The following week, Jason found it easy to shove away the impending doom he felt every time he thought about his upcoming visit to the Titans. Mostly through distractions — he had finally finalized the designs for his new suit and weapon and had sent it along to Lucius Fox. He had been careful to keep the schematics in-line with the current level of technology. It would take some getting used to, not having those tools at his disposal, but hardly a hurdle in the long run.

According to Tim, Damian's overall behavior at was school was less severe. Not enough for his reputation to diminish, but certainly noticeable. It seemed Jon was already having an effect on him; now, whenever he wasn't working on his homework or training or sketching, he was on his phone texting his friend. Jason posited that it wouldn't be long before that texting would shift to talking, and made it a priority to call Clark and see when Jon could visit. Maybe they could spend Thanksgiving together?

Of course, all thoughts of that was cut short when Bruce called him into the Cave Thursday night. The moment he saw Cass standing there, he knew.

"No. Not yet, at least."

"Jason—"

"She's just started speech therapy! She shouldn't start training to be a vigilante so soon!"

"She isn't doing anything else but speech therapy. Most of all, she asked. Are you going to deny her, knowing what she's capable of?"

"Yes!"

His first major argument with Bruce. Yay.

"Jason." Bruce gripped his nose in exasperation. "You can't keep her locked up in here forever."

Jason scowled at him. "I'm not saying I will. I'm just saying it's too soon."

"It's not like I'm going to let her out on the streets tomorrow! She'll have months of training to go through first. By the time she's done she'll be far enough in speech therapy not to be a liability on the field."

"That's not the problem, Bruce. Cass!"

Cass, who had been listening in on the conversation, heeded Jason's call. Her older brother removed his jacket and gestured her towards the mat. She obeyed his command, watching silently as he followed her there.

Jason was still for a moment before he lashed out with a punch. Surprisingly, Cass was unable to react. Her eyes widened at the unexpected blow and she stuttered in her movements, but before it could hit, Jason stopped, and dropped his stance.

"That's why she can't be a vigilante," Jason said angrily, attention back on their father. "She's lost a portion of her body-reading ability thanks to the speech therapy. Without it she's decent but hardly on the level she's supposed to be to make up for her lack of literacy. And guess what? Neither you nor I have the means for her to regain it." Because she had to die to get it all back.

Bruce sighed. "I know," he admitted, "but Richard Dragon might."

Jason froze.

"You didn't."

"Jason—"

"Goddamnit, you did!"

"Jason! I know you're concerned but this is my decision! Cass has already accepted!"

"I don't care!" Jason replied with vehemence, "You bring in Dragon and we get Shiva along with him! If there's anyone who can give her what she wants right now, it's him, and he won't do it! She knows he won't, which is when she'll turn her attention to Cass, which is what we've been trying to avoid! So no way am I—"

"It's already done."

Jason froze a second time. "What."

"I've already called him, Jason," Bruce said tiredly. "He'll be in Gotham next week. We've already set up an apartment and dojo for him to live in."

I'm gonna kill you. Jason was ready to explode, and everyone could see it. Cass inched away.

Bruce stood his ground.

"You can't protect her forever, Jason."

Jason glared at him. He glared even as tears slowly began to gather in the bottoms of his eyes. "Damn you," he whispered. Damn you.

"I'm sorry," Bruce added.

"No," Jason said bitterly. "You're not." He took a deep breath, then turned his attention back to Cass.

"Is this what you want?"

Cass opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"Cass," Jason asked, and his voice was soft, the hard edges of his face smoothing out. "Is this what you want?"

She paused, before slowly nodding.

"Fine," He exhaled in resignation. "Don't be afraid to ask me for help if you need it. Or training. If you decide you don't want to learn under Dragon, I'll teach you myself."

Her face brightened, and she hugged him. Jason squeezed back, holding her close, as if afraid that if he let go, she'd disappear.

"I love you, Cass." He muttered into her ear, "Always remember that."

He let go, and turned back to Bruce. He face settled back into a frown. "This weekend, Dick is taking me to visit the Titans. I want Damian to go with us."

Bruce matched his expression. "If he's okay with it, then I don't mind."

