The Red Right Hand

by Ophelia'song

Dick Grayson learns that some ghosts aren't so easily laid to rest when he returns to Gotham to visit his troubled friend Roy. In conversation, he learns some disturbing information about the man who once stood to destroy him—Slade. With his team on the verge of ruin, Nightwing finds himself in a dispute with the Justice League that may cost him his leadership and possibly more.

27. But Thinking Makes It So

A/N: So I know I said last night when I updated my other story (which you should go read because I have some fun idea I'm gonna try out) that this would take longer, but it didn't. Think of it as an early Xmas present! I'd like to thank Elliniest and Jen for helping with editing and brain storm and just being amazing! Thanks guys, I honestly would not be updating this without the help of either of you. As for the rest of you lovely souls! Thanks for all the feedback, I appreciate you all taking the time to share your thoughts. I hope you all enjoy this chapter, I will go ahead and say that this one gets pretty dark. Yes: Darker than the grave robbing, but I have been assured by Jen and Elliniest that it's not too much. However, I will let those of you be the judge. But answer your question: yes this chapter is filled with dark humor, some graphic violence and the occasional 90's nostalgia reference. So in most respects (in the soon to be famous words of Wally West): Exactly what you'd expect. But I'm really excited for this chapter as I stared writing it about two years ago! So it's crazy that it's finally up. I also wanted to add, I have not forgotten about my Jason Rose readers! I'm still working on those side projects. But I'm waiting on Elliniest as she moved recently and I need her to help me with a cut scene I wanna post, but it's just not right yet. Any way, I love you guys. I'm hoping to have the next chapter up around Christmas, but that slow burn still needs some work first ;). But if I fail I wanna wish you all Happy Holidays!

Oh and P.s. I have made a lot of progress on chapter 33 and will hopefully start on 34 next week which means that the end is near! Most likely by 35!

With Love -Ophelia

Chapter 27

But Thinking Makes it So

"All of our, ears to the floorboards.
My eyes are falling everywhere.
I know, who's in the backyard,
But who's that living in our home?"

-Citizens

Dick watched as Dr. Tompkins examined Roy, checked his vitals and asked how he was feeling. Donna sat beside him, diligently taking in the information down to every syllable. The good doctor pulled the earbuds of her stethoscope down around her neck and stood up right.

"Well everything looks good," she began, "for the fact you nearly died," she added, "you're lucky." She began placing her things in her leather bag and continued. "I'll need to take some blood, see how your liver function is doing. I'll also need a urine sample."

Roy nodded and held out his arm, the nearly fresh track still present as he made a fist. "Do you think I might be able to handle something to take the edge off the withdrawal?"

She looked at him, both Dick and Donna glancing up in unison.

"Probably not," Dr. Tompkins replied. "You're lucky your liver and kidneys are functioning at all." She injected the needle, Roy not even fazed by the piercing of his skin. "You're probably gonna have to ride it out. No meds, no alcohol—I'd even recommend no smoking for at least a week if you can help it."

"Yeah not gonna happen," Roy droned.

His withdrawal was starting to get the better of him, it had been well over 24 hours since his last hit and it was beginning to wear on him.

"We'll it's your funeral," she quipped removing the needle. She placed the blood sample in her bag and fastened it closed then waited until Roy returned from the bathroom. "You need to drink lots of fluids, especially water, pedialyte is also not a bad idea, it will help with the sweats and keep you hydrated which is key."

"I know, I've been here before Doc."

She looked at him tiredly. "Well then it obviously didn't take," she replied and looked over to Dick. "May I speak with you both in private?"

"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of me."

"Not with that attitude," Dr. Tompkins replied, "Now if you two don't mind…"

The two got up and followed the doctor into the hall where Roy couldn't hear her. Donna looking back mouthing a sorry.

Once out in the hall, Dr. Thompkins explained, "He's definitely improving, but I'm afraid his withdrawal his beginning to enter its worst stage."

"What's that mean?" Dick asked with worry.

"It means that without medication, he'll be insufferable," she replied. "He's still in stage one, he's irritable, has some body aches, has trouble sleeping and mild sweating."

"So what's stage two look like in its full glory?" Dick asked.

"Chills, vomiting, severe nausea and stomach pain, ect."

"Christ."

"So if we can't give him anything, how is he supposed to get through it?" Donna asked concerned.

"The same way he's doing it now," Dr. Thompkins said regretfully.

"This is gonna be a shit show," Dick sighed.

"But," The doctor said reassuringly, "there are other treatment options that should be considered."

"Like what," Dick asked tiredly.

"Rehab," the doctor said as though it should have been obvious. "He needs help beyond just recovering from his overdose. Help he can only get from professionals, people who know how to deal with peoplelike him."

"He won't go," Donna replied, "he made that abundantly clear."

Dr. Tompkins took a deep breath and went on. "There's a facility here in Gotham. It's very discreet, mostly geared towards rich kids and debutantes. I can probably get Roy into the program, but it's gonna be costly."

"Okay, do it," Dick said, no questions asked.

"Would you like to even know how much it costs?" Dr. Thompkins asked sardonically.

"I'll pay it, I don't care."

"Sweetheart, why don't you go check on Roy?" the doctor suggested looking over at Donna.

The Amazon nodded hesitantly and stepped inside leaving the two in the hall.

The old doctor looked at the young man, she knew he had his friends best interests at heart, she even admired it. But that wasn't enough.

"Richard, you have a big heart, just like Bruce, but you need to understand that writing a check won't fix this. You need to make sure that Roy wants this just as much as you do."

"He does."

"I'm not convinced," Dr. Thompkins stated. "Now I'm not opposed to treating him and helping him get on a better path, but you need to understand that he has an 85% chance of relapsing, and if he does, he'll die."

"I know that," Dick grimaced. "That's why he needs treatment."

"It is," she agreed, "but I don't know if he knows that, or better yet, if he cares."

