A/N: Oh My God you guys, I'm so excited to finally be posting this update! Seriously, this had been written for months and I'm so excited that it's finally ready for you all to read! So please tell me what you think. Also thank you to all who reviewed the last chapter, I worked so hard on Joker and Harley and it felt so good that you guys really seemed to enjoy them, I'm sending you all the hearts in the world 3 But now it's time for you guys to finally meet Red Hood, and I hope you guys enjoy him and I hope I write him well cause you guys only deserve the best! lol Once again, I love you all, you are all my Valentines!
Happy Valentine's Day —Ophelia
Chapter 12
This Side of Heaven
"This look of thine will hurl my soul from heaven."
(William Shakespeare, "Othello")
The drive didn't take long, about 20 minutes or so, but the tension in the car was nearly exhausting. Raven hadn't said a word, her face blank and adrift, but the emotions she was unwillingly projecting were fragrant and slightly overwhelming. She was doing everything she could to keep herself together, but she was only one more broken brick away from crumbling. Dick found the feeling more than troublesome, but couldn't find the means to be sick about it—he was already sick with something else.
They were in a different part of Gotham now, a safer part, though its safety was determined by who you were and who you knew.
They were far away from the privileged, and even further away from the blind who'd never dare venture outside their shiny confines. They were in Outlaw Territory, and not even Batman could challenge that. This section of Gotham had always been under the control of a crime-lord, and Jason was just one of many to rule it.
During Dick's run as Robin, Falcone "The Roman" wore the crown, until he was murdered by Two-Face. After that, the city fell into a bit of turmoil, as its underworld strived to regain leadership. Two-Face initially took over control, briefly, but his leadership was challenged by many, including an Irish crime family and The Roman's only son, Mario Falcone. These depositions brought on many days of bloodshed. It was only before Dick finally left Gotham that Dent was arrested and thrown in Arkham to rot for what was supposed to be a lifetime. Falcone's son was only able to reclaim some of his father's power and territory. But not long after that, Mario, Son of the Roman, was murdered and replaced with a new power, Cosa Nostra. However, the Sicilian crime syndicate's stay in power didn't last very long. An internal power struggle between the Families within the organization ended with the murder of its leader, Franco Bertinelli. And before the Cosa Nostra could regain its order, their crown was taken by Black Mask—and now—that crown belonged to the Red Hood.
Dick recalled Bruce telling him of a time when this part of town was filled with old Irish bars and small Italian restaurants. It was a place of small means, but its character was strong and filled with honest people, looking for something of permanence. But that was all eventually lost. Soon, people had to pay for their safety or risk losing everything. But those people they paid to protect them, only used that power to strike fear and further their tyranny. Soon, the Irish bars where run by Irish gangs, and the Italian restaurants were just fronts for Italian crime families like the Maronis, Falcones and the Bertinellis. It got so bad, even the police and politicians began to develop a taste for blood-money, and that was about when Gotham reached its tipping point.
Bruce always believed it was that very tipping point that sealed the fate of his parents, who fought hard to balance the scales, even though they were far from the losing end. They believed in what Gotham stood for, they believed in those small shops and old Irish bars, and wanted to revive those lost opportunities. But it seemed someone else wanted those things to remain perished.
X finally came to a stop and flicked on his turn signal in front of an old bar that was built in the late 1800's. Dick remembered the old building, and recalled it once being called Hogan's. Only now it seemed to be known as the Wolf's Head.
"What a garish name for a bar," Dick mumbled, Raven not even looking up at the sign.
Red X glanced back at him and shrugged, "Yeah well, you may wanna tell that to the owner yourself, cause we're here, Chuckles."
Dick's eyes immediately lit up with his previous frustration and Raven finally looked up from her dismay. Red X turned down an old alleyway beside the building, but before he could finishing pulling the car around to the back, Dick jumped out and headed for the door.
"What the hell, Chuckles?" X spat, throwing the car in park as Raven jumped out after him.
"Dick wait!" she cried, a desperate fragility to her brittle voice. However, he didn't turn around, he just kept on. "Dick stop! You don't know what you're doing!"
She reached out and took his wrist in her small hand, and he shot around to face her. "I do know what I'm doing!" he spat and pulled himself free. "This is between me and Jason, Rae!"
He turned and moved quickly around the corner, Raven still following behind, now flanked by X. They followed him to the front door, where Dick entered the wolf's den. People looked up at him with unfriendly faces, knowing he clearly didn't belong. They were a bit of a mixed pack, mostly young and slightly misplaced, but they all had one thing in common—they knew they belonged there.
"Can I help y'boy'o?" Dick heard a glicky voice asked, the accent bringing back a few old memories from a time when he'd heard words spoken from such a rich place.
He turned and noticed two young women looking at him from behind the bar, an edgy looking blonde and a pretty Asian girl with a fringy haircut.
"Where's Jason?" he replied, addressing the blonde.
She looked over to the Asian girl and shrugged, walking away.
"He ain't here right now, darl'n" the Asian girl replied, throwing Dick off a bit as he wasn't expecting her to be Irish.
"No. I know he's here," Dick spat, the girl growing upset with his tone.
"It's okay, Clancy. He's with me—he knows Jason," X interjected, finally catching up.
She looked back at them with a hardened brow and parted her lip, perplexed, "He's in a Chapel, X, y'know that."
X nodded, his face tired. "Yeah, it's okay, he can wait."
"No, I can't."
"Dick, it's okay," Raven added, trying to calm him.
"No—it's not, where is he!?"
