"Do you blame me?"

Jason blinked, then blanched. "Wha—? No!"

It had been several minutes since the overview about the Joker had finished. Jason had refused to say anymore, deeming it too much, and promised to explain in more broad details at a later date, along with discussing some of the precautions he had taken to limit a Joker's rampage. They would be more difficult to implement considering the turbulent landscape of Gotham's more conventional politics and infrastructure (not to mention their inability to explain why said precautions were all necessary, even if it was the Joker), but Bruce had promised to push most of it through regardless.

After that, Tim and Cass had been sent upstairs to sleep things off with Alfred. Everyone else — the elder members of the family, the ones that had dealt with the Joker the most over the years — had remained in the Cave, if only just to process the information a little further.

"But it was my fault," Bruce insisted, "If I hadn't let him fall into that vat—"

"You couldn't have known, Bruce," Jason cut him off, "Yes, it is your fault, but you couldn't have known. No one could've known. And either way it doesn't matter whose fault it is anymore. It's done. Our main priority, at least in regards to him, should be figuring out how to stop all this. With him gone for good, maybe…" He trailed off.

"Maybe what, Jason?" Dick asked, with subdued curiousness.

"Maybe we can retire," Jason finally admitted, with just a hint of guilt. "I tried to, once. Before I actually retired, obviously."

Barbara tilted her head. "Then why didn't you?"

"Joker V," Jason answered in a dull tone. "Back then…back then, it almost seemed possible. We had rooted out the Court of Owls years ago, and thus most, if not all of Gotham's corruption was gone. The police were more competent than ever, most of the time they didn't need us to do their jobs for them anymore. And the Family was honestly ready to move on with their lives, myself included."

"Stephanie had just retired as Batwoman to start her own family, and the rest had cut back for similar reasons. I never liked my daughters running out there and putting themselves in danger to begin with. Cass still had to watch out for Bludhaven, but as for me, I would've been content to hang it up entirely. I'd still be on reserve, of course, and would serve as a consultant and as a mentor for the Justice League if need be, but I thought my days of running around as a vigilante were finally done."

"And then the Joker broke out of Arkham for the umpteenth time, saw my gradually limited presence in the city, and realized what I was trying to do," he shook his head, "She didn't like that, obviously, so she decided to remedy the issue."

"The new rogues gallery," Dick immediately deduced.

"Yeah," Jason confirmed. "As much as I despise Joker IV, and as much as I don't condone what he did, his slaughter of our original villains did play a part in the peace that followed. There was crime, yes, but no one was interested in following the footsteps of those villains and possibly becoming a target of Joker's jealousy. The lack of a super-criminal element led to a brief resurge of organized crime in the following years when Ricky Sionis, the son of the original Black Mask, finally came to town, but I managed to contain it and then mostly stamp it out by exposing and imprisoning Sionis."

"The Joker initially liked having me all to herself, but realized that she alone was no longer enough to hold my attention, no matter how big she went on her schemes. She was just one villain, after all. And as much as she hated sharing me, she hated the idea of not having me at all even more. So she fixed it. And I was forced to realize that as long as there was a Joker in Gotham, there always had to be a Batman. The Joker would never allow otherwise. So I stayed on as Batman," and here, Jason cast his eyes towards Bruce, "and started considering my successor."

Bruce instantly got the message. "I don't want there to be another Batman after me."

"You said that the first time, and it didn't take, and now you don't have a choice, Bruce. You made that declaration in your will the first time you supposedly died, and it proved to be a terrible idea, as the city wasn't ready yet. That's what forced Dick to take on the mantle, and why he took it on again after you died for real," Jason explained, wincing at the memories. "It took decades to get the city to the point where I even considered the possibility again, and everyone here knows how many people we lost along the way."

"Now, we're back to where we started, and one of the events that helped bring peace to Gotham might never happen. You're almost forty now. You've got only a decade, maybe two depending on medical and technological advancements, left. Not to mention the very likely chance that you'll get unlucky and die on the job." Like last time, went unsaid.

His father pursed his lips. Jason was right, but it wasn't something easily swallowed. "Then who? You?"

Jason shrugged. "If need be. I do have the experience. But if something were to happen in the next year or two, there's no way I could pass as Batman. Physically, I'm too young."

Barbara raised an eyebrow, "Then that leaves…"

"…me," Dick finished, sighing. "It's gonna have to be me, isn't it?"