Dick glared back at a loss; he knew she was right about everything. He knew that though Roy wanted to be better, that it was more than likely he didn't want to fight for it. That he didn't want to fight for anything.

Dr. Thompkins packed her things and got ready to leave. Informing Roy and his friends what he needed to do. She felt it best that Dick, along with Donna, tell Roy about the rehab center themselves, as there was little she could say to persuade him. She told Dick she would begin Roy's enrollment process, and hopefully have it done within the next few days. But In the meantime, he was not to be left alone.

Dick walked her down to her car, thanking her for her help.

She smiled and turned to him before getting into her vehicle. "It's what I do… that's why I know this is so hard for you."

He glanced down at the filthy pavement as the older woman opened her door.

"I suspect you haven't told him yet?"

"Not yet—no," Dick replied crossing his arms.

"We had a deal," she said. "I understand if you need a few more days… but that's all I'm giving you and then I'm telling him."

"Once Roy's taken care of, I'll do it, I just don't want him involved."

"That's fair," the doctor agreed. "I'll call you once everything is set. In the meantime, talk to Roy. See if you can get him in the right direction."

"And if I can't?"

"Then you might want to brace yourself for the worst."

Dick watched as she got into her car and drove off. He felt defeated, simply for the fact that it didn't matter how hard he tried, he couldn't save Roy unless he allowed him to do so. And there was a good chance he wouldn't let that happen.

He turned back and made his way up the steps, noticing Jason standing at the top.

"How'd it go?"

"I don't know," Dick said wearily. "Leslie's gonna try and get Roy into a rehab center on the down low."

"The one where rich kids go to pretend they went off to help feed hungry children in some unheard of third world country?"

"Yeah?"

"That's pricey."

"I've heard," Dick said with question. "How'd you know?"

"Bruce may have threatened to send me there a time or two for drinking. Some shit about me becoming an alcoholic."

"You are an alcoholic."

"Yeah a functioning one," Jason replied as though it were nothing. "What's Roy say?"

Dick shook his head and moved on. "Haven't told him yet."

Jason nodded. "I just talked to Montoya, we're all set. She's gonna give Harvey Jr. a heads up, he's apparently more like dad than we thought."

Dick frowned, perplexed. "Harvey Jr.?"

"Yeah he's a cop now," Jason replied. "Funny how that shit works out."

"Who the fuck gave that kid a badge?"

"You might wanna asked you're ex girlfriend that," Jason said putting out his cigarette.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean," Dick asked offended.

"You're the fucking detective, don't make me do all the work for you, Dickhead," Jason replied tiredly.

Dick frowned harder and shook his head. "She's gonna keep our names out of it right?"

"Oh yeah," Jason shrugged, "Harvey doesn't care as long as he gets the glory."

"What about Montoya?"

Jason shrugged, "She's not in it for the glory, or the money, well at least not really."

"How so?"

Jason took a deep breath and elaborated. "Her mom's dying and her dad's too old to take care of himself. She can hardly keep up with medical bills. It's simple really… and sad."

"So what? She figured if she sold her soul to you that she'd at least be in the right?" Dick asked conflicted.

"More like as close to it as she can be on someone's payroll," Jason replied. "She gives us a heads up about police raids and leads that could land on our doorstep, gives us intel on street activity and we give her something to help take care of her folks. Like I said, it's simple and she gets to keep her hands clean."

Dick looked away, unsure of how to feel, caught between two very different aspects of his conscience. "We should probably go talk to Roy about rehab..."

"Yeah," Jason replied, "though I don't see it going over well. Maybe we should have Donna do it?"

Dick glanced over at him, feeling a little awkward. "I don't wanna put that on her, I mean, she's already dealing with a lot and this Roy thing is really cutting her up."

"Yeah, I get that and I don't wanna put this on her either, but if there's one thing Donna's always been good at, it's talking sense into that shithead."

It was true, though Dick probably wouldn't have worded it quite that way. "Well you should know, you're also a shithead."

Jason raised a finger in his direction, but felt it futile to refute the point.

The two men traveled up the stairs, Donna was waiting outside for them, knowing whatever discussion needed to be had, probably shouldn't be presented without a game plan.

"Hey, how is he," Dick asked as she stood up.

"Irritable," she sighed, "I didn't tell him about the rehab center."

"Yeah," Dick said, "we should probably tell him together, but you might need to be the one to drive the point home..."

She nodded. If there was one thing she was good at, it was being Roy's voice of reason.

"Okay, Jay you ready?"

He nodded, prepared to play disapproving father if need be.

The three walked in, Roy restlessly writhing in bed. It was clear by the look on his face that he was experiencing muscle aches and nausea, two clear signs of withdrawal. Donna took a seat at his bedside, trying to comfort him in his time of need. Jason remained in the doorway, keeping his distance, it'd be easier doling out the tough love that way. Dick however (playing the role of the Lorax (minus the mustache) stood at the foot of his bed.

"I can tell you right now that I already don't like where this is going," Roy groaned, taking note of the blocking.

"Well get comfortable and listen," Jason scowled arms crossed.

Donna placed a hand on Roy's and smiled. "Listen, I know this isn't easy for you, and we're all sympathetic to what you are going through, but we need to start thinking of what's best for you, and all of us in the long run."

"And what would that be?" Roy asked looking up at Dick.

"Rehab."

"No," Roy snapped, "absolutely not."

"Why," Dick asked, already annoyed, "you said you wanted to get better?"

"I do, but I can't do rehab: the League… they'll find out."

"They won't," Donna urged, "there's a center here in the city, they're discrete and they specialize in the type of clientele that likes their privacy."

"So rich brats, and Gotham's elite, great."

"Y'know you could at least act like you give a shit, Roy," Jason snapped. "You might not give a fuck about what happens to you, but that doesn't mean we don't."

"Fuck off, Jason! You're the last person to talk." The archer spat. "You practically spit in the face of everything you were ever taught. I mean you fucked Dick over royally, and he literally has the scar to prove it."