Some of the bar-goers began to rise from their chairs, displeased with the manner in which this outsider was conducting himself.
"He's downstairs but—" X began, until Dick took off again, "you can't go down there! Clanc?" X exclaimed, taking off after him, followed by Raven.
"I'm on it," Clancy replied and picked up the old hardwire phone. "The resta y'stay put! This is a family matt'r."
Dick made his way into the back behind the old grey curtain, as X and Raven both tried to catch up to him, reasoning the whole way. This however, did little as he whipped open a door and found the stairs to the cellar below.
"Come on Chuckles, don't. You have no idea who's down there waiting for you."
Dick only looked back at Red X blankly, a silent fuck you, like he had nothing to lose, and in a way he didn't, not in that moment.
"Dick, come on," X pleaded, for once addressing him by his name.
Dick glared back at him as if it were a dare and headed down the stairs swiftly, bounding down them with little effort. Once he reached the bottom, he found a handful of young men, jumping up as if they were welcoming him into Hell.
"Guys don't hurt him," Red X called, "that's an order!"
"Well he's not getting to the Hood, that's for damn sure," said a thin, peculiar looking young man with sloppy hair.
"You wanna make a bet?" Dick dared, dismissing the mere child's threat.
The insulted boy began to step forward as Dick glared back at him, like a dog ready to fight for new territory.
"Stand-down, Mutt!" X ordered, "No one is going anywhere until—what the fuck, Chuckles?!"
Apparently, while Red X was in the middle of his commands, Dick took it upon himself to walk right past the young man X referred to as Mutt. Mutt (of course) found this action demeaning and grabbed Dick by the shoulder in an attempted to stop him, but received a hasty punch to the jaw for his troubles.
X muttered several obscenities out loud, knowing the scene was about to turn into a fucking free-for-all. However, Dick didn't seem fazed by any of it, and with very little effort, took out all 5 men standing guard. All while Red X and even Raven looked on in shock.
"Wow, Chuckles is pissed," X mused blankly in astonishment.
"Yeah, but I'm afraid of what he might do if he gets his hands on Jason," Raven replied, making her way down the last few steps.
"Good point."
Meanwhile, as this was taking place just outside, Jason and the Top Tier of Outlaws were dealing with other matters.
"So what are you hoping to gain by sending this kid on a suicide mission," Jinx asked her relaxed leader.
"Honestly, not much," Jason replied taking a drag of his cigarette, "I don't think he has it in him to get very far." He shrugged leaning back in his chair, his red helmet sitting just at his side.
"Then why go through with this at all?" An older man asked, sitting to Jason's left.
"Well if anything, it'll show just how much—if any—loyalty he has. I mean, who knows? I could be wrong and the Joker actually gets torn down a few pegs. God knows that in itself in is a win." Jason let out a silvery laugh as he smirked at the thought, amused with the idea.
"Does anybody else hear that?" asked a girl with unnatural red hair and ghostly white skin.
The room remained silent for a moment, until finally Jinx replied, "It sounds like a fight?"
Jason tapped his fingers on the table in curiosity, "It does. Eddie, go see what the hell going on out there."
The young man nodded and rose from the table, morphing into a red beast as he approached the oak door.
"I swear, if Mutt and Schizo are fighting over who's dick is bigger again, I'm gonna fucking lose my—what the fuck?!" Jason shouted as the door flew open, slamming Eddie hard against his forehead, the red devil boy, falling to the floor.
Everyone in the room shot up from their chairs in surprise and aimed a weapon or fist in the intruder's direction. Ready to send him to hell if they had to, until Jason shouted for them to stand-down.
"Whoa, everybody fucking cool it!" He held out his hand, slightly in shock at the sight of who the culprit was. "Grayson, what the hell?"
Dick stood there, ready to defend himself to get to Jason if he had to, Raven standing nervously behind him.
"You fucking know him?" Jinx hissed, her face stricken with lines of discontent.
"Red Hood, what's going on?" the older gentlemen added.
Everyone in the room looked back at Jason and away from Dick, who still stood at odds with their opposition.
"Well," Jason began a little awkwardly, "this is the guy I sent after Joker."
Dick stared back at Jason, who seemed to be underplaying his presence. "I'm also his older brother."
"Who has impeccable timing…" Jason added as the looks on everyone's faces took on a—what the fuck—twist.
"You sent your own brother after the Joker?" Jinx laughed, "that's really twisted JT, even for you."
"Shut the fuck up, Jinx," Jason ordered. "Where the hell is Red X?"
"I'm right here," X replied, walking over the leftover shambles of the Second Tier.
"What is he doing here?" Jason questioned in annoyance, acting as though his older brother's presence was nothing more than an inconvenience to his younger ego (and it kind of was).
"He's right here, why don't you ask him yourself?"
"Yeah," Dick drawled," why don't you?"
Jason furrowed his brow, distaste for both their conjectures'. "Because I asked you, Lieutenant."
Red X rolled his eyes, as he was quickly reminded of his rank and obligations. "He wanted to talk to you."
"And it couldn't wait till tomorrow?"
"No," Dick replied, annoyed that Jason was dismissing him, clearly little had changed.
"I was talking to my lieutenant—"
"Well talk to me!" Dick demanded, cutting Jason off.
Jason once again looked at X expecting an answer, but only got the following instead, "You know what, it's been a long night and I'm done. I am done playing the middle man for you two. This—whatever the hell you two have against each other—you need to work it out on your own. I'm done." Red X then turned with his conclusion and began to walk away, the tension in the room growing even thicker.
