Alright, here's the final part to it. Prisma19, the next chapter will be the last of the small amount of Jason angst that I could muster. Also, I'm still only running on a couple hours of sleep. I don't know why I said that. Damn.
Jason turned the corner, his hood on his head and Alex right behind him.
This was a bad neighborhood, even by Gotham's standards. This area was called the Narrows, but Jason liked to call them Shitville. He would never say that to a Narrow-person's face, though. Even HE wasn't that stupid.
He brought Alex to an underground ring that used to be run by someone named Cherry. Nowadays, it wasn't owned by anyone specific, but, every once in a while, Jason would come down here to make sure there was no bloodshed. Beatdowns to near death he could understand, but he wouldn't tolerate anyone dying inside the ring. In that sense, he came closest to owning the ring than anyone else.
Well, anyone else, that is, except Selina. Sure, she was loaded, but as Catwoman, she loved the adventure and the thrill. She also loved making bets and starting fights, just as a way to unwind. Even BRUCE didn't know about this part of her life.
She wasn't around this time, which was good for him, because he didn't want someone to get on his case about bringing a rich child to the ring. He turned to Alex, who looked a little scared.
"Look up there," he said, gesturing to the ring. There was currently a match going on, between a guy with a bunch of knives stuck in his hat and another dude who wasn't wearing a shirt. "What do you see?"
"I see that I was right," Alex said. "Poor people are a bunch of brutes and savages."
Jason shook his head, eyes darting around to make sure no one had heard him. Thankfully, nobody did.
"Look harder, Al," he said. Alex frowned slightly at the nickname, his eyes studying every square inch of the ring. The shirtless guy bashed the knife guy with a chair leg, knocking him down. The crowd went nuts and started throwing all sorts of money into the ring.
"They're getting money," Alex said. Jason nodded.
"Right," he said. "Down in the Narrows, that's the best way to get paid."
"By beating each other senseless?" Alex asked. Jason nodded.
"You got it, Al," he said. His eyes were drawn to a backdoor. Another idea popped into his head. He nudged Alex's shoulder.
"Hey, follow me," he said. Alex shrugged and sighed.
"Whatever you say, o' wise Mr. Red Hood."
Dick thought about who the queen would be. He had no idea who Paris Franz was, and, even if he did, he had no idea who the dude's mom was. He was gonna have to make something up and hope that it worked.
Could he bring back the Meanie Queenie Queen Ivy? Maybe, but that was too soon… Oh! Wait! There was one person who seemed to fit the role… he hadn't heard anything about her for a while, though. He wondered if she was even still around?
As with most fairytale princes, he decided he was going to marry her on the spot. Barbara signed to Bruce and Selina that it was, in no way, permanent, but she couldn't exactly turn him down, because he's the freaking prince.
Not that she wanted to marry him at all. Maybe he was good-looking? I have no idea, I've never seen his face, but whatever.
Barbara was only three days away from being able to speak, and she was determined to remain silent.
Unfortunately, Franz had a mother.
"Ew," Tim said. Dick snickered and Damian slapped his shoulder.
"That's not what he meant," Damian said.
"I know," Tim said. Damian shook his head disappointedly while Dick got himself under control.
Her name was Lani. She wasn't ACTUALLY related to Franz, as far as I know. Don't bother wondering who she is, even Jason doesn't know her name. She's one of Babs's oldest enemies, but I haven't heard from her since I was still Robin.
"Damn," Tim said. "That IS a long time ago."
Dick nodded.
"Yeah. I have no idea where she is, or what she's been up to. I suppose I could ask Babs next time I see her."
Anyway, Lani didn't like that Franz was marrying a poor girl who lived in the suburbs. So, one day, she ran inside the throne room, her face a mess.
"FRANZ! FRANZ! BARBARA TRIED TO POISON YOU!" she shouted. Everyone gasped dramatically, except for Babs, who just gave her that look. You know, the face she makes when everyone around her is being an idiot and she's trying her hardest not to punch anyone?
"Ooooh, that face," Tim said. Dick nodded.
"Yeah, THAT face."
Barbara signed to Franz, "You're shitting me, right? You're actually going to believe her?"
Franz pointed an accusatory finger at Barbara.
"Is this true? Were you conspiring to poison me?!"
Barbara just signed back to him, "I wasn't before, but now, I'm considering it."
Tim and Damian laughed.
Unfortunately for her, no one in the throne room knew sign language.
"BLASPHEMY! THIS IS TREACHERY! WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE MARRIED IN TEN MINUTES!" Franz shouted. I get the feeling that he wasn't actually this childish and dumb in real life, but since I didn't know him in real life, fuck it.
Barbara signed, "Good riddance." Since no one knew sign language, she was able to get away with flipping them off and nobody knowing what it meant.
Thankfully, she was locked away in the dungeon for three whole days. She kept staring out the window, wondering if Kitten was going to keep up her end of the bargain. If not, Barbara was gonna have to bust some heads.