"Fuck you, Harper!" Jason snarled and stepped forward, but Dick stopped him, Donna scolding Roy for saying such a thing. "This isn't about me!"

"No, it's about me!" Roy growled, rising from the mattress, Donna catching him before he could get far.

"It's about all of us!" Dick corrected. "It's about the fact we care about you and we put our necks out for you because we wanna help you!" The archer paused and looked back at his old friend bitterly. "But we can't make this decision for you, Roy! You're the only one who can."

Roy looked over at Dick, still holding Jason back, Donna keeping the archer at bay.

"What if I can't?" Roy replied in an empty tone.

"Then you really don't give a shit about any of us," Jason said coldly.

"Jay, that's not fair—"Donna began, tears welling up in her eyes.

"No!" Jason snapped. "If he wants to give up and die, let him! I, for one, am done watching him try." He stormed out of the apartment, unable to look at the narcissistic addict, selfishly trying to pull the strings of the people around him.

Donna went after him to Roy's dismay, leaving Dick standing at the foot of his bed, a bitter look creased in his brow, one only seen on the stoic face of his mentor. Roy locked eyes with his, the normally kind blue eyes of his friend closer to a stony grey now. For a moment, he felt as though he were staring at Bruce.

"Get your shit together," Dick ordered coldly, then set off to catch up with Donna and Jason.

Roy crossed his arms, the words hitting him harder than one could really conceive. The sight of the only three people he really had left, walking away from him, left him wounded, reminding him that he still had something to lose.

Dick found Jason and Donna arguing in the hall, Donna upset that Jason would be so candid, Jason upset that she was distressed.

"You didn't have to be that honest!"

"Yes I did, Donna, he needed to hear that!"

"He's not himself!" she defended.

"I can see that," the Outlaw replied smugly, "and if the real Roy is in there somewhere, he'll thank me for telling him the truth!"

"Both of you shut the fuck up!" Dick snapped. "You're both right, but bitching at each other isn't gonna fix anything. Roy knows what he has to do, if he doesn't do it, then we have to walk away. It's the only thing left."

"We can't just do that," Donna said, a few tears falling from her face.

Dick placed his arm around her and gripped her shoulder, trying to convince her that everything would be okay, though there was a better chance that it wouldn't be. Dick looked over at Donna, trying to make her see the reality.

"This is his choice Donna. We can't make it for him."

She nodded then turned and hugged Jason. He placed his chin on the top of her head and Dick looked away a minute, recalling a hidden detail in their relationship.

"How long did Leslie say it would take?" Jason asked.

"A few days maybe?" she said. "She said she'd call once she figured it out."

Jason nodded and Donna turned from him and wiped her eyes. "I have to leave tonight, I have Robert for the next few days. I won't be able to help."

"That's okay, Donna." Dick assured. "You've done more than any of us. You go take care of your kid and worry about yourself for a change."

"What about you two?"

"Don't worry about us, Dee. We got this," Jason smiled. "We'll bring him back to the bar."

"You really think that's a good idea?" she asked with concern.

He shrugged. "No, but I'm not above bolting the door shut or chaining him to the bed if it keeps him sober and from pawning my shit."

Dick rolled his eyes. "Yeah that's a little overkill, but there's also a lot more people available to help keep an eye on him."

She nodded. "Then we should probably get his stuff packed?"

The two men nodded in agreement and Jason headed in to go tell Roy the (uh...) good news?

Donna began to saunter in behind him when she felt Dick's hand on her shoulder. She turned and looked up at him, her face trying to fight the reality and appear hopeful, but it just wasn't.

"It's gonna be okay, Donna."

She nodded and placed her hand on his, thankful to have him in her life. "Thank you."

He smiled and followed her in, though it was clear he didn't quite believe his own words himself.

---

The four girls had finally arrived back at the bar, bags and boxes in tow. Rose stashed most of her things in the bedroom and took out an old makeup bag filled with an assortment of drug store products she hardly ever used.

"Here," she said throwing Jinx the bag. "That's all I got for makeup."

Jinx unzipped it, looking inside and taking inventory of everything at her disposal. "You got something whorish to wear?"

Rose nodded shamelessly and held up a few articles of clothing, each resembling part of a naughty school girl uniform. "This is all I got, but it doesn't get sluttier than this."

"Well luckily that's the only requirement necessary for today's little outing," Jinx quipped. "Now sit down while I do your makeup."

"Just don't make me look like I choked on a dick and cried, okay?" Rose said sitting down across from her.

"That's kinda the point," Mia said flatly.

Rose looked at Jinx and shrugged. "She's not wrong."

"I'm afraid she isn't," Jinx added as she started applying concealer. "But I was thinking of going for young co-ed trying to pay her way through college."

"Oh so my spirits aren't entirely broken yet?"

The girls all giggled, Raven looking over at the tiny red skirt. "So what's up with the outfit?"

Rose smiled awkwardly. "Let's just say it was Halloween and I was so drunk I couldn't even read… or walk."

"That's the worst kinda drunk," Jinx laughed, dabbing the space below Rose's eyes. "I got so shit faced once, I thought I couldn't read. Then I realized I was trying to read Arabic."

The girls all laughed, apparently finding some common ground.

"Christ, I was so drunk that night I probably could have read Arabic," Rose giggled.

"Oh god that last time I was that drunk," Raven said with a laugh, "was Donna's wedding."

"Oh I heard about that," Jinx said recalling a colorful tail about the intoxicated Titan and her equally drunk friends.

"Uh Wally is such an asshole," Raven droned.

"I wanna hear," Rose giggled precociously.

"Yeah why don't we save that for another time," Raven said, noticing Jinx flash a shit eating grin. "Let's just say along with tequila, champagne is not my friend."

"Tis not," Jinx teased, "but at least Dick saved you from making that awful mistake."