Jason clasped a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Just in case, Dickie. Who knows, you may never have to put on the suit. But still, it's good to shore up the line of succession."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "Line of succession?"

"Another contingency protocol, made in case the current Batman died in the line of duty and their will didn't name a successor in their will. Bruce is actually the one who created this after the first time he — supposedly — died and you had to temporarily succeed him. It felt prudent, considering how much chaos Gotham fell into without a Batman to keep order," Jason shrugged again, "Originally, it just went from the oldest Robin to the youngest. Plus Cass."

Barbara frowned. "Why was Cass last?"

"Because as capable as she is, she's still a young woman with a very slim body and it would be hard to convince anyone that she was Batman, especially since we had a Batwoman running around. It felt redundant," Jason pointed out, and Barbara had to concede his point. "Even then, it was generally agreed that if Damian and her were all that were left and he wasn't old enough yet, then she'd be Batman. And when I became Batman, she became my only successor after Damian died. It wasn't until my Robins that I had more possible successors, but she was still first in line, and for a long time the one I had named in my will." Just in case someone got any ideas to try and usurp her.

While he had faith that the Family would've followed his wishes had he unexpectedly died on the job, it still felt necessary to map out the succession just in case. One of the reasons why their had been minimal conflict over Jason's ascension to Batman after Dick's death (despite his own personal shock over the development) is that Jason had already been first in line to take over the mantle per the protocol. Dick, however, had his will long-written by the time he died and most assumed he was going to name either Tim or Damian as his successors, because it was well-known that Jason had no personal interest in the role. Finding out he had named Jason, while unexpected, cemented Jason's role as his successor — only Tim had the clout to challenge him, and Tim pointedly did not want to be Batman.

"Then here's what we'll do," Bruce said with finality. "If the worst happens and I die, Dick will be Batman. Followed by you, Jason, then Tim, and then Cass. And as for Damian…"

"I suggest we exclude him for now," Jason suggested. "He's not old enough to be Robin yet, let alone Batman. If worst comes to worst and, God forbid, we all die, I don't want him to feel pressured into taking up the mantle too soon, or at all for that matter," here, he adopted a more speculative look, "then again, if that did happen, then Talia will scoop him right back up and probably take him back to the League. Who knows what'll happen after that." Ra's would probably try to take Damian's body by that point, which would only invite even more problems.

Everyone else winced. A traumatized boy whose entire family had died violently, back in the organization of murderers they so vehemently opposed? That would be a recipe for disaster.

"Right," Bruce said, coming back to his bearings. "I'll discuss this with Clark and Diana later so the JLA are informed. For now, let's get some rest."

The following morning, things were almost back to normal. Tim still wasn't going to school until the following week for obvious reasons, but Damian was healed enough to go back alongside Stephanie. Instead, Tim would be staying at the Manor in his room with his tears. He had mourned with his family, but he also needed time to mourn alone.

Meanwhile, Bruce was collaborating with the police, confirming Jack's death and making funeral arrangements. Unfortunately, the blast had been too powerful; there was nothing left of Jack Drake to bury. Even so, an empty casket would be built and a tombstone carved, to be erected for the solemn ceremony the following Saturday. There was also the will reading, Jack having had his will written in such a way to avoid probate and have it implemented immediately after his death. Both Bruce and Tim had been named beneficiaries — Jason wouldn't be surprised if they were the only ones — and no doubt part of the will would probably have Tim put under Bruce's custody. The man had taken care of Jack's son before, after all, and their relationship hadn't frayed before his untimely death, unlike the last timeline.

That meant that Tim, in the worst way possible yet again, was now a permanent resident of the Manor. Considering that he already had a room in the family wing, it was more of a courtesy than anything else, but it still felt like a momentous occasion. One that Jason couldn't enjoy, for the simple reason of how it came to be. As much as he disliked Jack Drake, admittedly a man he never knew until the day he died a second time, for his neglectful treatment of Tim, the man had loved Jason's brother and Jason would've tolerated him for that alone. But he was gone, and while Jason had none of the direct blame, he still felt it all the same.

He knew there would be consequences for what he was doing. For choosing to bring Damian and Cassandra here so soon, for giving out future information to friends and family like candy. But it had all seemed benign at first, good things — at least until Deathstroke and Ravager appeared in Bludhaven to try and kill him. Then there was Shiva and Merlyn, and now the Joker and this. Now he was wondering how long it would take until the butterfly effect caused all these changes to snowball into something horrible. Something that they wouldn't recover from.