"I'm not done talking to you, X," Jason called as if he were an angry father, Dick slightly enjoying the irony of it.
"I am."
"X, get the fuck back here!"
The only response Jason received was a single middle finger, raised high in the air, a symbol of the boy's weary discontent. Jason looked back at Dick and noticed just beyond him the five bodies slowly starting to stir.
"Did you take out my whole Second Tier?"
Dick looked back at Jason and raised his a brow, his arms crossed firmly with a shrug, "Wasn't much to take out."
"Uh," Dick heard a young woman sigh, her outfit somewhat of a Riddler rip-off.
"Enigma, relax," Jason ordered, trying not lose his cool. "God, I really gotta tighten up the ranks around here," Jason scoffed, realizing Dick Grayson was far better trained than any of his second ranks and probably most of his Top members. "So what exactly do you want, Grayson?"
"I got what you wanted," Dick replied, his words falling from a bitter tongue.
"And what would that be?"
"This," Dick growled and threw the old Robin mask at the anti-hero.
It hit Jason's chest and practically fell into his hands like a long lost friend. He looked down and immediately his eye's filled with revelation. His mind quickly stirred and his body froze, the vicious laughter of the man who'd beaten him nearly to death, replaying like a memory rooted in sorrow. Every voice in the room fell silent as he peered back up, Dick now locked in his sights. He placed down the mask in front of him, pulling himself back together in time to silence that retched laughter.
"I didn't think you'd actually find it," Jason finally replied, unable to hold back all of his shock.
"Why's that?" Dick asked. "Did you think I wasn't capable of making the Joker a punchline?"
"No," Jason said, a slight laugh becoming present. He walked around from the head of the table and stood in front of the ex-Titan, crossing his arms as he shrugged, "I just didn't think there'd be anything to find."
Dick's eyes widened as his face plummeted in question, but before he could respond to this disturbing revelation, X made another appearance.
"Oh and by the way," Red X said, popping around the corner, "I forgot to mention—I killed Stiches tonight. So the body count is even. You're fucking welcome."
"Body count?" Dick queried, slightly confused.
"Yeah," Jason replied, "Joker killed my Second in Command. I wanted to even the score."
Dick eyes lit with more anger, "So you sent me after him?"
"Yeah," Jason shrugged like it wasn't anything to be worried about.
Suddenly, something snapped in Dick's mind and whatever bounds were left on his darkest of tempers, came undone.
"You son of a bitch!" Dick shouted, no longer able to control his anger and struck the Outlaw hard across the face, knocking him to the ground.
Dick could hear Raven call his name as she tried to hold him back. Every person in the room getting ready to strike the young hero down before he could continue his assault. But before any such thing could happen, Jason made his orders very clear once more.
"Fuck!" he huffed, quickly recovering from the blow. "Leave him be, everyone! I admit—I kinda deserved that. Christ Dick, you didn't hold back, huh?" Jason got up, wiping the blood from his the corner of his mouth and chuckled at the sight. "Everyone out. Me and my big brother have some sibling shit to work out."
"You sure, kid?" the older man asked, still holding his gun.
"Yeah, Hogan, I got this."
Jinx began ushering everyone out and helped the shapeshifter known as Eddie to his feet. Meanwhile, Raven clung to Dick's side, unwilling to follow for fear of where the situation might lead.
"You too, sweetheart," Jason said, noticing the unmoved girl.
She looked back at Dick as the room was pretty much empty, Jinx waiting to close the door.
"It'll be okay, Rae. I promise," Dick assured, realizing her hand was in his.
He could see she was finally there, that last brick had crumbled and tears had begun to stream down her face. The sight broke his heart, and pulled him back into the light as he placed his hand to the back of her head, offering comfort.
"It's gonna be fine, just hanging in there for me, okay?" He kissed her forehead and she nodded wearily, then turned to the door, her hand having a hard time letting go of his.
Once she was gone, Jinx looked over at Jason, getting the approval to close the door.
"We're good here, Jinx. But make sure the girl's okay."
She nodded and slowly closed the door, leaving the hero and the outlaw to their feud. Jason walked back to the head of the table and sat down, lighting another cigarette as he moved.
"I thought you liked beautiful redheads, not pretty porcelain dolls?" Jason said, motioning for Dick to take a seat.
"What?" Dick mumbled, not really understanding the statement or its significance.
"Your girl."
"Raven?"
"Yeah, she's not really your type. I thought you were with Princess Starry Eyes or whatever her name is?"
"Starfire," Dick replied, still not understanding why Jason was bring up his love life, "and no. That ended… recently."
"Well don't you move on fast," Jason laughed and took a drag of his cigarette.
Dick looked back at him then realized what he was implying. "Oh no, Raven and I… aren't like that," he reassured and laughed a little at the notion.
"So she's not your girl?"
"No she's not my girl… not like that."
"Oh," Jason said not entirely buying it, "why the hell not?"
Dick looked up at Jason with annoyance for the subject as he asked, "What does my relationship with Raven have to do with anything, Jason?"
The Outlaw freed a puff of smoke from his lungs and ashed his cigarette. "Nothing, I'm just making small talk. That's what people do, Dick. You don't have to be so defensive, you sound like Bruce when you are."
"Why the fuck did I even come here?" Dick asked himself out loud, shaking his head with a cynical smile.
"I don't know, Dick. Why did you?" The outlaw had a stern look as he tapped more cigarette ash into the tray.
"Because I thought you could help me," Dick sighed, disgusted with the idea, "but you just used me… to settle a score."