Raven nodded. "Yeah too bad Roy had to go running his mouth. Kory was pissed."

"Well that's what happens when you let Gar keep feeding you alcohol, little instigator."

"Wow there is so much context I am just not getting here," Rose complained looking back at both girls.

"We'll tell you over a troth of wine some time," Jinx smirked.

"I don't really like wine."

"If you wanna partake in girl talk, you'll drink it," Raven said putting the objection to bed.

"So how long have you all known each other," Mia asked trying to work her way in, "you all seem really close?"

Jinx and Rose both looked at each other, glaring ironically.

"Well," Jinx began "we all kinda hate each other, but Raven and I have known each other for simply too damn long, Rose and I, only about a year or so. I frankly think she's a pain in the ass, but Raven seems to like her so..."

"So then why are you all acting like friends then?" Mia added. "I just thought you doing her makeup meant—"

"That we're friends? No." Rose corrected. "Think of it more as when the older more tired whore has to show the new girl the ropes," she said, Jinx scowling at her.

"Yeah, cause the new one's too young and stupid to keep her whore mouth shut."

Raven smiled trying not to laugh too hard. "If I were you, I'd be ever vigilant that Jinx doesn't stab you in the eye with a mascara wand. You don't wanna end up like daddy."

"Shhh," Jinx hissed playfully, "now she's gonna know my plan." She smiled mischievously and took out a blush brush, shocked Rose even owned one. "But I'm doing this because I'm playing nice in the sandbox, and I get the added satisfaction of pissing off Jason."

"Glad to serve as your instrument of vengeance," Rose quipped with a slight smirk.

"See when you say shit like that, it makes me kinda like you and I hate myself for it."

"That's because deep down you know you're wrong about me, Pinky."

"Let's not jump the gun, Tart," Jinx warned, "and don't ever call me that again, unless you wanna die painfully."

"Bitch, I'd like to see you try," Rose warned smugly.

"Okay," Raven sighed, "I will kill you both if you even try and brawl, so don't get any cute ideas."

Rose looked over at Jinx curiously. "You think she could take us both?"

Jinx looked over at Raven, as though sizing her up. "Like I said, Raven is a special kind of bitch. You should have seen what she did to Dr. Light this one time. From what I heard he's either dead or still in therapy."

"That'd be therapy," Raven confirmed.

"Because he tried to kill himself, now I remember," Jinx sang ironically.

"Okay, I'll avoid pissing you off then."

"Good plan," Raven smiled. "I'm gonna go see if Clancy needs any help down at the bar, you three don't do anything stupid."

"Like, jam this eyeliner in Slade Jr's cornea?" Jinx said emotionlessly. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"You stab me with that thing, it's going straight up your—"

"Hey!" Raven snapped comically. "I thought we just discussed you two not pissing me off?" she reminded. "Now like I said, nothing stupid."

"What about me?" Mia asked hardly doing anything of importance.

"You're in charge," Raven said giving the girl an approving nod. "Now make sure Miss Saigon here looks the part. I want Jason to lose his shit when he sees her."

"Oh fuck you, Roth, I'm only half Asian," Rose joked.

"Well that explains why you're only half good at math then," Jinx quipped carelessly as everyone stared at her with an awkward humor. Rose giggled at that, in fact, she hated math.

"On that note, I'm leaving," Raven said as she slipped out the door.

She went downstairs to find Clancy serving a few drinks, Duela aimlessly helping her. X was hard at work constructing his part of the plan. He had everything nearly worked out, he just had to make a few adjustments. Raven took a seat beside him and looked down at the paper.

"How's the homework coming along?"

He looked up at her startled, but a smile quickly took hold of him and his posture softened.

"It's good, pretty much there, just a few points I need Chuckles to go over, but it's pretty basic."

"What is it?"

"Oh me and Wally are gonna start a brawl in the bar the working girls are parked outside of."

She laughed. "You're right, that is pretty basic."

"Yes, but sometimes you need a good classic. Never underestimate the basics."

"Fair enough," Raven conceded, "but if you don't mind me asking, how are you gonna get the cops to show up. I thought people didn't rat in this part of town?"

"They don't," he replied, "but anonymous callers do." He grinned provocatively. "What do you say Sunshine, wanna rat for me?"

She smiled coyly. "Well if it's for a good cause…"

"Oh it's for avery good cause." X raised his hand and laid it on her knee.

Raven slowly let her eyes glance down at it and looked up at him curiously. He smirked at her, but before he could say anything further the door swung open and Dick stepped inside. Raven stood up, leaving X to his lonesome.

"Christ, way to cock-block me, Chuckles."

Clancy looked down at him from behind the bar and glanced at Raven as she flew to her unspoken love's side. "You should probably just forget about that one before you make a fool of yourself, Love."

X shrugged. "Uh I'm kinda a fool anyway, what's the difference?"

"Well I'm glad we at least agree on something."

Raven wrapped her arms around Dick, meeting him at the door. He didn't even think twice as pulled her close, resting his chin in the crook of her neck. He held her there a minute, the embrace somewhat comforting.

"I got your text," she finally said, feeling the unsettled feeling boiling in his stomach, "you okay?"

"Yeah," he sighed, holding her a moment longer than was probably warranted.

"How is he?" she asked, pulling away only enough to face him.

"Why don't you ask him yourself?"

Raven glanced beyond his shoulder, and took note of Roy as he was guided through the door by Donna. His face was sullen, carrying a sickly shade of pale green. She watched as Jason held the door open, he and Roy sharing an awkward glance.

"Raven," Roy mumbled, and took a seat at a table not far from the door.

"How you feeling?" she asked.

"Fan-fucking-tastic," he groaned, "how do I look like I feel?"

"Hey," Jason snapped, "don't talk to her that way. If it were for Ra—"

"It's fine," Raven reasoned, understanding Roy's current state wasn't exactly painless. "Anything I can do to help?"

"Yeah," Roy lamented, "Can you do anything for the pain?"