"Good." The second son turned to leave.

"Jason—"

"Goodbye, Bruce. I'll see you later."

The rest of the week was spent in tense silence. Jason and Bruce avoided speaking to each other unless absolutely necessary, and this being a family of detectives, no one missed it. Alfred was giving looks to both of them, but neither of them conceded to his silent demands.

Jason knew he was being irrational. Deep down, he knew that Cass would always become a vigilante — her guilt complex would've compelled her no matter what Jason said, and even after she moved past it she was too much of a hero not to try. She was a member of their family. This life was in her blood. But even so, seeing her be her innocent self, learning how to talk, to write, watching her interact with the family…he could almost pretend, just for one moment, that she wouldn't do it. That she'd go on to live a normal life, away from the prying eyes of those that would abuse her and her gifts. Away from all the pain her future self went through.

But it wasn't about what he wanted in the end. It was about what she wanted, and Jason had never been able to deny her anything. This would be no different.

And Bruce…he was being hard on Bruce. Too hard. Jason hadn't missed a single word of their confrontation. Cass had asked for this. There had been no hard-lining, no manipulation. Jason would know, he kept a close enough eye on all of his siblings and his father. But even so, Jason had taken his anger out on him.

He regretted that. And as much as he wanted to apologize, all it did was remind him of the other half of their disagreement. Of the decision Bruce made behind his back, to bring in Richard Dragon for tutelage. God, Jason wanted wring his neck for that!

He didn't have a problem with Dragon himself, far from it. Jason had nothing but the utmost respect for him. However, no amount of respect would allow him to disregard all the issues that came with Dragon reappearing. The biggest issue of all, of course, being Shiva.

Jason supposed that was his fault. He had made his distaste for Shiva known, but he had never truly explained why. There was so much to that tale, so much that he wasn't ready to talk about. So much he had yet to say.

So much that he still wasn't going to say.

He had an entire lifetime of memories, and no matter how much Jason talked, it would never be enough.

"Now, be kind to Lian while were there, okay? She's only four and doesn't get to play with a lot of kids her age, so don't be surprised if she latches onto you."

"Yes, yes," Damian puffed out as they waited in the cave for Dick's arrival. "Do we really have to go? I mean, you didn't take me to meet Drake's friends."

"That's because Tim's friends don't know his real identity. Dick's have known his for years, and are completely trustworthy. You'll like them."

Damian hummed and gave Jason a critical look. "Have you met them before?"

"I have," Jason said. I probably know one or two of them even better than Dick, he privately admitted. "Dick took me to meet them back when I was Robin. I even went on a few missions with them. They're good people, Damian. It'll be fine." Quite frankly, it's me I'm more worried about.

"Indeed it will be!"

Dick's boisterous arrival was heralded by his own presence in the current Nightwing suit. In his hands were domino masks and sunglasses, two of the former and one of the latter handed to each of his brothers.

"If they are already aware of our identities then why are you giving us these?" Damian demanded, even as he began placing the masks on, one on top of the other.

"In case you have to go out in public," Dick easily replied, "Just because they're allowed to know our identities does not mean we should give the rest of the world a leg up on figuring out who Nightwing is."

"Then why the masks?"

"You never know," Dick said cryptically.

Jason read between the lines. Bad situations did always tend to crop up during visits like this. He wasn't going to hope otherwise, because that tended to invoke Murphy's Law.

He had more than enough of his fill of Murphy's Law for one life time.

The flight to New York was even shorter than the one to Kansas. To be honest, they probably could have used a vehicle of some sort, but none of them had wanted to get stuck in New York traffic. It was only thirty minutes before Titans Tower was sighted. Or the projection of Titans Tower, in this case.

Dick landed the Bat-Plane in the Titans' hidden hangar. Once they were stabilized and engine turned off, the hatch opened to let them out. From the corner of his eye, he spotted members of the team already congregating around them.