All those thoughts flew in his head for the next couple of days and into the weekend. Young Justice (through Red Tornado) had already been informed about the recent tragedy in Robin's life, with as few details as the Family could give them, and his recent benching from the suit until he was back in the right head space. Bruce had offered Jason's services in exchange for the loss, but according to Tornado the team had refused; they had nothing against Jason, but they wanted their friend there with them on missions and they would wait until he was ready. Loyal to a fault, Jason thought fondly once he heard, Tim is lucky to have them.

It was on the first Sunday after that terrible week that Jason found Tim in the gym, running through several movements with his staff. Jason watched him for a bit, until a gesture from his younger brother told him that he was welcome to join with him. He took him up on the offer, discarding his shoes and picking up another staff on the rack, and started silently practicing with him.

Practicing led to sparring. Tim seemed focused enough, but the fact Jason was winning five out of five times instead of the usual four out of five all but confirmed that the boy wasn't all there yet. There was an air of sadness around him, and he looked lost. After that seventh lost sparring match, Jason had enough.

"That's it," he said with finality, helping his brother pick himself off the floor, "You're done."

"I can—"

"No, you can't. You're distracted. We go any farther, and you're going to get hurt."

Tim didn't protest any further. He knew Jason was right. Instead, he sat himself on the mats, pulling his knees to his chest. Jason sat next to him silently, cross-legged.

"You're scared of me," Tim stated once Jason was sidled up next to him.

Despite himself, Jason couldn't help but snort. "What gave me away this time?"

"Easy. Every time I do something worthy of praise, you look proud, but there's fear there as well. Not to mention your talk with Diana. And that thing with the Joker…I saw it. You didn't think I would kill him. Yet the fact that I wouldn't kill him is what scared you."

Jason said nothing.

"What happened to me, Jason? Why did Dick choose you over me?"

Jason closed his eyes, and sighed.

Catherine's was an old-fashioned diner with a modern aesthetic located right on the border between Crime Alley and Newtown. Four years ago, its opening didn't arouse much clamor outside of genuine wonder over why anyone, exactly, would want to open a new business in that corner of Gotham. Even with the Red Hood prowling the streets and claiming the area as his territory, Crime Alley was still, well, Crime Alley.

Of course, interest began to ramp up a few months later when Bruce Wayne was spotted around the area on a weekly basis. Especially when he started looking increasingly downtrodden and, quite frankly, desperate. People were desperate themselves to figure out the cause, but were soon distracted by another incident with the Joker, and then an attempted city-wide takeover by the supervillain Bane. The fact that Bane deliberately blew up the diner during one of his attacks seemed like a footnote in the population's collective effort to survive the chaos.

In the aftermath, Catherine's was one of the many places that received money from the Wayne Foundation to help get back on its feet, and only then did people start paying attention to it again, especially when more Waynes besides Bruce were sighted in it. It wasn't until Bruce Wayne's death that people learned why.

Catherine's' owner and proprietor was none other than Jason Todd, or better known as Jason Wayne, the second son of Bruce Wayne, long-thought deceased in the country of Ethiopia six years ago. Apparently, Bruce had found out about Jason's survival, and they had something of a falling out before finally patching things up in the wake of Bane's attack. Jason reacquainted himself with the family, and upon Bruce's death, was legally revived to receive his portion of the family fortune. Apparently, Bruce didn't have it in him to close his trust fund even after he had supposedly died, allowing Jason to reclaim it for his own use.

Four years later, the hubbub over Catherine's had long disappeared, and while it was known as a frequent hangout of the Waynes, Jason was notoriously strict about not just his privacy, but his siblings' privacy as well. People were only allowed on the premises if they were planning to eat and talk, and perhaps celebrate some occasion. Anything more than that and he was perfectly willing to exercise his legal right to kick them out.

For that reason, Jason's older brother Dick Grayson (known to the tabloids as Richie Wayne) felt no fear when he entered the diner. A few looks were shot at his direction, but as the current patrons were regulars, they soon turn their attentions back to their original tasks. Dick similarly paid them no mind, and settled onto his regular seat at the bar, signaling to the waiter managing it to give him his regular order.

And like clockwork, the person who delivered it was none other than his precious little wing.

"Do you ever get tired of pestering me, Dickie?" Jason asked, though there was no genuine heat in his tone.

"Please," Dick snorted, amused, "If you hated my company you would've kicked me out years ago."

