the shit out of some petty criminal.

As she entered the large city, Batwoman put the motorcycle into its auto driving mode then pulled her batclaw out. She shot it, and it latched onto a gargoyle before pulling her up. She launched upward then let go, spreading her wing like cape out, which allowed her to glide onto the roof. She then drew the cape back down, and landed on the ground in a crouch. Slowly, Batwoman stood to her full height and stood at the edge of the building, gazing out across the city. At the moment, there weren't any police sirens going off, which was impressive itself. Sadly, this also meant that she would have to run across the city looking for any signs of illegal and bad activity. Batwoman was about to take off, when the scruff of a foot came from behind her. In only a second, she drew out a batarang and whirled around, throwing it instantly.

"Hello to you too," Red Hood spoke, dodging the batarang rather easily. Batwoman scowled at him.

"You son of a bitch. You really show some nerve appearing in front of me," She practically snarled, moving her hands to her whips. Red Hood raised his hands innocently.

"Calm down, calm down. I'm not here to fight. I'm here merely to talk," He explained slowly.

"Yeah? Well too bad, because you really pissed me off," Batwoman spat, then attacked him. She threw multiple punches at him, all of which hard and executed perfectly. Red Hood dodged and blocked her punches, sighing softly.

"Well. Plan A definitely didn't work. Time for Plan B," He spoke lowly, and Batwoman glared at him, throwing another punch.

"What the hell is Plan B?"

"Taking you by force," Red Hood said, then drew a smoke ball out of a packet at his waist and threw it to the ground.

Light gray gas immediately expelled from the ball, and she coughed, trying to spring back, but Red Hood snatched her wrists and drew her close to his chest. Batwoman immediately began to feel dizzy and light-headed. Her eyelids were becoming heavy, and it was getting harder and harder to stay conscious. Red Hood let go of her wrists as she began to fall into him, wrapping his arms around her and swiftly picked her up bridal style. Batwoman could hear the gentle thudding of his heart from between his clothes, faintly surprised as she noted it seemed to be faster than a normal, calm heartbeat. What also surprised her was how gentle he seemed to be handling her. However, there was hardly any time to really think through anything, and Batwoman became limp and lost consciousness…

"Where…am I?" Jasmine murmured drowsily after she slowly peered her eyes open.

Slowly, Jasmine gazed around, starting to take in her surrounding gradually. She was still working off the effects of that gas that knocked her out, but she was becoming more and more aware, which was nice. She was strapped tightly to a chair, and when she tested the bonds, knew that it would be futile to try and escape. They were much too tight. Not only that, but the chair was made of metal. There was no way tipping it over would do anything to help other than place her in an awkward position. The room itself was windowless, and seemingly square. Jasmine couldn't see all the way behind her, so for all she knew, there was a random hallway behind her. There was a small table in front of her that had her mask on it along with her two whips. Her whips were probably a precaution, but her mask? Was Red Hood planning on exposing her to all of Gotham or something along those lines?

"You're awake. Good," Red Hood spoke, slowly strolling out from behind her. Jasmine's eyes trailed him and she narrowed them, "Oh. And your tracker is still active, in case you were wondering. Though, I was able to deactivate that pesky distress signal temporarily, so there isn't any point in trying to use it."

"You seem to know plenty about my equipment," Jasmine stated sharply.

"I guess you could call me an expert on it," Red Hood responded with a simple shrug before standing before her.

"So. Why am I here, Hood? Are you planning on exposing me?" She scowled and he sighed before walking over to her. He leaned over, resting his hands on the ends of the armrests and bringing his concealed face close to hers.

"I told you. I wanted to talk," He spoke lowly before pulling back.

"Then talk," Jasmine snapped, and Red Hood chuckled softly.

"You really did become feisty, Jasmine. All serious and no joke, which is really rather ironic considering you're the Joker's daughter," He said, clasping his hands behind his back and slowly walked around her, as though he was inspecting a caged animal. Jasmine's eyes widened, and she snapped her eyes to him, though they could only trail him as he slowly walked.

"How do you know who my parents are? Hell, how do you even know who I am?" She asked, which pulled another sigh from Red Hood, which sounded exasperated.