Grant Emerson, aka Damage, who had been long deceased by the time Jason himself had died; Toni Monetti, who had been similarly retired from superheroics for just as long; Cyborg, in his golden Omegadrome form; Jesse Chamber-Wells, whole and hearty and decidedly not one with the Speed Force; and Garth, still active as a superhero, not as Atlantis' ambassador. Even Wally West was there. Jason didn't think their visit warranted the presence of the third Flash, but apparently it did.

It seemed like the only people missing were those Jason feared seeing the most.

He pushed thought that away, instead climbing down from the plane and helping Damian to do the same. Once they were on the ground, they stood next to Dick to face the welcoming committee. Jason stood casually; Damian, not so much. He crossed his arms and stayed close to the younger of his older brothers, eying the Titans speculatively.

"Guys," Dick spread his arms, "I'd like you to meet the Titans."

As Dick started introductions, Jason let his hand reach around to the small of Damian's back. It's comforting, warm presence relaxed the boy immediately, his posture loosening. Even the severe look on his face smoothed out into something more neutral. Jason could spot some of the Titans shooting curious looks at them, and plastered a comforting smile on his face.

"Titans, meet my younger brothers. Many of you have already met Jason." Jason held up a peace sign in greeting. Dick went around him to stand on the other side of Damian, putting one of his hands on the boy's shoulder. "This is our newest and youngest brother, Damian."

"Hello," Damian said stiffly.

"It's good to meet you," Jason added, "Again, in the case of a few of you," he added.

A round of similar greetings followed. Soon, they were walking through the base, taking a tour. Damian remained silent for the most part while Jason frequently interrupted with questions, striking up some small talk with the others. It remained like that for a while, until a small form darted in front of them, tackling Dick's legs.

"Uncle Dick!" A high-pitched voice squealed out.

"Lian!" Dick said just as joyfully, picking the young girl up into his arms.

"You're back!"

"I am," Dick laughed, then began turning around. "I'd like you to meet some people."

Jason's smile softened into something more genuine as he gazed at the young visage of Lian Harper. So much more innocent than the woman he had called his niece, that had become the second Arsenal, and then the third Green Arrow. The death of her father had weighed heavy on her, but to the credit of the Arrows, they had given her much more support than they ever did Roy. As did he; Lian had always been welcome in the Manor when he was alive.

Though, admittedly, he had considered banning her after she met Carrie. The chaos that ensued whenever those two were near each other almost didn't seem worth it.

(That was a lie, of course. Seeing the two of them was like seeing Roy and him all over again.)

"Hello, Lian," Jason said warmly, "I'm Dick's little brother, Jason."

Lian waved at him happily. Then, as if feeling someone's gaze, she looked down and saw Damian staring at her. The slightest hint of red dotted her cheeks, though no one seemed to notice it.

"This is Damian, our youngest brother," Jason explained to her.

"Hello," Lian said, her voice small. She buried her face into Dick's neck, to everyone's surprise.

While Dick jostled her, asking her what was wrong, Jason took a peek at Damian's face. He was looking up at Lian as if he didn't quite know what to make of her. It was a marked difference compared to his initial meeting with Jon, which started with near-instant hostility. Was it Jon that caused the change? Or perhaps it was because Damian didn't know how to react to her young age and gender?

"Lian!"

Now that is a face I don't recognize. This must have been Chanda Madan, Lian's old babysitter. Jason had only heard vaguely of her, though enough to know that Roy should've been way more thorough with the background check when he hired her. A woman of Quraci descent, babysitting Cheshire's daughter? Not Roy's finest moment.

"Sorry about that, Nightwing," she apologized. She took Lian from his arms and into her own. "She got away from me the moment she heard you were here."

"It's alright, Chanda. I got to introduce her to my little brothers." Dick half-turned to face them again, "Jason, Damian, meet Chanda Madan. She's Lian's babysitter when we're out working."

"Pleasure," Jason said, holding out his hand. Chanda smiled awkwardly and shook it. Damian simply gave her a short nod.

"Come on, we still need to visit our last stop of the tour."

"And that would be…?"

"The kitchen!"

"Chili dog, Jason?"

"Thank you very much, Kori," Jason said gratefully, careful to keep his favorite food over the plate so the excess of chili could drip over it. The moment they had gotten to the kitchen, a veritable feast awaited them, with Kori at the helm. After she was introduced, everyone had proceeded to dig in.