Jason let out a scoff, sounding just like their youngest brother, before setting down Dick's order. "Just for that, no dessert today."

"But Jay~!"

"I ain't dealing with your sugary high ass!" Jason shouted back as he returned to the kitchen.

Despite himself, Dick couldn't help but smile. He's doing better. With all of the losses and chaos in the last few years, he was glad that Jason had managed to weather the storm back into something resembling stability. It was a marked difference from years previous, in the aftermath of Bruce's tragic death at the hands of the Joker.

He still remembered finding Jason holed up in his apartment, the one located right above Catherine's, laid out on his couch with empty bottles of scotch and beer surrounding him. His younger brother had taken the death of the their father hard, which was only compounded by the misplaced guilt over his inadvertent part in creating the current Joker. Jason had blamed himself for Bruce's death to the point that one would think he had killed Bruce himself. It was ridiculous, of course, but Jason wouldn't be swayed and Dick had to do something before he lost his brother again.

Reluctantly, he had played into Jason's guilt and manipulated him into focusing on vigilante work. Jason had seen right through him, of course (casual manipulation was a Wayne Family tradition, and Jason was better at it than Dick when he bothered to put in the effort), but had gone with it because doing something useful helped assuage him. It had its own benefits for Dick too, primarily in having another agent to stabilize the city with the first Batman gone. Jason also served as a good foil to him and a decent sounding board when Dick decided to dig his heels in and make his plans for the city, primarily with finally eliminating the Court of Owls.

Of course, that was only the beginning. The years would prove to be fraught with Dick's own difficulties. First with his gradually decaying relationship with Barbara, then with the deaths of Kate and Renee and the retirement of Bette during the ongoing war with the Court. That first great failure as Batman hit Dick hard, causing Jason to return the favor from the year prior and bring him out of the rut with similar tactics Dick had employed.

That would serve a real turning point in their relationship. While they had laid to rest the resentment and animosity between them long before, it was only now that they had something to bridge off into something more closely resembling actual brotherhood and friendship. With Damian becoming more and more independent as he prepared himself for his eventual move into a solo hero career, Jason had become Dick's most frequent patrol partner. They trained together, worked together on cases, and when Dick had to go on Justice League business, it was Jason that he left in charge.

It was good to lean on someone again, especially after his final breakup with Barbara and then Wally's death. He knew from the first time around that the cowl would weigh heavy on his shoulders, but all the recent trials had doubled if not tripled that weight. Having Jason's support was a crutch Dick sorely needed, and he swore not to waste it. Especially since—

"Dick?"

Dick blinked. "Yeah, Jay?" he asked, pushing away his thoughts.

"You've got that look on your face," Jason told him, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What look on my face?"

"The look that says you're stressed about something but because you're a self-sacrificial idiot who thinks he needs to be on top of everything you aren't going to share it with anyone until it bites us all in the ass."

Dick smiled unconvincingly. Jason, of course, remained unconvinced.

"Dick," he demanded without actually demanding anything.

Finally, Dick caved in, realizing that Jason wasn't going to be fooled by anything he said. "Do you think you could go with Tim tonight?" On patrol, went unsaid.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "You're still worried about him?"

"Am I that obvious?"

"No. Yes. A little bit?" His younger brother shrugged. "I've noticed, and I'm pretty sure the rest of the Family has noticed, but we just don't get why. Tim is still Tim."

"He's barely sleeping and runs off coffee and spite."

"Dick, he's been doing that for years, and nothing we've ever said or done has convinced him to change his ways. I still don't see what all this worrying is about."

Dick swallowed. "Just do it, alright?"

Jason eyed him speculatively, then sighed. "Fine. But only because it's you."

"Good. I know I could count on you Jay." He smiled at his brother for good measure, internally smirking as Jason flustered and turned away, making some half-hearted grumbles.

Still got it.

Dick's good mood lasted well into the evening, until Jason, in full Red Hood attire, burst back into the Cave on his motorcycle with Red Robin clutching his midsection for dear life. Having just gotten back for a quick break from patrol and a review of one of his cases, Dick could only watch in shock as Jason ripped off his helmet and dragged Tim by the front of his suit, throwing him in front of Dick like one would a criminal for punishment. A comparison that Dick did not like in the least.

"Wha—?"

"This one," Jason said severely, cutting him off and jabbing forward his pointer finger at their younger brother, "broke the leg of an unarmed teenage carjacker on patrol tonight."