"Come on, Jasmine. Surely you have an idea about who I am. I'm getting impatient," He said in annoyance, stopping in front of her once again and crossing his arms over his chest before her.

Jasmine stared at Red Hood coldly. Of course she tried to consider who he was. No one ever made any sense though. At first she figured it was one of her father's workers who had heard about her, but then he shouldn't have known anything about Dick. Perhaps the whole injecting him with the drug was just to get Nightwing under his thumb, but it seemed…planned, somehow. Then this person had to be someone who knew both her and Dick Grayson. The thing was…there was only one person who actually matched this…but that was impossible. It couldn't be him.

"I have an idea, but it's an impossible idea. He's dead." She said in a quieter voice, lowering her head a little. However, her chin was then forcefully grabbed and her head forced up to Red Hood.

"Tell me the name, Jasmine Quinn." He said darkly. She stared at him for a moment.

"If I do?"

"I'll reveal myself."

Jasmine was faintly surprised at this before speaking, "His name was Jason. Jason Todd. But he died over a year ago."

"Did he really?" Red Hood spoke coldly, letting go of her chin. He slowly crouched down in front of her and raised his hands to his helmet, "Well, I assure you, Jasmine," He began, pulling the helmet off. It dropped to the ground with a loud clatter, but Jasmine hardly noticed. She was staring at the man crouched before her in shock and disbelief, unable to speak, "I am very much alive."

"J-Jason…" Jasmine whispered, staring at him like she was seeing a ghost. Well, in a way, she was seeing a ghost. She watched her father shoot him in the chest. He died, and yet, here he was, crouching before her. It was evidently Jason. Those startlingly bright blue eyes she had come to know only belonged to him. Now, his midnight black hair was still cut rather short, though his bangs were long enough to go over his eyes a bit. At the moment, it was messy and unruly from being in the helmet. There was also a 'J' shaped scar on his cheek where her father had branded him.

"I…I watched you die…" She whispered, and Jason scowled at her. He stood up before leaning over her, resting his hand on the back of the chair and meeting her eyes with his.

"No. You didn't. Your father tortured me for a whole goddamn year! Bruce left me with him, and he took on that new little shit as Robin. What is his name again? Tim Drake?" Jason spat, and she heard his hand tighten on the chair. She couldn't stop staring at him. It was hard to believe that he was actually alive, when after all this time, she was sure he was dead.

"No…Jason, we all thought you died," She breathed out quietly. Jason's blue eyes blazed fiercely and full of rage.

"That's a LIE! Bruce KNEW. He KNEW I was still there! And Dick? Oh, Bruce tells his favorite everything. He knew exactly where I was and that I was still alive! And what did they do? They LEFT me! They left me with JOKER!" Jason shouted furiously.

Jasmine caught her breath, trapped under his explosive gaze, "Did Joker tell you that, Jason?" She asked softly.

"Shut up!" He snarled, pushing away from her and turned his back, his hands clenched into fists.

"I'll take that as he did. Jason, he lied to you. Bruce and Dick had no idea you were alive. Everyone thought you were dead," She said to him. Jason was still for a moment before turning his head a little to the side, and shifted his blue eyes to her. She was taken aback by the anger and rage held within them…along with the hidden sorrow.

"Bruce and Dick don't care about me, and they never did. That's just how it is Jasmine," He spoke coldly before walking over to her and leaned down so their eyes were level once again, "I'm going to destroy them, not just kill them. Get it?"

"Jason-" She whispered, but cut off as he pressed a finger to her lips.

"Don't deny it, or tell me differently, Jasmine," He said darkly before giving a cold smile, "You know, I hated you for a long time. Joker told me that you were his little spy the entire time you were with us. That you were the reason why I was taken in the first place since you were feeding him information. Oh how I wanted to kill you. I wanted to make you scream," He spoke lowly, moving his hand to her neck. She swallowed hard as his hand moved around, though he didn't squeeze. His thumb rested just above the middle of her collarbone, almost threateningly.