Dick was currently talking about a recent mission the Titans were on to a vaguely interested Damian, who kept shooting looks at a staring Lian. Meanwhile, Jason had subconsciously congregated to Kori — unsurprising, considering their deep friendship in the previous timeline. She was one of the few people he would always be comfortable with.

"I'm glad to see you," he said earnestly. She looked so much younger, so much lighter, without the weight of Tamaran's throne to bog her down.

Kori lightly touched his arm, then ruffled his hair. "You as well, my friend. Dick has been…happier, since your return. He smiles more."

Jason's face twisted into something with a little more sorrow. "He took it that badly, huh?"

"He missed your funeral, Jason, and only because your father never deigned to tell him about it. He never quite forgave himself for that."

"Well, there's nothing to forgive. I never blamed him." Not even once. Not for this.

"Yes, but guilt is hardly ever rational," Kori said wisely.

Jason chuckled sadly. "Don't I know it." He took another bite of his chili dog, wiping his mouth after he chewed and swallowed for good measure.

The door to the kitchen banged open. "HONEY, I'M HOME!"

He couldn't help it — he let out a loud guffaw. It was great for keeping the tears at bay when he saw Roy Harper enter the room, carrying some grocery bags. His hair was a bit longer than he remembered, and there was a lightness to him that Jason had only ever seen in him when he was near Lian.

But it was unmistakably Roy, and Jason was so, so happy to see him.

"So, the guest of honor is already here?" Roy joked, setting the bags down so he could greet Jason with a handshake. "Welcome back, Jaybird."

Jason couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow. "Jaybird?"

Roy faltered for a moment. "I mean, if you don't like it—"

"Oh no, I like it fine. It's just that—nobody has ever really called me that." No one except you and Steph, honestly. And she never called me that as much as you did.

Roy grinned. "Well then," he said, clasping a hand on Jason's shoulder, "let me be the first. And who might this munchkin be?" He pointed at Damian.

Damian scowled. Ah, that was far more familiar than the look of perpetual confusion he had on since they'd arrived. Figured it would take the likes of Roy to bring this Damian out.

"Mine and Dick's little brother, Damian. Damian," Jason gestured to Roy, who gave a peace sign, "this is Roy Harper. He's Lian's father."

"Yup!" Roy confirmed, going around the table to pick up the squealing Lian, "this little bundle of joy is all mine, and everyday I wonder how I got so lucky to have her."

"Daddy!" Lian laughed.

Damian was watching them, the scowl gone. Jason for a moment thought he was jealous — Bruce would certainly never be so openly affectionate with his children, as much as they knew he cared — but a closer look destroyed that notion. He seemed to only be observing, almost studying. It was very unlike the Damian Jason knew.

Before Jason could ask him what was going on, another voice echoed throughout the room. "Roy! I might have super strength, but I still only have two arms!"

Jason felt something inside him freeze. Try as he might, he couldn't push it away.

Donna Troy entered the room, an annoyed look on her beautiful face and far too many grocery bags hanging from her wrists. While the Donna he knew looked at least ten years older than she was now, and had stayed at that physical age, she had always seemed so much older. The loss of so many loved ones, of watching the world changing while she remained the same, was aging her much like himself. This Donna had none of that — she seemed every bit as young as she was supposed to be.

It hurt, Jason was ashamed to admit. This wasn't his Donna.

This would never be his Donna.

Get it together, Todd.

"Whoops, sorry Wonder Babe!" Roy apologized, setting Lian down back on her highchair. He helped went over to help, taking a fair number of bags and setting them down with the rest of the groceries.

Donna shook her head in fond exasperation. Jason could sense the moment she saw him, her face lighting up in a way that made his heart clench.

"Jason!"

"Donna," Jason said, a little more softer than he intended. Unlike the others, she immediately pulled him into a hug. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly reciprocated the embrace, trying not to bask in the comforting warmth.

Donna let go a moment later, her face beaming. "Welcome back."

"Thank you," he paused, his mouth left slightly open, "Here. Meet my younger brother. Damian!"