She was brought out of the dungeon and brought to the courtyard where she saw some big-ass dude with an axe. Her eyes widened in slight fear. Ok, she wouldn't be able to take everyone out, not on her own, and not like this.
She was brought before Franz and Lani. Her eyes scanned the sky. Where were her brothers?
Tim and Damian were actually leaning forward in interest. Dick almost smiled, but he figured that they would notice and pretend not to be invested in the story.
"Babs Gordon," Franz declared. "You have been charged with attempted assassination of the king. How do you plead?"
Barbara signed, "Does anyone have any proof that I tried murdering this guy?! I mean, seriously, he's an ass, but I didn't want him dead before today."
Everyone looked at each other with confused looks on their faces.
"Is that a yes or a no?" Franz asked. Lani shrugged.
"I think she said she's innocent, but, really, that's what all the guilty say," she said. Franz nodded.
"True, true. As it is," he said. He cleared his throat and declared, in a big, loud voice, "Gordon has been found guilty of her crime, and is hereby sentenced to death by beheading!"
"At least shove my head in a guillotine," Barbara signed but, of course, no one understood. The guards grabbed her shoulders and began dragging her over to the guy with the axe. She struggled as hard as she could, but she couldn't break out of their grips.
Barbara felt her heart start to pound. If she couldn't get out of here, she was dead. And her last words ever had been her setting up a bet. The words he would never get to say to her family ever again… the fact that she was basically Ariel.
Except there was no Prince Eric to drive a ship into someone's stomach for her. This was it… the end.
Dick paused here, waiting to see if Tim and Damian would fall for it. For a second, their faces twisted into ones of horror, but Dick just laughed.
No, that's not quite 'the end.'
Just as everything seemed lost, all was said and done, there was the distinct sound of flapping wing in the air. Barbara fought as hard as she could, finally being able to turn herself in the direction the flapping was coming from.
From the sky descended four robins, all chirping some of the worst insults they could manage. Barbara laughed with relief and watched as two of the birds, Dick and Tim, started pecking at the guard's eyes. The guards let go of Babs and ran off. Dick and Tim landed on Barbara's shoulders while Jason and Damian continued chirping insults and chasing everyone around the place, pecking at people when they got the chance.
When Barbara was out of harm's way, all of the robins landed on the ground in front of her protectively. Everyone was scared to get too close, because if they did, they were attacked.
And, like magic, there suddenly weren't robins there. Instead, four boys were standing in front of Barbara, looking like they were suffering some of the worst hangovers ever.
Tim and Damian whooped and cheered. That was a good, last-minute save. For a while there, they were afraid that Dick was going to kill off the main character. It wouldn't have surprised them if he did.
They boys all turned to Barbara and gave her the biggest hug they could manage.
"Thanks for not leaving us to be stuck as birds, Babs!" Dick exclaimed. Barbara poked his nose.
"Don't call me that," she said. Franz's mouth fell open in shock.
"YOU CAN TALK?!" he exclaimed. Babs nodded.
"Yeah," she said. "And the things I want to say to you, you pompous little- "
"Oooooo-kay," Jason said, slapping his hand over her mouth. "Thanks for the input, sis, but I think I'm ready to go home and eat something other than seeds."
The boys all agreed, and the five of them went home, leaving everyone in the courtyard dumbstruck and in shock, never giving them a second thought.
"Ok, now it's The End," Dick said. Tim and Damian clapped their hands while Dick took a dramatic bow. Alfred knocked on the wall to the room.
"It's time for lunch, sirs," he said. "Would someone be kind enough to wake up the others?"
Dick nodded and ran upstairs to get their guests. Damian followed Alfred into the kitchen, and Tim pulled out his phone to text Jason.
This was probably his favorite story yet.
Jason led Alex through the doorway and down some stairs. When they arrived at their destination, Jason put a finger to where his lips would be beneath his hood and gestured for the kid to look into the hallway. What they saw had Alex's mouth on the floor in shock.
It was a regular little community. People were wandering about, laughing, enjoying each others' company. That wasn't what sent Alex into shock, though. It was the conditions they were witnessing.
Leaking ceilings. Rats scurrying across the floor. Whatever that smell was. The paper-thin people, with their sagging eyes and their ribs sticking out through their skin. Some of them were missing teeth. Some of them were stuck in their chairs, some not ever fully aware of what was going on.
The thing that worried Alex most were the children running around. They were just as thin as the adults, no shoes, the boys weren't wearing any shirts, and some of them stopped to cough.
What struck Alex as strange was the fact that nobody seemed to care. There were smiles, there was laughter. There was music playing from somewhere. The kids were sharing what little food they had with each other and some of the elderly who lived in this place. Alex saw the shirtless guy hand some money to an old lady, who almost burst into tears with a great smile on her face.
Jason knelt down next to Alex.
"On the surface, they beat each other up," he said. "They pound each other into dust just to earn some cash. But underneath the ring…"
"They take care of each other," Alex said. "They almost seem more… HUMAN than the people I've met."