Betrayal dripped from his words as Dick began to rise from his chair. But before he could fully make it to his feet, Jason urged him to remain.
"Dick wait, don't go, not yet."
Dick looked back at the young man he remembered as a child, seeing him from a much simpler time, before their relationship had grown so toxic. Dick sat back down, but crossed his arms, his defenses set.
"I'm sorry, okay?" Jason said, "I wasn't trying to use you, I was just testing you, is all."
"Testing me?" Dick hissed. "What's the difference, Jason?"
Jason looked away, realizing that Dick had a point, but defended his reasons, "I had to make sure that your loyalty was with me and not the League. Plus, Joker had it coming. Two birds, one stone."
"My loyalty is with no one. I'm here because my loyalty is to the public and I have good reason to believe that the public is in serious danger."
Jason could hear the anger erupting in his voice, both out of hurt and pride. He could hear how played the hero felt, but this didn't stop Jason from being—well—Jason.
"And you thought I could help?" Jason let out an entertained laugh and leaned back. "Jesus Christ, I never thought I'd see the day you—of all people—would ask me for help. You kill me, Grayson."
"I'm glad you're finding this funny, cause no one else seems to give a shit. So yeah, J, here's your fucking moment—"
"Don't call me J!" the Outlaw demanded, losing his patience rather quickly.
Dick looked back a little disturbed, but the sudden mood swing didn't last long as Jason shook it right off.
"Sorry," Jason sighed coarsely, "I just don't like to be called that."
Dick nodded grimly, making the connection. Harley's shrill voice filling his head with another colorful pet name.
Meanwhile, just outside the door, the rest of the Outlaws waited and aided the ones who'd served as Dick's punching bags.
"Christ, that guy's got some nerve and why does he get to walk into Chapel? I thought it was Top Tier members only?" Mutt whined, holding a cold beer to his head (as there weren't enough ice packs).
"Well sometimes things don't work out the why they're supposed to, Mutt," Jinx replied as she walked up to Raven and pulled out a flask. "You look like you could use this," she said, offering it to the dark haired girl.
"I'm good, thanks," Raven replied as she sat against the wall, holding her knees to her chest.
Jinx shrugged and sat down across from her, intrigued by the young woman's presence. "What'd that guy say your name was?"
"He called her Rae," Eddie said, his beastly appearance now nothing but a memory.
Raven's head perked up, but she tried to keep the concern free from her face.
"What's that short for?" Jinx asked, looking over at her, taking a sip from her flask.
Raven didn't answer right away, noticing the look in Jinx's eye. "Rachel," she finally said, Jinx still fixated on her.
"Rachel?" the pink haired girl said skeptically. "You know… Rach, you look awfully familiar. Do I know you from somewhere?"
"No."
"Really?" Jinx questioned. "Cause I think we've met?"
Raven bit her lip a little uncomfortably, unsure whether or not Jinx knew her true identity. "I just have one of those faces, I guess."
"No, you don't," her voice was low now, her words filled with doubt. "Where you from?"
"Jinx, leave her alone," X snapped with frustration as he sat on the old cellar steps.
Raven looked up at him as did Jinx and the others. The rest of the Outlaws didn't seem to challenge the order, but Jinx didn't seem as fazed by it at all.
"I'm just trying to see if I can trust her, X," Jinx replied passively. "It's part of my job to."
He looked down at her, quickly glancing at Raven, "I trust her, Jinx. That should be enough for you."
Jinx nodded, but it seemed the discussion wasn't quite over yet, "Okay, that's fair, but what about you, Rae? Do you trust Red X?"
Raven flinched at the question a moment and peered up at the young thief who looked down at her just as surprised.
"I'll take that as a no," Jinx coed, leaning back in her chair, her fellow Outlaws looking on.
"She shouldn't have to," X added in a graveled tone, "how could she? I'm not a hero, and I'm not a good man. I'm a criminal and a murderer. She watched me kill a man tonight. I can't ask her to trust me and if anything, she shouldn't."
The weight of his words fell over Raven with a grim and sorrowing truth. She didn't trust him, but she wanted to, though she didn't really know why.
Jinx looked away from her blonde counterpart, and crossed her arms. "You're right, she shouldn't trust us. But… if you're planning on sticking around, little girl, you better learn fast."
8888
"So explain to me why you thought I could help and not Bruce?" Jason asked, flicking the ash off his cigarette again.
Dick glanced upward and shook his head just slightly, "Because the League won't touch this, in fact, I've been given strict orders to not even pursue this lead."
"Are you saying you're here against League orders?"
"Yeah, they'd crucify me if they knew I was even here, especially about this."
A mischievous smirk grew on the Outlaws face, his eyes glowing with a moment of satisfaction, "This just got very interesting." He took a long drag into his lungs, exhaling as he spoke, "So what is this lead the Justice League is all hot and bothered about?"
Dick rolled his eyes at Jason's tone, feeling the anti-hero was enjoying the irony far too much.
"It's Slade," Dick said, watching Jason's face fall a bit as though the amusement had become too morbid. "Apparently, Roy has reason to believe he's working on producing his own form of Krokodil and put it on the market. I was hoping maybe you'd have some insight?"
Jason took one last puff and put out his cigarette in the ashtray beside him. "Well as someone who actually has a hand in the drug trade, I can tell you that idea is stupid. I mean if you wanna make any money you have to care about your product. That's what people pay for and they'll pay for quality. If you're selling them shit, they'll figure it out and go somewhere else. I personally don't allow pushers in Gotham to buy low quality shit, it kills people quicker. I also strongly encourage dealers not to rip people off, if they pay for quality that's what they get. Because at the end of the day, there is no money in cheap drugs."