"Joker's daughter. You could imagine how stupid I felt for trusting you at all. When Joker died from the Venom, I was released. I spent those months retraining myself, and learning a few other skills. However, I kept in touch with what was going on in Gotham. I heard that Batwoman beat up Harley Quinn so badly that she was on the verge of death. That's when I knew that what Joker said about you was wrong. If you were working for your parents, then why the hell would you try and kill your mother? So, I looked into it. You always have interested me, after all. You posed as the dark and beautiful Jessamine Quest. Paparazzi were forbidden and unable to get a picture of you, but people had plenty to say. They said you were quiet, unfriendly, and seemingly depressed at times. Since Nightwing returned strictly to Bludhaven, I figured you and Dick had a falling out. At first I thought that was why you were upset, but then I thought that maybe you were actually more upset about me. I remember hearing how you kept going back to those places your parents kept you in even when Bruce and Dick stopped. When you stopped as well, I figured they lied to you and said I was dead. Showed you some video of me dying to seal the deal. Am I right?" He asked, trailing his thumb along her neck.

"To an extent," Jasmine murmured, but figured saying what was wrong would only set him off again. Jason narrowed his eyes a little before shaking his head, seeming to brush her statement away. He then moved his hand up, setting his thumb on her jaw then moving her head to the side and seemed to peer at her bruises.

"I apologize for making Dick almost kill you. You see, I found out that he actually loved you. Earlier, I thought he didn't care that much, if I'm entirely honest. Killing you would have crushed his very spirit. Then I would finish the job. But I don't really have anything against you, Jasmine. In fact, it's the opposite," He said, moving his hand from her neck and tilted her head up to him. He moved his face close to hers as he peered into her eyes. Jasmine stared at him incredulously, unable to look away from him.

"J-Jason…" She said in a hushed voice, and Jason smirked a little.

"Jasmine, I was the one who liked you first. I told Dick to give me a chance with you, since he always did get the girls, but of course he lied to me. He went after you the very moment I left, didn't he? Anyways, I brought you here to request a partnership," He said, pulling back and drawing his hands away from her. He straightened up to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest.

"You…liked me?" She murmured before shaking her head, "Partnership? Jason, just come home." She said, and he scowled.

"Have you not listened to a word I've said, Jasmine? I'm going to kill Dick and Bruce for leaving me with Joker, and then I'm going to become the new Batman of Gotham, and I want you to join me," He said. She stared at him before shaking her head.

"Jason, this killer you've become…it isn't you, and it isn't me. I won't kill Bruce and Dick," She said to him almost desperately. However, Jason simply laughed lightly at her words.

"Oh Jasmine. Maybe it wasn't me all those months ago, but now it is. Your father created me," He said, spreading his arms out before gazing at her, "and he created you. You were created in a more, well, technical way, but still one of his products nonetheless. Besides Jasmine, you can't deny what you are. A killer. Even when you fought Dick, I could see it. The thrill you got, because it wasn't some easy fight. You enjoyed it, didn't you? How did it feel beating the shit out of Harley? Jasmine, we are one of the same. We're both killers when it comes down to it. We belong together," He said to her with a small smirk.

"No…NO! Jason, we are NOT what my father wanted us to be! We're better than him! I may have felt a thrill, and I may have been raised to kill, but I've chosen a path that is better than the one he paved for me. You don't have to do this, Jason. You're letting my father win," She said to him fiercely. Jason's eyes narrowed and took on a dark edge.

"Letting your father win?" He snarled stalking towards her. He grabbed her collar and pulled her forwards, which rocked the chair forward as well, "Oh no. I'm NOTHING like Joker. I'm BETTER than him. You see, Bruce is ruining Gotham. Not killing the criminals? It's idiotic! If he had killed Joker a long time ago, this never would have happened to me! IT'S HIS ENTIRE DAMN FAULT. I HATE HIM, AND I'LL SHATTER HIM AND DICK!" He shouted, and Jasmine saw the tears building in his rage and hatred filled eyes.

"My God, Jason…what did he do to you?" She whispered, tears building in her own eyes as she thought back to the Jason Todd she remembered. His eyes narrowed and he glared at her before letting go, letting the chair fall back to its original position.