One of the kids who was running around turned in their direction. Her eyes lit up when she saw Jason. She shouted something in a different language, and a bunch more people looked in their direction.
"It's the Red Hood!"
"It's papa Hood!"
"Red Hood!"
"Yay, Red Hood!"
Jason smiled underneath his mask. Growing up on the streets had instilled a sympathy in him that he denied most of the time. It was when he was met with HIS people, the street people of Gotham, that he decided to let himself be soft. Because the good Lord knew they needed it.
He made his way over to everyone, greeting some of the people as he went. A little girl clung to his leg, speaking in rapid-fire Spanish.
"¡Señor Barrio Rojo! ¡Me alegra que estés aquí! ¿Viste el dibujo que te dejé? ¿En la pared?" she asked. Jason smiled at her and picked her up, balancing her on his hip.
"¿Fuiste tú quien dejó esa hermosa pintura en la pared?" he asked her. She nodded.
"¡Sí! ¿Qué te pareció?"
Jason laughed and rubbed the top of her head, making her squeal in delight and playfully shove his hand away from her head.
"¡Me encantó! Eres una joven muy talentosa, ¿lo sabías?"
Alex watched Red Hood's interaction with the people living down there. His eyes were drawn to the colorful lights that were strewn throughout the ceiling, making the place seem beautiful. It was like a light in the darkness.
He looked back at Red Hood. He didn't know how he knew, but he got the feeling that he was smiling under his hood, and he knew it wasn't a fake smile, either. He genuinely loved these people.
They stayed down there for a little while. Everyone was very friendly and kind towards Alex and, eventually, he found himself actually enjoying their company. They told hilarious jokes and referred to each other as brother, sister, aunt, uncle, mom and dad.
When he and Red Hood finally left, Red Hood nudged his shoulder.
"Not as nasty as you thought, right?" he asked. Alex had to admit, he genuinely liked the company those people had provided.
"Are they all related?" Alex asked. Red Hood shook his head.
"No, they call each other that because they take care of each other," he said. He stopped walking, making Alex stop, too. Red Hood was looking into the distance, seemingly lost in thought. "You don't have to be blood to be family… all that matters is how much you love each other."
Alex looked down in thought. He supposed that his parents were annoying at times… but they had only ever wanted the best for them. Whenever he asked them for something, they gave it to him.
"Yeah…" he said. Last time he saw them, he had yelled at them. A general ass. Not the best with the people.
A self-absorbed, spoiled brat. It was a wonder anybody bothered with him.
Red hood nudged his shoulder again, snapping him out of his reverie.
"Speaking of family, I think it's time you got back to yours," he said. "I heard some people screaming about their missing son on the radio. He's apparently been gone for two days."
Alex smirked at him.
"Yeah, ok…"
Jason crawled back into his apartment and checked his phone. Tim had messaged him a couple times and even sent him an audio recording.
He set it on 'play' and listened to it while he got himself cleaned up and put away all of the gifts the people from the underground Narrows had stuck him with. Not that he was ungrateful, but he hated receiving gifts from them. He knew their lives were tough and that they could barely afford stuff for themselves, let alone precious gifts for HIM.
He found himself laughing his pants off when Dick mentioned Jade. And when he said that Jason would get it immediately, he was right. Jason knew that Roy was going to be involved.
His favorite part of the story had to be when Bruce told everyone that he "fucked up" and that they all genuinely believed that Bruce had been the one to turn them all into birds. And the argument between Dick and Kitten? Honestly, the one-sided argument was enticing!
And, no, just for the record, Dick never told him how Barbara got use of her legs. Come to think of it, he also didn't know how she LOST the use of her legs…
He was kind of bummed that he missed the discussion about the fish, but he decided he wasn't going to dwell on it.
When the recording finished, he picked up his hood and crawled out the window, pocketing his phone. He thought about what he said to Alex earlier.
You don't have to be blood to be family. All that matters is how much you love each other…
Blech. When did he get so mushy? Seriously, kids were his kryptonite. They made him weak.
But in a good way, he supposed.
His stomach rumbled. Maybe if he was quick, he'd be able to get to the manor in time to steal some of Alfred's cooking. He was starving.
Translations:
He made his way over to everyone, greeting some of the people as he went. A little girl clung to his leg, speaking in rapid-fire Spanish.
"Mr. Red Hood! I'm glad you're here! Did you see the drawing I left you? On the wall?" she asked. Jason smiled at her and picked her up, balancing her on his hip.
"Ah, would be the one who left that beautiful painting on the wall?" he asked her. She nodded.
"Yeah! Did you like it?"
Jason laughed and rubbed the top of her head, making her squeal in delight and playfully shove his hand away from her head.
"I loved it! You're a very talented young lady, you know that?"
Alex watched Red Hood's interaction with the people living down there. His eyes were drawn to the colorful lights that were strewn throughout the ceiling, making the place seem beautiful. It was like a light in the darkness.