Dick immediately looked at her, knowing that she wasn't exactly faring well since pulling him back from the brink of death. She glanced back at him, unsure of what to say, so he spoke for her.

"Um Roy, Raven's sorta been under a large demand lately. I don't think she's up for taking on such a burden right now."

Roy scowled at Dick and looked at her coarsely. "I see how it is…"

"Roy," Donna scolded, Jason glaring back threateningly.

"Excuse me?" Dick mused with a venomous stare.

"It's fine, I can probably at least help with the nausea," Raven tried to reason.

"No Raven, you shouldn't have to," Dick said stepping in.

"Dude, you don't speak for her," Roy replied caustically. "I know you think you own her, but fuck, Grayson, you don't."

"Yeah, Roy you've told me before, but she doesn't want to," Dick insisted, clearly upset by the remark, but put it aside. "She's stressed out, saving you took huge toll on her!"

"Dick, it's fine," Raven tried, "I'll be fine."

"No," he replied looking straight at her, "you won't." Dicked looked over at Jason who seemed to agree. Roy will just have to bear his burden alone. "Take him upstairs, Raven you stay here."

Both Donna and Jason nodded, Donna taking Roy by the arm, but he pulled away. "I'm fine, I can walk myself," he said staring at Dick numbly, trying to mask the undertone of pain and sickness.

Dick watched as his friend was whisked away beyond the curtain and taken up the stairs. Raven glanced at him a little timidly, like she wanted to say something, but just couldn't quite compose the argument. He reached out and tried to take her hand, but she pulled away, making him frown at her.

"You could have just—"

"No, I couldn't," he finished.

She shook her head. "What if that were you?"

"It's not," he grimaced firmly, "and if it was… I wouldn't have asked you to take on something that damaging. You've done enough for him. He needs to go the rest of the way on his own."

She crossed her arms; he wasn't wrong, but she still felt like she had to do something—as if it were her job to.

He reached out his hand and took her face, she tried to fight a moment, but stopped when his eyes captured hers.

"I know you wanna help him, I do too, but this isn't our fight anymore, Rae, it's Roy's. We can't fight this battle for him, not if we want him to live…"

Her brow sank deeper and her lips formed a full pout as his right hand fell to her back and the other around her neck, pulling her to his chest. Her body willingly collapsing into it.

X looked on, any hope of wooing her away from her love seeming fickle and meaningless. Especially since the feeling wasn't as unrequited as some may have speculated.

---

Jason and Donna placed Roy in a small vacant room on the third floor, not far from his own apartment. His mood had deteriorated, and Jason could see just how volatile he was becoming. Something the Outlaw had little patience for.

Roy listlessly sunk to the bed as Donna knelt down, taking off his shoes, her voice calm and motherly as she spoke. Jason watched as she tended to him, her manner never seeming to lose its temper, she just kept coaxing him forward, kindly. Like she used to do for him.

"I'll have Clancy bring up a pot," Jason finally said, "just in case you can't make it to the bathroom."

Roy only nodded, his complexion looking more sunken and green by the minute.

Donna pulled back the covers and encouraged him to slip beneath them. He laid down, taking a deep breath. Donna let her fingers brush some hair from his clammy face, her touch soothing even through the churning of his stomach.

"I'll talk to Raven, okay?" she whispered. "You just try and get some rest." She leaned down and kissed his forehead, his eyes closing with a small smile he'd only give her.

"Thank you, Donna," he gripped her hand in his, nearly making her cry again.

"I'll be back tomorrow. Don't give up on me."

"I won't," he groaned painfully, though he feared the promise was empty.

A small tear fell from her eyes as she got up, the small drop staining his pillow. He stared at it, something so insignificant, yet so heartbreaking to him.

I wish I were a better man for you…

Donna made her way to the door, Jason meeting her ruefully. He placed a hand on her shoulder and guided her into the hall, closing the door and locking it behind them.

"Is that really necessary?"

He looked up at her, conviction clear in his green hemlock eyes. "If you want him to stay clean?"

She took a deep breath. "God this is a nightmare."

He groaned in agreement. "You know if this is too much for you, we'll all understand."

Donna looked at him, a sad bitterness fixed on her face. "He won't," she whimpered, "I'm not leaving him again, Jason—I can't."

"You have a kid, Donna. You're getting divorced. Why not just go take care of your life and come back when you're both ready."

She shook her head. She knew he was right, but her heart couldn't quite take to it. "What if it were you? Would you want me to go?"

"It was me two years ago, Donna, and I let you go…"

She looked down shamefully, if he had fought for her, she may have been swayed, but it seemed like it was far too late for the both of them now. She opened her mouth to speak, unclear of what would even come out, but before a word could be uttered, Jason's apartment door swung open.

"I thought I heard you out here," a husky voice said. "How do I look?" A pretty young woman followed the question, dressed in a provocative perversion of a good Catholic schoolgirl.

Donna lay witness as Jason's face became conflicted with sheepish embarrassment, yet left unable to stop gawking as she pulled him into a kiss.

"Oh my God," Jason droned blankly, "what the fuck are you wearing?"

"Just a lil something I had hidden away in my closet, you like?"

"Honestly, I'm afraid if I answer that, I'll go straight to Hell… Christ, Rose."

Donna stood by, both shocked, but somehow amused, yet still very much mortified. "You know what, I'm just gonna go now…"

Jason turned to her. "Donna wait—"

"Donna?" Rose turned her head and took actual notice of her, the beautiful Amazon still staring back at the pair, red faced. "Donna—this is Donna…"

Something about her tone changed and Jason realized damage control would need to be done.

"Yeah this is Donna," he said holding his breath.

"Um how does she know my name?" Donna asked stupidly.

"He told me." Rose smiled as if nothing was remotely wrong. "He didn't tell me you were smoking hot though."

"Oh my God…" he sighed, his hand falling over his agitated face.