"If you won't join me now, then I'll just have to put you down memory's lane and remind you who and what you really are, Jasmine," Jason spoke lowly, picking his helmet up and putting it into place, "We're the only ones who can truly make Gotham a safe, crimeless city. By controlling the crime with reinforced fear."

"Jason, stop this! Please! Everyone misses you. No one hates you! Dick…Dick fell into a deep depression after he saw the video Joker sent of you being shot in the chest. He blamed himself for not being able to find you, Jason. He always thought of you as a brother, and nothing less. Bruce lost it after he thought you died, Jason. He became more violent and unforgiving. He hardly spoke to anyone, and when he did, it was short and unfriendly. Dick brought Tim in because Batman needs a Robin to hold him back. To show him humanity and mercy! It brought him back. Your Robin costume is still set up in a case, and sometimes I find him standing in front of it with his hand against the glass. He loves you, Jason. You are a son to him. And I know that deep down you can see the flaws in your own thinking! Killing the criminals of Gotham isn't going to accomplish anything but making you just like them!" She burst out, and Red Hood faltered in taking out one of his smoke balls. Slowly, he crouched down, resting his covered head in his shaking hands.

"SHUT UP! Just shut up, Jasmine!" He shouted, rising back on his feet and rolled the smoke ball towards her, which expelled the knockout gas. He straightened up, his eyes glowing through the smoke, "I do hope you reconsider my partnership."

"Jay…Jason…" Jasmine murmured, her vision darkening at the edges before she passed out completely.

As Jasmine regained consciousness, she didn't open her eyes immediately. This time, she evaluated where she was first. She had no idea what Jason had decided to do with her to put her down "memory's lane." However, with her past, it made her extremely wary. As her groggy mind slowly became more aware despite her eyes remaining closed, Jasmine then became noted that her arms were up over her head. With a small movement of her hands, she was able to feel the light rub of a rope. Bound. So she was probably hanging from the ceiling by her wrists. Her legs were slack, and when she tensed them up unnoticeably, she found that they were bound as well, and if she were to guess, so were her ankles. Whoever had her strung up was being cautious, which was smart on their part. She still couldn't activate the distress signal with all of her limbs bound as tightly as they were. That is, if it had recovered from Jason deactivating it. Now came the worst part. Opening her eyes and figuring out where she was. Right now, all she needed to focus on was getting out. If she allowed herself to think too long or hard about Jason, she might lose it.

"Wakey wakey, Jasmine!" A high-pitched, all-too familiar voice rang out.

Dread and hatred rose in Jasmine all at once, and she snapped her eyes open. Sure enough, standing before her was none other than her psychotic mother. Her blonde hair was pulled into pigtails, like usual, and her face a frosty white. Red lipstick stained her lips, and her eyes were shadowed by mascara, eyeliner and eye shadow, making the blue of her eyes pop out. She wore a low-cut half black and half red corset looking shirt, and a skirt with the same colors, but opposite sides. She really hadn't changed all that much, which was really disappointing for Jasmine. She had hoped that with her father dead, Harley might have regained some of her sanity back and moved on. Now she had no reason to deny what Bruce said to her a while ago. Harley simply got worse after Joker died. I can't catch a break today…

"Harley," Jasmine stated coldly in greeting, glancing a little to the side. She could feel the weight of her whips at her waist, but her mask was thrown across the room, a long crack going down a side of it. Looks like her "dear" mother threw a tantrum earlier.

"Is that all you say to your mother after beating her up and not seeing her in a few months? I'm hurt, Jazzy Baby!" Harley stated, pouting lightly and placing her hands on her chest as though injured.

"You are hardly my mother, Harley," Jasmine spoke lowly, earning a harsh slap. Her head turned from the force of it, and she slowly glanced at Harley.

"I'm your only mother! And Mista J is your father," She said in this floaty kind of voice.

"Was. And he was barely a father to me just like you were barely a mother to me," Jasmine spoke matter-of-factly. She saw the anger that blazed in Harley's eyes, and then braced herself as another slap cracked against her other cheek.