The youngest Wayne blinked, then turned away from his continued surveillance of Lian and towards his older brother.

"This is Donna Troy, Damian. Formerly Wonder Girl. She's Diana's younger sister."

The boy frowned. "Please tell me she's the last person I have to meet today."

"Damian!" Jason gasped out angrily at his younger brother's rudeness.

Donna chuckled. "I am, in fact. So don't worry — you won't have to memorize anymore names."

"He shouldn't be complaining anyway," Jason grumbled, leveling a pointed glare at his brother. "Apologize to Donna, Damian."

"Tt." The boy scoffed. "My apologies, Troy. There are just far more people on my brother's team than I assumed there would be."

"That's because I'm a people person, Little D!" Dick interjected, throwing his arm around Damian's shoulders. Jason resisted the urge to groan.

Here we go.

Damian let out a shriek of rage. "RICHARD! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT CALLING ME ONE OF YOUR INFERNAL NICKNAMES!"

"Oh, you know you like it!"

"No, I don't."

"Do."

"Don't!"

"Do."

"DON'T!"

"Don't."

"Do!"

"HAH! I knew it!"

"GAH!"

Jason sighed, lifting his fingers to rub his temples. "Children. I'm surrounded by children."

Dick and Damian paid him no mind, now fully embroiled in their argument. Donna patted his arm sympathetically while everyone else laughed.

As the food gradually depleted, the impromptu party began to wind down. Damian was sent off with Chanda and Lian, with a quick reminder from Jason to behave, while everyone else slowly congregated to the living room. Jason was initially the center of attention, with everyone bombarding him questions about what he'd been doing since coming back from the dead. With Dick's helpful deflections, Jason was able to craft a suitable tale that did not contradict the truth while, at the same, time not revealing the entirety of his situation.

The attention gradually shifted from him to the newer members of the family. Jason let Dick handle those, including and especially those involving Tim, whom Jason would've only known for the past few weeks since coming home. Wally would know the truth eventually, but there was no need to give him or anyone else tips just yet.

It was in the midst of one of these tales that Jason noticed Donna had gone missing. Noting how everyone was completely focused on Dick, it was easy to slip away. He left the living room and walked down the hall back towards the kitchen, where he could spot the vague movement of her shadow.

When he arrived, he saw that she had begun cleaning up all by her lonesome. There was purpose to her actions, but settled with the sort of aimlessness you would find with someone in the middle of deep thought. She was troubled by something, Jason realized, and was trying to be productive while she worked through it.

"Donna."

Donna immediately stopped what she was doing and stood straight up. She looked at Jason, and tried to plaster what was clearly a fake grin on her face.

"Jason! Hey! I was just cleaning up. You should go back to the others, they're probably missing you already."

"If they are, they'll send someone to get me soon enough," Jason commented. "Here. Let me help you."

"Jason, no, you're a guest—"

"Donna. Please."

Donna's face fell. She exhaled before silently leaving him to it, returning to her own work. Side-by-side, they placed dishes and utensils in the sink, unfinished food in the fridge and any excess in one of the large trash bags Donna had taken out. It was all very domestic, and reminded Jason of a different time and a different place, where it was his own cooking and his own kitchen and just them during late nights, having a meal and working on Justice League business. Nights that ended with them asleep at the table, only to awaken when Helena or Terry were there to tell them it was time for patrol, knowing full well they weren't allowed out on their own without their father's permission.

Jason inhaled deeply. Don't go there, Jason.

Soon, the kitchen was clean of trash and all that was left was leftover food stains and the like. Donna crouched in front of the cabinet under the sink and took out soap, sponges, and towels, handing one of each to Jason. He began to scrub away at the counter while she started on the dishes. It was midway through that Jason decided it was finally time to bite the bullet.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"I don't know, a penny might not be enough…" Donna said jokingly, opening the dishwasher so she could store her first clean dish.

"Is this because I'm loaded? Are you trying to extort money from the poor rich kid?" Jason joked back.

"What can I say? Us Titans can't rely on Garth's steady stream of sunken treasure forever."