"Um not to be rude here, but who are you?" Donna asked a little unsettled.

"Oh, I'm no one in particular," she said coyly, as though on some level she were having fun.

"She's my girlfriend," Jason said with a sharp look. "The one I told you about."

"Oh, nice to meet you," Donna said, raising her hand in a counterfeit wave. "I'm just gonna go find Raven now, and uh leave you two to...um whatever this is."

"It's nothing like it seems," Jason called.

"Oh it's exactly like it seems," Rose corrected confidently, then focused her attention on Jason. "So Donna?"

He nodded, he knew he was in trouble. "I swear it's nothing, it's—"

"I know," she shrugged taking hold of his collar, "it's just weird meeting the real thing, y'know?"

"Yeah," he said running his fingers through his hair. "What'ya come out here for anyway?"

"I was just gonna see if you wanted to play," she smiled, still playing with his coat as she leaned in, "but I'm not really in the mood anymore."

He let out a breath and looked her up and down. "It's okay, my Catholic guilt is getting the better of me anyway."

"I never pegged you as the religious type?"

"I'm not, but that get-up's making me feel like I need to go to confession—like for real."

He took notice of the lingering details of her chosen outfit: white thigh-high stockings and black (as she'd referred to them) come fuck-me pumps, hugging her hips, she wore a pleated, plaid skirt that was sinfully short, stained in red, her midriff as bare as the day she was born. He ironically thanked God that her breasts were covered (mostly) a red lace bra peeking out from the virgin white button-up, (or what was left of it) that was tied around her cleavage rather tightly. And if this display of depravity wasn't enough, her silver hair, left wavy from the braids she'd worn, was tied into meticulously messy pigtails, giving a rather lurid illusion, which was exactly the point. But at least he thought her makeup looked nice.

"Jesus Christ…"

She grinned a little cynically. "Something tells me Jesus doesn't wanna be invited to the party, JT."

---

Donna finally made her way down to the bar, catching Raven in her sights. Dick noticed her looking in the empath's direction and readied himself to act as a blockade if necessary. Raven noticed him stir and glanced over to see the Amazon honing in on her and stopped him.

"It's okay, Dick," she placed her hand on his forearm gently. "I've got this."

Donna approached them, placing a detached hand on her friend's shoulder. "Hey can you give us a minute?"

Dick looked down at Raven one last time, her eyes insisting for him to go. "Yeah," he nodded, his apprehension, however, keeping him somewhat tethered.

Both Raven and Donna waited until he left, heading up stairs to give them some privacy.

"Can I sit?" Donna asked looking down at the open chair beside the empath.

Raven nodded. "Of course." She glanced down at her hands, she already knew what Donna wanted. "I take it you're gonna ask me to help Roy?"

Donna's chest fell heavily beneath her blouse, not even surprised Raven knew. "That little magic trick may get you in trouble one of these days."

Raven shrugged, hardly affected. "Yeah, it's about to," she said. "Does Jason know?"

Donna's face fell, her usual warmth completely diluted. "I have no idea, what your—"

"You have every idea what I'm talking about, Donna. I'm not stupid and you're not a liar," Raven asserted. "Now, does heknow?"

"No," she replied coldly, "and it has to stay that way, Raven—he can't know."

Raven looked back at her, her face unmoved and stoic. "I won't say anything to anyone, but I need something from you."

Donna laughed bitterly. "So you're gonna blackmail me to get it, nice Rae."

"Shut up and listen," Raven hissed. "You know the League put Dick on leave indefinitely?" She watched as Donna nodded. "The League doesn't know we're here, it needs to stay that way."

Donna peered down, her blue eyes unable to look at her. "Fine, but what are you doing here."

"That's not part of the deal, Donna."

"Fuck your deal, Raven. You've already sworn me to secrecy, using my own child. Now what the hell are you hiding?"

Raven smirked, she never thought Donna could be so bitterly candid. "Roy apparently had a run-in with Slade when he was away—like really bad shit. He told Dick about it and how the League rejected his claims and refused to look into it. Well Dick's looking into it, Jason's helping. Congratulations, Donna, you know everything."

Raven could see the shock on Donna's face, as though everything she knew just shattered. "Roy's an addict because of whatever that monster did to him?"

"Apparently," Raven replied. "I saw some of it when I healed him…. it was awful."

"What happened?"

"It's not my burden to share," Raven said mournfully. "You need to ask Roy when he's ready."

"Y'know, you could have just come to me with this on your own. I would have understood. Why'd you have to bring Robert into it?"

"Because I didn't know how you'd react," Raven replied dully. "You were a Titan, brought up in the shadow of the Justice League, I didn't know if you could look past that."

"You did."

"Because I'm not like you, and I have a stake in the matter."

"You mean Richard?"

The empath didn't answer as she glanced away.

"You were always too protective of him."

"So were you," Raven countered, "that's probably why we never really clicked."

"Maybe," Donna agreed, "but honestly, I think it's more that you wouldn't let us. You do that with pretty much everyone."

"That's a fair opinion," Raven said. "I know I'm cold and overprotective to a fault, but I have to be."

Raven looked down at her hands again, recalling how little female friends she had. She never really took to Donna the way Kory did, the two becoming very close friends, Kory was her maid of honor for God sake. Raven, however, just didn't fit, and in all honesty, she didn't want to. Kory and Donna clicked, they were both outgoing and came from oddly similar backgrounds, their friendship made sense. Raven on the other hand, she was introverted and guarded her privacy, especially in her teens. Dick was the only one who ever really understood that, which was probably the reason she was so drawn to him. Dick often pointed out that Raven was like a stubborn house cat: Independent and set in her ways, noting that she didn't need your friendship, she'd have to want it. And he found the best way of doing that, was to set down the catnip and wait; eventually, she'd come to you. Dick was always patient with her and did his best to honor her space and respect the parts of herself she just wasn't ready to share. He knew if he wanted her trust, he'd have to earn it, almost as if he knew once he did, she'd never forsake him, not for anyone. And in time, it was safe to say she never had.