"Roy gave me a sample, Jason," Dick said, realizing that the outlaw found the theory preposterous.
"Roy's a junkie and you can never trust a junkie. Trust me, I'm the one selling him the high."
Anger filled Dick's face as he looked back at the Outlaw's cold expression. "You're his dealer?"
"Well no, I don't do the foot, but who do you think runs the H trade in this town? It's certainly not Black Mask now, is it?"
"How can do that to your friend?" Dick spat angrily.
"Roy's not my friend, he's your friend. At most it's guilt by association."
"You might as well be putting the needle in his arm yourself," Dick huffed to the Outlaw's horror.
"Fuck you, Grayson! You think because you play hero that you have any right to judge me? I'm not the one who gave—and or—sold Roy that first hit, so fuck off! What happens to Roy is his own doing—no one else's. He needs to learn to accept that, and if he won't, then you should."
Jason indignantly lit another cigarette, clearly fuming as though he were an 11 years-old boy, while a 15 year-old Dick, lectured him as if he were his father. "But you didn't learn that 10 years ago, so why would you learn that now?"
"Well there's a lot you haven't learned in 10 years too J—" Dick paused a moment, having to stop himself from using the initial, "Son."
"Good catch," Jason quipped bitterly and flicked the cherry off his cigarette. "So Roy gave you a sample? Let me guess, it was some shit made in a kitchen with cleaning products and cold pills, right?"
"No actually, it was made with codeine and morphine—oh, and it was in a powder form too," Dick replied dully.
"Powder?" Jason said with a peculiar look, "are you sure it was krokodil?"
"Yeah, I tested it myself," the ex-Titan replied, "it was nearly in perfect alinement with the chemical makeup of desomorphine, except it was still pretty toxic. However, it would probably take longer to break down body tissue. The bigger question is; how many people are gonna get hooked on it in the meantime? Better yet; how many people will have to die until you care?"
"I care, Dick," Jason replied with resentment, "but I'm having trouble understanding why someone with any integrity would knowingly sell that shit?"
"Who said Slade has any integrity?"
"I just did."
Dick looked back at Jason as though he were joking, but it was clear by his voice that he wasn't.
"Why would you say that?"
"Because I buy my hardware from him," Jason said a matter-of-factly.
Dick's face once again sunk with disappointment as he growled, "Why?"
"Because Dick, Slade has integrity. He cares a lot about the business he does," Jason replied, defending his pervious statement. "Yes, he's out for number one, but he also knows that if he wants to make money, people have to be happy. Same goes for the drugs he sells."
"Let me guess, you buy all your shit from him too?"
"No, I don't," the outlaw huffed defensively. "I don't get my shit from anyone. I just run the territories, divvy out who gets what, manage who's allowed to sell what and where in this town, provide protection, and take my cut of all the profits in the form of taxes. Pretty simple."
Dick looked back at him and rolled his eyes, feeling the dig. "So your hands never actually touch the dirty money, smart."
"Thanks, turns out being a career criminal is something I'm really quite good at, looks like I'm more like my old man after all." Jason drawled. "So let me ask you this, Grayson. What do you think Slade's plans are for the krokodil?"
"Why do you care?" Dick asked numbly, feeling a little patronized.
"Because you do. And if you care, there's obviously some reason to."
Dick looked across the table at the young Outlaw, hostility, no longer pulling voice strings.
"I have sources that say Slade owns or is involved with a pharmaceutical company. I don't know which one. But if that's the case, it's possible that Slade could make a large profit off treating people with krokodil addiction. He's probably already making a lot of money off heroin, and every other drug out there with a price tag on it."
"That's actually kinda brilliant," Jason replied with a little envy, "and completely horrifying."
Dick nodded, seeing that even someone as ambiguous as Jason Todd found the idea more than disturbing.
"So you gonna tell me Slade has too much integrity for that?"
"No," Jason shrugged, "that's actually quite accurate to his character."
"How so, because it's completely evil?"
"No, because it's very Slade to have his cake and eat too." Jason took a long drag then peered at his cigarette as he spoke, "Slade's the kinda of person who, once he has his hooks in you, you never get out alive, if at all. So yeah, that theory makes perfect sense, but can you prove it?"
"Not yet," Dick replied.
"I take it that's why the League won't touch this?"
Dick only nodded with defeat upon his brow as Jason continued.
"Yep that's the League alright. They don't get their hands dirty unless they have proof, it's noble but also petty. I'm a little shocked Bruce isn't looking into it though? He's not above this sorta thing."
"Yeah well he told me he did and he didn't find anything," Dick mumbled wearily.
"Did he though?"
Dick raised an eyebrow and tilted his head in question, "If Bruce said he looked into it, then he looked into it?"
"I meant, did he actually come up empty handed?"
"Are you saying Bruce lied to me, Jason?" Dick snarled in defense. "Because I'm not gonna let you turn me against him."
"Don't act like he's never lied to you before, Grayson. Especially if he thinks he's protecting you. You of all people should know better."
Dick frowned at the statement as it was filled with truth and numerous examples of it. It turns out Bruce also wasn't above lying.
"I'm not saying he did it to hurt you, but it's not like him to walk away from anything so easily," Jason added.
Jason was right, it wasn't that easy for Bruce to walk away from anything, something Dick was also quite guilty of.
"So where is this sample?"
"I gave it to Roy, for backup, in case you had me killed."