As Dick gaped, Tim crossed his arms and scowled back at Jason. "I told you, it was necessary! He would've escaped otherwise!"

"He was a punk kid who was trying to get his rocks off! He was literally on his knees begging for mercy when we caught him! He deserved to get roughed up a little, not have his leg broken!"

"It was an act!"

"You don't know that! And even if it were an act there was no reason to be so brutal! If he got away then he'd either stop or we'd catch him the next time!"

As the two continued to argue, Dick finally regained his bearings and put his foot down. "ENOUGH!"

Immediately, his two brothers quieted, but they were still exchanging nasty looks. Dick sighed, crossing one arm over chest while the hand on his other arm rubbed circles into his throbbing temple. "Now Tim, did you really do this?"

Tim shifted around a bit but nodded.

"And it wasn't an accident?"

"Hard to be an accident when you take your staff, purposely wrap his leg around it, and stomp down with all your might," Jason hissed angrily. Dick shot him a warning look but issued no reprimand. If that's what really happened, then Jason had every right to be angry.

"Oh, like you have any leg to stand on!" Tim burst out. Apparently, he didn't share Dick's opinion. "Three years ago you would have done the same thing!"

And just like that, the atmosphere in the Cave, already naturally cool, dropped to freezing temperatures. Dick shot the younger of his two brothers an incredulous look, while Jason went rigid. It seemed even Tim had realized he had gone too far, judging by the sudden wince that followed that statement.

"No, I wouldn't have," Jason said, voice deathly quiet, "I would've shot a bullet at him and let it graze his skin. A warning, that's all, and it still would've been too much, and you and I both know it."

Suitably admonished, Tim hung his head. Dick sighed.

"Tim, Jason is right," Tim's head immediately shot up that, and he looked at Dick with dark eyes. "You went too far tonight. I can understand if it had been an accident, but deliberately breaking the leg of a petty teenage criminal who was probably too stupid to realize how dumb he was being is crossing a line."

Tim opened his mouth to argue again but the look on Dick's face shut him up immediately. "It was unnecessary, Tim. Brutal. Cruel. The police in this city turn a blind eye to us because they trust us not to cross any big lines. What you did jeopardizes that."

"He's not dead."

"That's not the point, Tim."

"But it is, isn't it?" Tim argued back. "That's the big line, and as long as we don't cross it, it'll be okay won't it? So what if I got a little rough? At least he'll know better than to try again!"

"Tim—"

"It's been years, Dick. Years. And your methods, Bruce's methods, have barely managed to make a dent in the amount of crime in this city. I can understand why we can't kill them, but obviously a firmer hand is still needed. And he'll recover eventually, so why do you care?"

"I care, Tim because this isn't the first time," and he could see Jason look up at that, because that was the first time Dick had mentioned anything of the sort in his hearing or anyone else's for that matter, "I've been getting reports from Kon and Cassie and even Bart. They've all said you've been getting more ruthless with apprehending criminals. Yeah, you haven't killed anyone, but it's still worrying." Dick's voice softened. "Tim, what's going on?"

Tim glared at him. "Nothing, so forget it. We need to go back on patrol."

Dick narrowed his eyes. "Jason and I need to go back on patrol. You, however, are done for tonight, and for tomorrow night for that matter. Push it, and it'll be for the rest of the week."

"You're benching me?"

"Yes." Now Dick sounded like the unrepentant one.

If Tim had heat vision, then his oldest brother would be a pile of ash. He stomped off towards the elevator to change out of his suit upstairs. Dick and Jason watching him go, and only when the elevator chimed closed did Dick allow his shoulders to slump. The last few minutes might as well have aged him ten years.

"That's why you wanted me on patrol with him tonight," Jason said accusingly as he approached Dick, "You wanted to see if there was some truth in those reports."

"I needed someone unbiased, and you're as unbiased as we can get right now," Dick admitted, not bothering to deny Jason's accusation. "No matter how much you like someone, you've never been afraid to call them out on their bullshit. So I figured that if something really was up with Tim, you'd notice and call him on it instead writing it off."

"But you were hoping I wouldn't."

"But I was hoping you wouldn't," the acrobat echoed sadly, "I was hoping those reports would be wrong." Dick buried his face into his hands. "What a mess."

Jason sighed. "What are we going to do? Tim's not a kid anymore. He's a full-fledged adult who is fully capable of making his own choices. He's gone off on his own before, he can do it again."