Some of the other Titans caught on to this trick, though they never quite perfected it as Dick had. Even Wally seemed to fair better in her favor, they could talk about cars and mechanics, something she and Vic bonded over extensively. Wally's emotions were simple and carefree, they never overwhelmed or demanded anything of her, whereas Kory's often grew turbulent. Donna's, on the other hand, were tame enough, but their interests were far too dissimilar and their culture far to distant to really make a connection. However, Roy she liked well enough; prior to becoming a nyolist, he was funny and charming, (though one would have a hard time believing it now).

In all, Raven had learned to handle the burdens of others with age, but even still, she had a hard time shouldering the emotional turmoil of females, which was ultimately why she favored her male teammates.

"Since you got to ask me an unorthodox question: It's my turn," Raven stated. "Why didn't you tell Jason?"

The Amazon smiled bitterly. "Because I can't do that to him," Donna said sorrowfully, "and I can't do that to Terry." She finally turned to look at Raven, her eyes glassy and regretful. "I know you and Dick and pretty much everyone dislikes him, but he really is a good dad. He loves Robert and I can't just take him away like that. And frankly, Robert needs a father. I know Jason means well—I know deep down that he is a good person and if things were different, he would make a really great dad, but not like this. I love him—I really do, but... I have to do what is best for my son. I don't know if you can understand that, but I hope you'll at least try?"

"I do," Raven nodded, "And I don't blame you. But if that's the case, why are you so attached to Roy? Frankly he'd be even worse an influence. Why him?"

"Why Dick?"

"Touché," Raven shrugged.

"I need you to help him," Donna said firmly.

"I don't know if I can right now," Raven said honestly.

"You can't just take it away?"

"It's a lot harder than you would think. His addiction is a part of him, it's his pain, pleasure, his happiness, his sadness. You can't just take those things away without taking one's humanity with it."

"Can you at least do something for that pain?" Donna begged. "You don't have to quell it all, but if you can just take the edge off for him, it could help."

Raven shook her head at the irony. "You sound like an addict."

"Fuck you," Donna snapped and got up from her chair. "And here I thought you would actually help me?"

"Donna wait," Raven said, feeling a bit guilty.

Donna turned, her expression vexed.

"He'll be able to get through tonight, tomorrow's gonna be a lot worse. If I think he can't handle it, I'll step in, okay?"

Donna nodded, it was better than nothing.

Raven stood up, and approached the Amazon. "I know you just want him to be better—that you want him back, but he's gonna have to fight for that himself, we can't—you can't—no one can do it for him. We clear?"

"Crystal."

"Good," Raven nodded, the two reaching some sort of understanding. "And Donna, I'm sorry."

"No you're not."

And with that the Amazon left, a cold air billowing in her wake, leaving the empath with a sense of guilt she couldn't quite shake off.

---

Rose was looking in the mirror, toying with her outfit, a little dissatisfied. Jinx watched her trying to figure out what she was even doing.

"Damn," she heard her scoff under her breath.

The pink haired girl let out a sigh, curious as to what this little scene was about. "Not slutty enough, princess?"

Rose glared at her with annoyance. "No. If anything, it's too slutty. I have no place to hide a gun."

"Should have thought of that earlier," Jason griped from the couch, thumbing a few bills and stacking them accordingly.

"Well you have one place you could hide a gun," Jinx added cynically, Jason glaring up at her sharply. "Kidding," she sang opening her purse. "Jesus, JT—lighten up, this isn't the fucking Texas Chainsaw remake, taking itself too seriously." She took out a snub-nose revolver and a small pocket knife. "Here, this gun will fit in your purse and if this knife can fit in my bra, then it will definitely fit in yours."

"Thanks," Rose said taking the weapon and tucking it away near her breast.

Jinx took the gun and placed it in the small hand bag Rose would be carrying and took the money from Jason. "Okay, this is mostly 20's, we don't want the guy to think that you work on the cheap, but we don't want him to suspect that you're not really hooking. This is about $250. I also put Mia's prepay and a lip gloss in here, for effect. Whoever picks you up is probably gonna look through your purse, that is what the money's for."

"But then they'll find the gun?" Jason said.

"Like she'll really need one," Jinx sighed, "and that's what the knife is for. Plus, he'll be expecting a gun." Jinx handed Rose the handbag and fixed her pigtails in a motherly fashion. "Here's your one chance, Fancy, don't let me down."

"What?"

"Fucking Millennials," Jinx glared.

"You're a millennial," Jason added and stood up.

"Yeah, even more reason to hate 'em," she sighed and gathered her things, getting ready to leave when a knock rapped at the door. "I mean seriously, the one chance I'll get to make that reference and this little bitch doesn't even get it. Hey Grayson," she added opening the door.

"Jinx," he replied. "How's everything going?"

"Other than bad country music references: good, I guess," Jason drawled.

Dick peered over and took sight of the silver girl. "Jesus Christ…"

"Yeah I was told that Jesus had nothing to do with this," Jason added cynically, Rose smiling at him mischievously.

"Mind if I cut in?"

"Go for it, sparky," Jinx said leaving the room, "I'll be down stairs."

Jason nodded at her as Dick entered the room. The hero looked at Rose and shook his head, Jason must be fuming, he thought. He reached into his pocket and took out a few things.

"Here," he said handing something to Rose, "it's an earpiece."

"I know," she said taking it. "Am I gonna be wired too?"

"Yep, but not in the general sense." He turned his palm down, a delicate silver necklace dangling from his hand. "The pendant's a bug, no one will ever know."

"So you did bring some of those toys to Gotham," Jason mused with an eye roll.

"Yep, figured I shouldn't leave home empty handed."

"Good," Jason replied taking the piece of jewelry, "last thing we need is some asshole finding a wire on her," he added, clasping the thin chain around her neck.