"I would have done the same thing," Jason quipped, "except for giving a junkie a drug more powerful then heroin. That wasn't very bright."
"I trust Roy," Dick replied annoyed with Jason's tone.
"Like you trusted me?"
"That's different, Jason. You were a kid, you didn't know any better," the former Titan defended.
"Yet you still blame me for what happened."
Dick looked away from him as the old memory cut through reality and unearthed what had transpired between them over a decade ago.
"That wasn't your fault," Dick finally said, bitterness still trapped in his throat.
"You don't believe that."
Jason stood up and finally approached Dick, though the tension and buried anger still hung in the air like death.
"You don't have a plan do you?"
"No, for once I don't," the young hero replied ruefully.
Jason laughed a little and crossed his arms as he looked down at his adoptive elder brother. "Maybe you have changed," he chuckled and took on last drag. "I'm down an Enforcer."
Dick glared up at him, puzzled at the subject. "What does that have to do with me?"
"Well you don't have a plan and I don't have an enforcer."
Dick's brow knit as he hardly believed the question he was about to ask, "You want me to work for you?"
The two men looked at each other as if they weren't sure the other had heard them correctly.
"Well sorta," Jason finally said nonchalantly, "you'll have to prove you're a team player, and you'll have to follow my rules."
"And what might those be?"
"Well for starters," Jason began stubbing out his second cigarette, "you'll have to follow the pecking order and respect the rest of the team, you'll also have to acknowledge that I'm your leader, and I expect your loyalty."
Dick winced at the idea of following Jason's lead as he was impulsive and stubborn, often subbing brains for bullets.
"It's just an offer, you don't have to take it," Jason reassured, with what Dick thought may have been a little disappointment.
Dick looked up at him again, but this time with a little more confidence. "If I take your offer, then what are you gonna offer me?"
Jason laughed a little shocked, unable to shake how much he sounded like Bruce. "My respect, and more importantly, my help."
Dick furrowed his brow in question as Jason continued, "You're out of your league down here, this isn't your world—it's mine. You know that, that's why you came here, isn't it?"
The former Boy Wonder shuddered at the truth. It wasn't his world, it wasn't even close, but to Jason, this horrible, dubious, and most ruthless place, was home. And if anyone could help him navigate through it, it was the Red Hood.
"Why do you want me as your enforcer?"
"Because you're strong, calculated, and you were trained by the best. Why wouldn't I want you on my team?" the anti-hero replied, setting aside his more malicious feelings.
"You're not threated by me being here?" Dick questioned, recalling a time where Jason saw Dick as a threat.
"No, as a matter of fact, I see it as good business opportunity. I could use someone like you."
That was a lie, at least the part about being threatened, but Jason did mean what he said about an opportunity. When else would he get the chance to tarnish Dick Grayson's reputation and spite the Bat all at the same time?
"What would I have to do?"
8888
Raven continued to wait with the rest of the Top and Second tier Outlaws (as they were called), quiet worry still deep in her eyes. Jinx, by now, had let Raven be, though she could tell Jinx hadn't lost interest in her. Still, she'd looked on at everyone, trying to put names to faces. She already knew the devil boy's name was Eddie (or at least that was what someone had referred to him as) and she already knew Jinx.
She looked over at Red X, who still sat on the steps, only slightly brooding. She slowly began to make her way to him, being careful not to rouse any suspicion as she went.
Once she reached the steps, she politely ask if she could sit, to which the thief replied, "I don't know, Sunshine, can you?" not even looking down at her.
Raven rolled her eyes, feeling a bit foolish and began to walk off. X however, glanced down at her from the corner of his eye, and quickly regretted taking his anger out on her so sharply.
"Wait," he called, just before she'd walked off the last step, "That was really douchy of me."
She turned to face him and shrugged, "Surprisingly, that's not the douchiest thing you've ever said to me."
The thief cracked a coy smile, "Well somebody around here has to play the arbitrary tool every now and then," X playfully added. "Sit down, Sunshine."
She took a seat beside him and gave him a small smile. He looked over at her, her hair still damp as were her clothes. He'd noticed by now that she'd shed her hoodie as it no longer offered the comfort of warmth. He followed her line of sight to the door she so eagerly wanted to open, the look on her face still dripping with distress.
"It's gonna be okay, don't worry," Red X said in an attempt to settle her mind.
Raven looked over at him, tension forming in her brow. "Do you really think they're okay in there?"
"Yeah, I'm sure they're fine," he replied, truly meaning it. "We would know by now if they weren't?"
She nodded bravely, trying hard to keep up her shattering front. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Shoot."
"How long have you known Jason for?"
X shrugged, a blank expression falling over his face as his mind tried to sum up the time. "I'd say about 5 years or so."
"That's a lot longer than I thought," Raven mused with a little surprise.
"Yeah, I did a few jobs for the League of Shadows and Jason was kinda Talia's pet at the time. I was sent on a few missions with him, that's how I learned I could trust him."
Raven glanced away, a crude look on her face.
"Everything alright, Sunshine?"
"Yeah," she mumbled nervously, "it's just odd to hear someone say they trust Jason Todd."
"Why?" X replied, a little new to the notion.
"That came out wrong," the sorceress stumbled. "What I mean was…"
"You don't trust him," X said, finishing her sentence.
An awkward look of embarrassment took over her face as she wanted to word it more delicately. "Well sort of. You see, I never met Jason, but I know of him, and I know that he and Dick have a difficult history together. I'm just afraid that history is gonna," she paused a moment, her fears festering just at the tip of her tongue, "get them killed…"
She instantly rued those final words that fell from her lips. Her eyes landing on the blonde thief who seemed less uncomfortable than her.