"I don't know about that — a lot of gold has been lost down there, I doubt he'll be running out anytime soon."

"Yeah, but your money replenishes itself. I'd bet my bracelets that your family is making more money right this second than I have my entire life."

Jason chuckled. "Oh, I wouldn't go that far."

Donna giggled alongside him, and soon they were laughing together. Whatever tension leftover disappeared, if only for that one moment.

"Seriously, though," Jason said as the mirth gradually subsided, "What's wrong?"

Donna sighed. "It's nothing, or nothing to do with you. It's just — when they started talking about past missions and everything, it hit a little close to home."

"How so?"

"Right," Donna shook her head, "You wouldn't know."

Jason had an inkling about what this was. He and Donna had shared everything with each other back when they were in the Justice League together. Judging by the timeline, she could only be talking about one thing.

But he couldn't say anything. Not ever.

So he did the next best thing. He prompted her.

"I don't," he said, and it was technically right, "But I'm a good listener and I can keep a secret. So, if you want to talk…"

"How modest."

"One of my many great qualities," Jason said with flourish, rubbing down on one particularly stubborn spot. "If you don't want to, though—"

"Actually," Donna cut in, a little awkwardly, "I do."

"Oh. Well then, go on ahead." Smooth Todd, real smooth.

Donna allowed herself a little smirk, then another breath as she readied herself. "Well, I guess we should start from the beginning, with Diana…"

"…and just like that, I was back, with powers and everything but my memories — they're so imprecise. I have an ex-husband and a son, a thing going on with the new Green Lantern and this non-relationship with Roy — and that's just my love life! Every time I look in the mirror, I keep wondering if I really am the Donna Troy they knew or just an idealized copy made from the memories of one of her closest friends," Donna finished, burying her head into her hands, "It's all just a mess."

Jason hummed as he thought her words over. Terry and Robert Long were still alive — that was unexpected. Apparently Donna and Kyle had yet to actually become a couple (unsurprising, considering that Parallax was still running around) but still had some sexual tension between them. Then there was the whole Roy thing; Jason genuinely hoped that worked out for them. Donna still had a tender heart for Roy even years after his death, same as him. It was another facet of the bond they shared. Maybe now, with Roy alive again…

"Jason?" Donna was looking at him now, wondering why he was so silent. Jason berated himself for getting lost in thought like that.

"Sorry Donna, just…thinking," Jason rubbed the back of his head, "Your story actually reminds me of my own."

Donna blinked in surprise. "Really?"

"Really," Jason affirmed. "I died Donna. It may not have been as expansive as living hundreds of tragic lives, but it was equally traumatic. And the method from which I was brought back…well, it wasn't nearly as kind as yours."

"I get…flashes. Something overcomes me, a green haze that tells me to hurt, to kill. I've managed to fight it off, but…it just makes think," he sighed. "I look at old news reports, files, pictures, and I can't help but wonder if it was Jason Todd that came back, or someone else. Something else."

"Jason…" Donna didn't know what to say.

"I'll never know whether that's true or not. Just like how we'll never really know whether or not you're the Donna your friends and family loved," Jason shrugged, "It's the sad reality we live in. But you know what?"

"What?"

"It doesn't matter. Whatever that fog is telling me to be, that's not who I want to be. So that's not what I'm going to be," Jason peered at her searchingly, "It's the same with you. Maybe you're the real Donna, maybe you aren't, or maybe you're just something in-between. But the person you are now, and the person you're going to be in the future — that's all up to you, and no one else. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

Donna stared at him, eyes wide, mouth open. Jason ducked his head away.

"I'm sorry. I guess that doesn't—"

"No, no," Donna hastily intervened. "It's good advice. I…just wish I could follow it, you know? Sometimes it feels like my past keeps changing, and I feel so rooted by it that I can't focus on the future like you can. What if I want to be the person I was before? What if I want to be the old Donna Troy?"

Jason gazed at her sadly, a bitter smile on his lips. "That's impossible, Donna. People are always changing. The person you are today, won't be the person you are tomorrow. You might be able to go back to some facsimile of that Donna, but you'll never really be her. Just like how I will never be the same Jason." He looked far away, far beyond her. "Too much has happened for that, no matter how much we want it."