"Don't you dare disrespect Mista J! You're the one that betrayed him! Our own daughter!" She wailed, and Jasmine fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Maybe you should have thought about that before dear old Dad killed Risuka. You know, the woman who is actually my mother," Jasmine spoke thinly, and Harley stared at her before bursting out into crazy laugher, as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

"The Asian whip lady? Oh, Jazzy Baby, she didn't love you! Why, if I remember correctly, she whipped you, and worked you until you could hardly stand! No one loves you," She said, grabbing Jasmine's face and forcing her to look at her, "Only I can. Your real mother," She said with a joyful beaming smile.

Jasmine glared at her hatefully and turned her head sharply, breaking out of Harley's grip, "That's a lie."

"Is it? Who else loves you, Jasmine? Who can love you but me?!" She burst out, and Jasmine glanced at her stonily, which made her burst out into even more laughter, "Oh my God! You think B-Man and that Nightwing care about you! This is too funny! HA!" She giggled jubilantly, filling the room with her insane laughter. Jasmine simply stared at her expressionlessly. Suddenly, Harley abruptly cut off and smiled almost chillingly, "They couldn't give a single little care about you. You're just a weapon to them, baby! That's all."

"They care about a hell of a lot more than you do, Harley," Jasmine said lowly. Harley scowled faintly at this.

"Oh, Jasmine, that's simply not true. I'm your mother!"

"No. Risuka is."

Harley huffed and tsked softly before pulling a knife out and giving a wide smile, "If she loved you so much, then you will probably like to remember everything she did to you! "

Jasmine narrowed her eyes a little in confusion as Harley skipped behind her. She felt Harley gather her cape and tug on it, only for the weight to be released and her cape was thrown to the ground. Then, Jasmine's eyes widened a little as she felt Harley pull the fabric of her suit at the back of her neck, then draw her knife through it. She could feel the sharp tip of the knife just grazing over her skin starting at the back of her neck and moving all the way down to her lower back. Harley pushed the two sides aside, exposing Jasmine's back completely. No way. She wouldn't…Harley wasn't ever crazy enough to do something like this.

"You speak so highly of that Risuka, but do you remember this?" Harley asked, her voice taking this darker tone.

Jasmine then felt the prick of the knife as it dug just under her shoulder blade, only to slowly move down, cutting deeply into her skin. Jasmine narrowed her eyes, but didn't flinch or make a single noise of the pain she hardly felt. As Harley pulled the knife back, she could feel the warmth of her blood rising up from the deep cut and begin to trail down the rest of her back. If she were to guess, Harley was using the scars on her back as a kind of guideline of where to cut. Like a coloring book for torture.

"I remember it a bit differently, actually," Jasmine smirked. She knew it was probably stupid to say something that would most likely provoke Harley, but at this point, she just didn't care. There were over one hundred light scars on her back, and if Harley was so motivated to mutilate her back, she might as well get something out of it.

"Is that so? Allow me to make it even better for you then!" Harley giggled away before jabbing the knife at the bottom of a scar on her lower back. Instead of taking her sweet time, Harely ripped the knife upward, following the trail of the cut then moving the weapon out of Jasmine's skin as it ended. Jasmine simply stared hard at the wall before her, steeling herself for the next one.

Jasmine didn't speak out again. The cuts came one after the other, every single one different from the last. Some were quick, and others slow. Some were deep slashes and others were ranged between shallow, to deep, and shallow once more. By the time Harley placed fifteen on her back, Jasmine was barely hanging on to her composure. Every single one she had taken without a wince, or any outward sign of pain. She remained still and stared hard at the wall. However, these cuts weren't lashes from a whip. In fact, Jasmine would have taken getting whipped over the hell Harley was putting her through any day. At least with the whips it was quick. The only thing that ever changed was how hard it hit her back, and where it hit. This? This was torturous.

When Harley made the twentieth slash upon her back, making it go from the middle to her lower back, Jasmine couldn't contain the pain anymore. She arched her back and gasped sharply. It was agony. All Harely did was giggle and then continue. 20 cuts soon became 25, and then 30. Each cut got a bigger reaction, until Jasmine was screaming as the knife was dragged across her skin and crossed over other cuts. Her blood dripped to the ground like teardrops, making small pools, and her entire back was hot and stained crimson as the blood gushed from each wound. As Harley dug the knife at the top of her shoulder and cut it a bit sideways, making it painfully slow, Jasmine cried out hoarsely. Her body hung limply by her wrists, and the rope was cutting into her skin, making blood spring up there as well. The whole thing was basically a bloodbath. That was fifty.