"I get it, don't worry. Trust isn't something that comes easy, especially around here." Red X glanced down at his hands, the tools of his trade, the tasks they'd committed, forever staining them. "But you don't have to worry. Jason's not a bad guy, he's got a heart in there—somewhere. And if he has your loyalty, he'll go to Hell and back for you."
"You make him sound like some outlaw saint."
"Because he is," Red X replied with a laugh, "at least in the same way that every saint's a sinner. That's sorta how it works on this side of Heaven."
Raven, smiled ironically at the notion and nodded, seeing that the young man wasn't as heartless as she initially thought, finding this less guarded version more inviting.
"Thank you, by the way."
X looked over at the sorceress and raised his brow in question, "For what?"
"For not being a douche." She smiled at him fondly, still a little weak from the events of the night. "So what about you? How'd you end up on this side of Heaven?"
"Really shitty parents," X nodded sardonically.
"How shitty?" Raven replied knowing a thing or two about really shitty parents.
"My dad, he tried to kill me, and thought that he had, so my mom buried me to cover it up."
Raven didn't say anything for a moment as her face plummeted, her jaw nearly hitting the floor at the horrible tale.
"I'm kidding," X reassured, letting Raven exhale from the discomfort she was momentarily stricken with. "But, as parents, they did really suck. My dad was a really bad guy, and my mom was always covering for him— though she was no angel herself. But together, they would have burnt down the world if they thought they could make a buck."
"That truly sounds like a living Hell," Raven mused, feeling sorry for the boy.
"It was, and they burned me pretty bad too. So bad, I'm still trying put out the—"
Before X could finish, the door finally opened, causing everyone to rise to their feet, especially Raven. Jason stepped out side by side with Dick, everyone waiting eagerly to hear what had transpired. Dick looked over at Raven as she stood by Red X, who looked on curiously.
"Alright everyone, I want you to meet my newest Enforcer. I trust that you will respect him just as you would any other member of this team," Jason said, breaking the silence.
"Enforcer?" A bald man questioned, the number 14 branded in ink on his neck. "Does that mean this guy just became Top Tier?"
Jason looked over at X and Jinx, who both had questioning looks on their faces, as did everyone else.
"Yeah, Schizo. Grayson here is now Top Tier and you should be happy he is," Jason defended. "I know that some of you may find it unfair, but as far as I'm concerned, this is the right call. These last few weeks have been hard. We've lost some good people, and we're down three members. We need the muscle."
"I'm sorry," Mutt interrupted (clearly just as upset as the man known as Schizo) "I get we need the manpower, but why bump this guy up above resta us?"
"Because the rest of you just aren't ready, not even those of you have been here from the beginning," Jason replied as some nodded in understanding. However, there were still those that weren't sold. "I'm sorry, but I'm not gonna send you guys out there to get killed if I can help it."
Raven looked over at Dick, worry painted on her pretty face, 'I really don't like the sound of that.'
"Also, with Brick gone, we've been down a Beta and I've decide who my new second in command will be," Jason finally added, "X."
Everyone looked over in the thief's direction, an uneasy expression on his young looking face. "Thanks JT… I'm honored."
Raven couldn't help but notice the lack of excitement tethered to his words, the acceptance coming off dull and unfelt.
Jason nodded and looked over at Jinx, "And that leaves you, Jinx. How do you feel about being my new Lieutenant?"
"Does it pay more?" she shrugged nonchalantly.
Jason only smiling with a, "No."
"That's cause you're a cheap asshole," Jinx mused crossing her arms, "But if it will help the team then—hell—I'll take it."
Raven could tell Jinx meant it, that she appreciated the promotion and took it to heart. A very different feeling then she got from Red X.
"Good," Jason concluded with an amused smile.
"So then who's the new Sargent gonna be?" the painted redhead asked from the corner.
"I haven't figured that out yet, Duela," Jason shrugged, "But we'll talk about it tomorrow. So—if anyone has any objections or concerns—we'll go over them then. In the meantime, everyone go home, and stay vigilant. I don't want any repeats of… well you all know."
Raven continued to stare at her former leader, still not liking the sound of the issue at hand.
"X, what's he's talking about?"
The thief peered over at her, a heavy expression pulling him down. But before he could reply to her question, he was addressed once more.
"X will take you two party crashers back to the motel. We'll put you two up in more permanent digs tomorrow. Come on, I'll walk you guys out. I still have a few more things to discuss with you, Grayson."
Dick nodded, and looked over at Raven, who he could see was a little distraught, "Can you give me a minute, Jason? I just have to—"
"Talk to your girl?" Jason interrupted, "Yeah, go ahead. I'll meet you two upstairs."
Dick nodded again and watched Jason walk off, signaling for Red X to follow. Raven glanced at the Outlaw as he walked past, trying to pull any emotional clarity from him, but the room was too crowded, and frankly, she was just too tired. She heard Dick call her name as he began to approach her, snapping her out of her daze. She turned her head in his direction and wasted no time meeting him half way.
"You okay," he asked, noticing her worry and fear.
"I just wasn't sure what to expect," Raven replied. "What was Jason talking about; do you even know?"
"I do," Dick replied "I'll tell you about it when we get back to the motel, okay?"