"Yeah," Donna said sadly. "I guess you're right."

The period of silence fell over them. There was sorrow, but there was also comfort. Two lost souls, bonding over the strange, familiar world they were in.

"So," Jason asked casually, "Did I make it worse or did I make it better?"

Donna laughed. "Better," she snorted out, "Definitely better. I might not remember much, Jason, but I remember enough of you to know that you haven't changed that much." She reached over and ruffled his hair. "You're still such a sweetheart."

Jason smiled up at her brightly. Before he could say anymore, a loud piercing wail echoed throughout the base. Judging the high pitch and the feminine undertone, it was easy to figure out who it was coming from. The two of them exchanged a look before rushing towards the direction of Lian's room.

Unsurprisingly, they got there after Roy.

"Lian!" Roy yelped, picking up the crying girl. Lian threw her tiny arms around his neck, cuddling him close for comfort.

Jason's eyes darted around the room until he spotted Damian, who was guarding Chanda. He was glaring at the floor, holding a broom that was far too big for him aloft, as if he were in battle. Chanda was shivering behind him, eyes blown up in terror.

"Damian," his younger brother lifted his eyes to meet his, "what happened?"

"We were having a mock tea party until Lian noticed a large spider crawling on the ground below us," Damian explained, still batting away at the imaginary enemy, "It's gone now."

"Then why is she crying?"

"She stubbed her toe trying to run from it."

Everyone blinked. Roy frowned and looked down at Lian's feet, and there it was. The big toe on her right foot was red and had unusually tender skin.

"Oh, honey," Roy began rubbing at the toe. Lian sniffled at the initial sting but gradually began to relax as the pain started to fade. She patted his arm, signaling her father to let her back down, which he reluctantly complied to.

"Damian!" She ran towards his playmate, pulling him forward into a hug. To Jason's surprise, he returned it, patting her back gently.

"Aw, they look so cute together," Donna commented next to him.

"What do you mean by that?" Roy asked, suddenly suspicious.

Donna wiggled her eyebrows teasingly. "I mean that maybe you should watch out when Lian's older. Wayne boys tend to be heartbreakers when they're older. Isn't that right, Jay?" She turned to Jason, only for her smirk to drop when she saw him staring into space. "Jay?"

Jason didn't hear her. His mind was elsewhere.

"Helena, why is it I'm only meeting your prom date tonight?" Jason demanded his daughter, face stewing.

Helena rolled her eyes. "Because I didn't want you to scare him off. Besides, if you had really wanted to find out who it was, you could've done it within hours of finding out I had a date at all."

Jason refused to admit that she had a point. Instead, he continued to grumble angrily as the doorbell to the Manor finally rang, signaling the arrival of Helena's date. Before his daughter could reach the door, Jason made it there first, intent on giving the boy who had dared to enchant his Helena a piece of his mind.

He opened the door — and froze.

Standing there, utterly nervous and reeking of fear, was Damian Kent. Dam-El. The full Kryptonian, half-El, half-Zod, clone-brother-son of Conner, Jon, and Lara Kent. Named after Jason's own little brother Damian Wayne. The current Superboy. A hero that Jason himself had trained personally. Someone that Jason thought very fondly of.

And now, the boy who had done the unspeakable crime of asking out Jason's youngest daughter on a date. To Prom no less.

Jason felt the anger within him grow into something cold, dark and foreboding.

"Hi, Mr. Wayne," It seemed Dam recognized what kind of thin ice he was on, because he addressed him formally instead of the 'Jason' his mentor insisted on when they first met. "I'm Helena's date for tonight. Is she here?"

Jason stared at him.

"Mr. Wayne?"

"Dad!" Helena, pouting, pushed him aside. Jason suddenly realized how beautiful his daughter looked, with her hair down and her makeup accentuating and refining the natural beauty she had inherited from her biological mother. Silently, he cursed both Selina's genes and Stephanie's impeccable makeup skills.