After that fiftieth cut, Harley pulled back and slowly came back around to face Jasmine, whose dull eyes were fixed upon the ground. Her breathes came out shakily, and she didn't make the effort to look up at her crazy mother. However, it didn't really matter, since Harley moved her head up anyways. Jasmine looked at Harley, her hands covered in her daughter's blood, and a few specs of it tainting the white of her face here and there. The fingers that were holding Jasmine's head up were slick with blood.

"You are my daughter, Jasmine. You've always been a weapon. No one can love that. The only person who can love you, is me. You are dark and you are a killer, just like Mista J wanted you to be! You did almost kill me, remember?" Harley spoke sweetly.

Jasmine closed her eyes painfully. Harley wasn't entirely wrong, and neither was Jason. She was dark. Deep down, she was a killer. The sick thrill that went through her fighting the man she loved…how could she explain that in any other way? She thought she had escaped her father. That she denied the path that had been forced upon her since the day she took her first breath. But it was all an illusion. Something she wanted herself to believe. How can she escape fate?

"Come on, Jasmine baby. You can join me and be at my side, just like you belong. B-Man doesn't care about you, Nightwing doesn't care about you, and neither does that Robin. They are using you. But I won't. We can inflict all the fun we want to on Gotham as mother and daughter! All you have to do it tell me Batman's name. That's all there is to it," Harley spoke in a velvet voice.

Jasmine slowly peered her eyes open, staring at Harley dully. No one cared about her? It would make sense. Who could love a daughter of chaos? Why did she think it could be anything more? She has always just been a weapon. A sharp sword that was being used with its blunt side. What was the point of that? She might as well just kill if that was what she was meant to do. In her broken state, Jasmine opened her mouth, about to utter Bruce's name, but paused as small memories flashed across her eyes. Bruce hugging her, telling her that she was better than her father, putting up with her antics, holding her when she collapsed into him after her fight with Dick, and the way that he was like a real father to her. Then her memories shifted to Dick kissing her, teasing around, saying how he loved her, never giving up on her, helping her with her fear of fire, and the night they spent together. Of course, there was also Tim, who openly forgave her for being terrible to him, and allowed her to try and get to know him better after a year of pushing him away.

"No," Jasmine whispered, and Harley narrowed her eyes.

"What do you mean, "no"?"

"I mean, you're wrong. I let myself be manipulated by your words for a moment, but the truth is this. I have a family, and every single one of them cares about me, and loves me. More than you ever have, or ever will. You think that love is impossible for someone like me, but in all reality, this loveless person is you, Harley. I refuse to be what you are. So, you want Batman's name? Well, then go to hell you psycho bitch," Jasmine said strongly, despite how hoarse her voice was from her screams.

Harley's eyes blazed and she let out an angry shout before swinging her knife, cutting the bonds holding her up. Jasmine collapsed to the ground, crying out as she landed on her back, arching it before lying flat on the ground, "Your loss!" She said, and Jasmine listened to the sound of her heels fading as she walked out.

Jasmine waited for a moment, and when she didn't hear the clicking of heels, let out a soft breath. So Harley left her to bleed out. She would have figured that Harley was going to kill her. Shakily, Jasmine reached up and moved her hand to the top of the bat symbol on her chest. She found the small button to activate the distress signal and pressed it. Immediately, a small red light flashed on and off from the location of the button, and Jasmine shifted her gaze up to the ceiling, a small smile coming over her. Jason hadn't lied when he said he deactivated it temporarily. That small happy smile slowly faded as her vision began to as well. Black was gathering along the edges. Jasmine was very well aware of the high possibility of her death. In fact, it was probably more likely than her surviving as of right now.

I'm sorry, Dick. I love you. Jasmine thought to herself, before succumbing to the overwhelming darkness as it swept over her, and took away the pain.