Raven only nodded, still unconfident in the situation, but convinced herself that her former leader would never steer her wrong. Which seemed to be the only thing she had left to hold on to. Dick felt her softly take his hand, her grip fragile and aching. He tighten his hand around hers, trying to give her the notion that she would be safe as long as they had each other, and that's what he truly believed.
"I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, Rae. I promise," Dick whispered as they began to walk up the stairs.
She stopped and looked up at him, her eyes heavy and her face troubled. "I'm not worried about me, Richard. I'm worried about you."
He took her face in his hands and tilted her gaze to meet his. "Don't worry, Rae. I got this—we got this," he urged.
Raven gave him a soft smile and nodded, Dick returning her smile with reassurance. He took her hand again and led her up the stairs where Jason waited at the bar, talking to the woman Red X referred to as Clancy. The head Outlaw looked over at them, as did Clancy. She turned away and began to talk to the older man called Hogan—a tall, stout man, with neatly groomed facial hair.
Dick noticed the questioning looks falling in his direction, some more obvious than others. Jinx really didn't seem to care much, almost brushing their presence off as if they were nothing. Whereas Mutt and Schizo's glares' remained cold and unwelcoming, not that Dick really cared. He was more concerned with other things and what he'd have to do in the coming days.
Jason rose from the bar he was leaning over and tilted his head for the two birds to follow him outside. Dick followed, tugging Raven along with him, noticing Jinx giving her a passive, yet chilly look. He also noticed Raven's reaction to it, and for a moment, he actually thought she may have been intimidated.
Once they made their way through the doorway out of the sea of crude looks, Dick noticed the rain had finally ceased. He glanced up to see the sky starting to open, revealing the bright glow of the hollow moon overhead. Jason stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the door to close, his arms crossed firmly.
"You good?" he asked, addressing his adoptive brother.
Dick looked over at Raven and nodded slowly, still hesitant however, "Yeah."
"You don't sound completely sold," Jason mused and looked over at Raven, "What about you, sweetheart?"
Raven glanced over at her former leader, taken off guard by the Outlaw's question. "I trust Richard's judgment," she said in a low, off-kilter voice.
"You don't trust mine though," Jason shrugged.
Raven's eyes widened a bit, but she kept herself as together as possible, "Well I don't know you."
"No," Jason replied, "you only know of me."
Raven glanced down at the concrete below her feet, the shine of the street lights giving it an elegant glow. She wrapped her free arm around herself, the damp air, leaving her skin raw.
"You're cold," Jason noticed, and began to walk toward her.
He began to take off his coat, Dick looking on with a critical eye. Once in front of Raven, Jason began placing the brown leather jacket over her pale, shivering shoulders. Raven wasn't really sure how to react, and lightly flinched as the leather draped over her, her face looking indifferent for the moment. She could feel Dick's protective nature bleeding from his stare, but he said nothing, and only watched as Jason completed an actual act of kindness.
"I know you don't trust me and that's fine," Jason began, taking a lock of her hair in is fingers, "but from this point, I'm not gonna give you a reason not to."
He turned to Dick whose eyes followed him, watching Jason step toward him. He reached out his hand to the ex-Titan's, Raven watching from Dick's side.
"Do we have a deal, Grayson?"
Dick glanced over at Raven, a little jealous at the sight of her in Jason's coat. He could tell by her eyes that she was apprehensive, but that she truly did trust his judgment. And if that was the way it had to be, then she could live with that.
"We have a deal," Dick replied, trying to pull every ounce of confidence into his voice.
Jason took Dick's hand in a firm hand shake, solidifying their deal. Dick tried to remain certain in his decision, but found it difficult given his history with Jason. For a moment his eyes drifted from the Outlaw and off to the space behind him, where he noticed three odd, but familiar figures.
The three homeless men were in the middle of some (unconventional) late night stroll, singing a strange tree-part harmony he didn't recognize. But he had to admit, they sounded pretty damn good for three, unrefined vagrants as they sang:
"Stone cold broke in the middle of the winter, oh like a poor man's, son.
Stone cold broke in the middle of the winter, oh like a poor man's, son.
My father—is a hard earned worker; my mother, has a heart of—gold.
I was—never much younger, but I feel, twice as old."
They continued as they passed, the Scotsman looking back at Dick and giving him a sly wink, his mischievous manner, leaving him to wonder, "Who are They?"
"I'll be damned if I know," Jason said pulling Dick's attention away from the peculiar trio, but not without giving them a slight nod of approval. "But I have feeling this little deal we have is gonna be fun."
Dick raised his brow ironically, unsure about how much fun the experience would truly be. But before he could respond to Jason's comment, Raven responded for him.
"I'm sure it's gonna be a fucking blast," she drawled, Dick actually relieved at the emergence of her sarcasm.
Jason only laughed, a hearty smile actually present on his face. "I can tell I'm gonna like you, Rae. You, for once, have good taste, Grayson."
Dick smiled and shook his head, not really paying any attention. His eyes had again diverted on the homeless men as they continued to stumble in song down the sidewalk, their voices carrying like ghosts in the fog:
"I feel—a cold wind blowing
Dark clouds form on the western—sky.
I've got—a feeling like knowing that everyone here—will someday die.
Stone cold broke in the middle of the winter, oh like a poor man's son.
Stone cold broke in the middle of the winter, oh like a poor man's son."
A/N: So there's the update, I hope you liked it! The song "Poor Man's Son" is by Noah Gunderson. He's really talented and I feel like a lot of the music I listen to while writing this story is written by him, so you should really check him out. Well tell me what you think of this chapter I really want to know how you guys feel of about the progress of this story.
Love you all. —Ophelia