As he watched his daughter and his former student awkwardly flirt together, Jason felt the rage within him gradually begin to simmer away, and sighed. Well, if it had to be any boy, a Kent was probably the best he could hope for.

Still…

"Helena, sweetie, do you mind if Damian and I have a little private talk?"

Helena turned to scowl at him. "Dad!" she whined.

Damian patted her shoulder, "It's alright, Helena," he said, handing her the bouquet of flowers he brought with him. Helena blushed as she took the bouquet, twisting a lock of her hair and giggling.

Jason resisted the urge to grind his teeth. Instead, he plastered a smile and threw an arm around Damian's shoulder, guiding him towards the staircase and leaning in close so his precious daughter couldn't overhear.

"Now, Damian, I trust you. Not only are you a Kent, but you're also one of my students. You've met my standards, both as a hero and as a man," Jason started, noting how the boy was trying to stop fidgeting. "Still, Helena is my little girl, and I only want the best for her. So—"

"When do you want her home?"

"Before midnight, preferably. Two a.m. at the latest."

"State of dress?"

"Not a hair out of place."

"Level of intimacy?"

"Kisses and hugs only. The former on the cheeks and foreheads. Maybe one or two on the lips, but that's it. Any more and I'll know."

"Happiness?"

"She better be over the moon. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Damian said firmly.

Jason slapped his back affectionately. "Good man. And a quick reminder: I have a vault full of Kryptonite downstairs, and I'm not afraid to use it."

Damian shivered.

Internally, Jason smirked. Still got it, he couldn't help but boast inside his head.

"Don't worry," Jason said comfortingly to a sputtering Roy, "I'll make sure they won't date until they're thirty."

That did not help. At all.

It wasn't long after the incident with Lian that the visit to Titans wrapped up. After goodbyes were said, Dick flew Jason and Damian back home to the Manor. The moment they were back in the Cave, Damian jumped off the Bat-Plane for the sanctity of his room, no doubt wanting to spend the rest of his free time before dinner texting with Jon. That left Jason and Dick all by themselves.

"So, I saw you spending a lot of time with Donna there," Dick noted casually as he closed the hatch of the plane.

Jason, who was stretching his body, shrugged. "She wanted advice. So I gave it to her."

"Were you two close in the other timeline?"

"…Yeah. We were close."

Dick peered down at him silently. His older brother was perceptive, after all.

"Don't, Dick," Jason said tiredly, eyes lost. "It doesn't matter." Not anymore, at least.

Dick looked like he wanted to protest that, but decided otherwise. He sighed, then put on his signature grin. "Want to head up to the kitchen? See what Alfred's cooking up?"

Jason smirked. "Better change first, Dickie. You know the rules."

"Yeah, yeah, no work upstairs," Dick groaned, walking over to the showers, "Wait for me, please?"

"You got five minutes, then I'm ditching your slow ass."

"Jay!"

Jason laughed.

This chapter took forever.

Yes, Jason was in fact an overprotective dad, much to his children's exasperation.

And now, the truth about Damian Kent! He was a clone created by a rogue Phantom Zone criminal using Clark and Zod's DNA. After the deaths of Kara and Clark, he was the only the full-blooded Kryptonian left on Earth. He later succeeded Jon as Superboy and then Nightwing.

He and Helena met when Jason helped him learn basic combat as a favor to Jon. Being half-Zod and all, he was a bit of jerk to her, and she threw him on his ass the first time they sparred. Damian was instantly smitten with her. They got together at this Prom, and stayed together (barring some breaks) for the next couple of years. Damian later asked for Jason's blessing to ask her to marry him when Jason was on his deathbed, which Jason gave.

As for his name, he actually chose that for himself. After he was rescued from the Phantom Zone, the family gave him a book of boy's names and told him to choose the one he liked. He saw Damian's name and decided he liked that one. Jason wasn't offended, nor was any of the Bats, because he's hardly the only Damian in the world, after all. After learning about Damian Wayne, in fact, that only cemented his choice — he wanted to be named after a great hero, after all.

Everything else? I refuse to say. You're just going to have to wait as the story unfolds. I have a lot planned, after all.

Next chapter: Jason's suit and weapon is ready!