"I don't know, Jason. It's like you said — he's an adult, and we have no real control over him. If anything, he's the one with the remote considering that he's the current CEO of Wayne Enterprises. If he wanted to cut us off, he could."

"Tim wouldn't do that."

"Are you sure? I'm not. Maybe a couple of years ago, but now?"

His younger brother frowned. "Okay, what's going on Dickie? You're acting like this thing with Tim is the end of the world. I mean sure, it's bad, but it's hardly the first time we've had family spats like this. Nor the worst," he added that last part guiltily, no doubt thinking of his rather mercurial and torrid relationship with Bruce.

"Because it's my fault."

Jason's mouth dropped a little. "Dick—"

"You're not blind, Jason. You may have not been a part of the family back then, but you can see the difference. Tim and I aren't as close as we used to be. You're closer to him than I am. Hell, you're closer to Damian than I am to Tim." Jason, after all, still had pieces of Damian's art hung up in his diner even though the two tended to bicker constantly. "Even Damian gets along better with him than I do sometimes. Me? He follows my orders but that's it. I can't even remember the last time we had a genuine conversation that didn't involve vigilante work or business work or any kind of work really."

The second Robin shifted uncomfortably. Dick ignored that and pressed on. "We've been like this ever since I took Robin from him, and nothing I've ever done since has managed to bridge the gap, which only got wider with time. And now, he's slipping off the slope. He's always been more pragmatic than me, more like Bruce, but now he's taking it too far."

"What are you trying to say, Dick?"

The eldest brother said nothing, his eyes drifting until eventually landing on one of the Cave's display cases. The one containing the original Robin suit. The one that had once been Jason's memorial, before Jason himself had destroyed it during his fateful brawl with Bruce in the Cave. "…do you think I made the right choice? Becoming Robin?"

And here, Jason's frown deepened. "I don't know," he admitted.

It would make sense that Jason had conflicting opinions over the Robin mantle. His little brother's tenure as Robin may have ended in the worst way possible, but that didn't change the fact that the preceding years had been some of the happiest times of his brother's life. Jason had once confessed to him that he couldn't find it in himself to regret all of it, even though it showed him all the problems that came with having a kid sidekick, of being a kid sidekick.

Even so, many other kids had thrived like Dick and became amazing heroes as adults like their mentors — and if there was anything that Bruce's death had taught them both, is that they would need more of those heroes for the years to come. The old guard wasn't going to live forever, and others like Dick would eventually have to take their places. The world was cruel like that.

"You died in that suit. Steph died in that suit. So did Damian. To say nothing of the host of sidekicks that followed, the children who all died before their times because they wanted to play hero," Dick licked his lips. "I got justice for my parents. I gave Bruce a reason to live, to come home. I made this city a little safer. But was it worth it?"

"If it hadn't been you Dick, it probably would've been someone else. And you probably would've ended up in that suit anyway," Jason pointed out, "Does it really matter in the end? The genie is out of the bottle and there's no putting it back."

"I still feel guilty, though."

"Then why not just retire the mantle?"

Dick looked at him, shocked, and Jason shrugged. "Damian is too old for it already, and we all know he's going to succeed you as Nightwing. None of us have any kids, let alone any old enough to be Robin to begin with. And you have plenty of partners here in the city with you already. You have me. You have Tim, once he gets his head on straight. You have Damian and Cass, when they're here. You have Steph, Duke, Babs, Luke…Dickie, you have more help than Bruce ever did when he was first starting out. You don't need a kid assistant around to play the part of distraction and support anymore. And if that's the case, then we don't need another Robin now, do we?"

Dick opened his mouth and then closed it, looking thoughtful. "You have a point. I guess…I guess Damian will be the last Robin." And just like that, he felt the burden on his shoulders lighten, just a little bit. It was a bit sad, having his legacy end so unceremoniously like this, but Jason was right. Batman didn't need a Robin anymore, and if that meant no more kids were put in harm's way, then so much the better.

"Great," Jason slapped him on the back, "Now come on. We've got some patrolling to do, don't we?"

"Yeah," Dick nodded, reaching back to lift and fit his cowl onto his face once more, "We do."

Even with that talk with Jason, however, Dick still felt conflicted inside. While the issues with the Robin mantle had been settled, there was still everything else in Gotham that needed to be dealt with. The final defeat of the Court of Owls had thrown the underworld into chaos again, and while things were manageable due to a distinct lack of supervillains (courtesy of the Arkham Massacre, which was in itself a whole new can of worms), it was still taking up more time than Dick would like.

Everything in the city was consuming him, to be honest. Dick wouldn't apologize for focusing so much of his time on removing the Court, as the benefits heavily outweighed the cons, but that meant the more traditional criminals, such as the gangs and what little organized crime that remained in Gotham, had become emboldened with the lack of attention. Jason was correct in stating that he did have more help than Bruce, but it was hardly an advantage when the city's criminal element was beginning to spike in response to that.

And if it wasn't Gotham, it was the Justice League. Alien invasions and 'take over the world' plots aside, the League had been bogged down by recent losses. The deaths of Barry Allen and Wally West had been bad enough, but with Arthur Curry gone as well, things were looking grim. Garth had agreed to take on the Aquaman mantle for the time being, much like Bart Allen had with the Flash mantle, but that didn't change the pattern.

Crime and villainy were growing in both scope and power, and even the most powerful heroes in the world were struggling to keep evil at bay. The Justice League were feeling the strain most of all, due to usually being at the forefront of the worst threats. Combined with the fact that many of them, Dick included, had individual obligations to certain cities, that was putting even further strain on them. No doubt that was contributing to the recent deaths of so many older heroes.

The Justice League had always been a strike force. A small team of the world's most powerful heroes, working in cohesion to combat powerful threats. But they were still one team with so many people, and with the number of threats growing, one team was not going to be enough anymore. There were other teams, of course, including the Titans, but history had shown that not even superheroes were immune to the clash of egos.

Even when some teams, like Young Justice, were explicitly subordinate to the Justice League, there was always friction whenever different teams tried to work together. Not unlike the villains they usually fought. Typically, the only difference between them and said villains is that while most villains were ultimately out for themselves, all heroes worked for the common good. That was what allowed them to push those egos aside and achieve their goals.

But why do things always have to be like that? Dick wondered. Why do we alway have to fight first? The answer: they didn't have to, but they fought anyway because that's just the way things were. The way things had always been. Dick was beginning to realize that those ways weren't going to cut it anymore. Things needed to change. And he had an idea how.

But with everything going on right now, especially with this recent incident with Tim, he barely had any time to work on it. He still had a civilian life, after all. The Wayne Foundation needed a new head and with Tim overworking himself as always, Dick had taken the job in his stead, and while the hours were more flexible, the work was still just as great. While Cass still handled the international events as an ambassador (which greatly aided her for her missions as Black Bat), Dick still had to attend all the domestic events, especially the ones in Gotham. Charity balls and galas, building openings, drives, he had to go to them all, which severely limited his free time. He barely had any time to sleep, let alone design new initiatives for the League.

Which apparently no one in the Family was blind to, judging by how Jason had slipped a mickey into his water.

"Really?" Dick demanded as he felt the telltale signs of slumber gradually overtake him.

Jason hummed as he caught Dick before he could land on the ground. "Really. It's for your own good, Dickie."

Drugging family to force them to get some rest. Some things really do never change.

I was having issues writing this flashback arc, until I realized why: it's because I was trying to write it from Jason's POV. And while Jason is the main character of the story, he isn't the main character of this arc. He's a supporting character who remains static during these events. The dynamic characters, the ones that change and get the most focus, are actually Dick and Tim.

So, I tried writing from Dick's POV instead, and I realized that this worked better. Be happy everyone: you get future Dick's POV, and an insight into his character! As you can see, Dick is a ball of stress. Jason and the others are supporting him as much as they can but they're still so much to do and Dick is barely handling it, especially with the recent personal losses (the death of Wally, him and Babs permanently breaking up, etc.).

He's also a lot more far-thinking than he usually is. This is because of the weight of responsibility that the Batman mantle forced on him and genuine fatigue over everything that's happened over the years. He's becoming a lot more introspective, much like how Jason did when he finally became Batman and went through hell for his first two years. None of the Family are blind to it; especially Jason, who, as Dick notes, is basically his older brother's new partner now. Part of why Jason didn't want to be Batman at first is because he wasn't sure he could live up to Dick as well as Bruce and accomplish the goals Dick had set for himself before his untimely death.

I'll probably continue writing from his POV for the rest of the arc, though don't be surprised if others, especially Tim, get a glimpse as well.

Next chapter: a new threat arises, specifically aimed at the Bat-Family.