"You're still good with this, right Rose?" the hero asked.

She nodded. "Yep, compared to what I'm normally into, this will be nothing."

"Okay, I won't be too far behind," Dick added, "and I'm gonna be in your ear the whole time. When he picks you up I'll be a few cars behind tailing you."

"Why not JT?" she asked, "no offence."

"Because," Dick replied, "if anyone sees him, there gonna know something's up."

"But I'll still have eyes on you, and I'll be in contact with Dick the whole time," the Outlaw said. "I wouldn't let Dick lead on this if I didn't trust him."

"I figured," she said.

"Okay, I gotta run," Jason sighed, "gotta get in position and all." She nodded and he kissed her. "And Rose, stay safe."

"I cannot make such a promise," she smiled, "but I'll do what I can."

"Now I see why you worry," Dick added.

"Yeah, she's smoked," the Outlaw quipped. "Come on, Grayson, we gotta go make sure everyone's not fucking shit up."

Dick nodded and followed him out into the hallway, Jason closing the door behind him. Dick noticed the door on the other side of the hall, knowing full well who was behind it.

"How's Roy?"

"Withdrawing," Jason shrugged. "I asked Mia and Clancy to keep an eye on him while we're gone, so he should be okay."

The hero nodded in understanding. "You seem better about this whole thing…"

"I'm still not a fan," the Outlaw drawled, "but my stake is a little higher in the matter, so… I know I'm a little bias."

"She'll be fine."

"I know, if anyone can pull this off, it's her, but…" he trailed off a minute and took a breath. "I don't know, I'm still not okay with it, I guess?"

"You feel like you're taking advantage of her?"

"A little." He shook his head and took out his mask. "Like somehow I'm exploiting her, which is exactly what I'm trying to take her away from."

"It's not the same thing," Dick reassured. "She volunteered. On her own."

Jason's face fell solemnly. "Cause she wants to help me."

"Because that's what people who are in love do, Jay. They help each other."

"Is that what you and Raven call it?"

Dick glared at him. "This isn't about me and Rae. It's abou—"

"Bullshit!" Jason laughed. "If that were Raven dressed like that, about to pass herself off as a whore for hire, you'd—be—fuming!"

Dick crossed his arms and glanced away from the anti-hero. "Okay, maybe a little."

"You need to stop denying how you feel about that girl," Jason urged.

"Jay, I'm not exactly in a place for that kinda thing right now, okay?"

"Why?" he asked. "Cause you're genuinely trying to get over your ex-fiancé, who ran off and married another man after you asked her—No—begged—her not to? Or: because you think that's what you're supposed to do, Dick?"

The hero was speechless a moment, the Outlaw not beating around the bush. "I uh… don't know?" Dick shrugged shaking his head.

"I think you do," Jason countered, "and I think you're just too afraid of what people would think if you did."

Dick didn't say anything, he just looked away, once again speechless. Jason shook his head, and walked passed him, approaching the stairs. His mask was still in hand as he paused and looked back at Dick one last time.

"I don't know if you realize this, Grayson, but good women like that are hard to come by," Jason added. "And even though she loves you, she's not gonna wait for you forever," he warned and descended the stairs.

Dick frowned, not really sure what to think, or what to feel. Something that had become more common in his nature as of late. But still, there was something of a truth to it, something he wanted to ignore, but couldn't. Yet to admit it out right was something he just wasn't yet ready to do. His reason, however, unclear, and to his shock, it seemed, that maybe, Jason was right.

---

The streets were oddly quiet around this hour, they always were. Children were still in school and parents were either working or drinking their troubles away. Others, well—let's just say some of them found comfort in a much lower place.

Dick sat in the Jeep down the road, watching as a car drove by for the third time. It was a clear indication of the goings on that had been occurring as of late, the girls standing around, lifelessly smoking their cigarettes, not even pretending to care. They were a diverse mix of females, young / old, black / white, short / tall. In fact, for every girl you could described as X, there was surely a Y.

Dick had been observing the scene for the past 15 minutes, trying to get an intimate feel for this target and exactly what he was looking for. He knew there were at least two handlers, one stationed in the bar and the other driving an old Monte Carlo from the early 80's. Since he'd arrived, the vehicle had driven by at least twice, this being its third trip. He could tell it wasn't a potential John by the way the girls acted in its presence. For example: If any other car drove by and the driver expressed even a hint of interest, the girls would begin a display of "peacocking" (as one might refer to it) in an attempt to convey the notion that they were, indeed, the greatest delicacy on the menu. But, when the dirt-brown Chevy came around, no one hardly paid it any mind. Only a faint scent of fear seemed to linger among the women, as though they knew that as long as he were watching them, they'd never be free.

"What you got for me, Grayson?" he heard Jason ask as he answered his burner.

"Our target is in the brown Monte Carlo."

"I figured as much," he replied. "Everyone in place?"

"Yep. X and Wally are stationed in the bar, waiting for their cue, Raven's waiting on the word to make the call and Montoya's got the cavalry in position."

"Then I think it's time to cast a line," Jason said.

"Okay, let everyone know the game has begun."

Jason looked down at his phone, a group text typed out on the screen, ready to send:

Letting the lioness out of her cage. Be ready in 60

The outlaw pressed send, and waited a moment for confirmation form each participating party in contact. "Okay we're a go, Grayson?"

"Got it," Dick said and put the phone on speaker so that they'd remain in communication for the duration of the mission.

He placed the device in the cup holder by his side, looking on from the driver's seat. Rose was to be dropped off by Jinx and Duela, who'd be standing by for back up if need be. Jason was stationed almost directly across the street in a vacant apartment, a sniper rifle ready to be aimed at anyone who even looked at her wrong.

Dick noticed someone walk around the corner, her platinum hair a dead giveaway. He lifted his hand and activated his mic. He'd tested the connection and made sure he and Rose were on the same frequency, but just in case there was equipment failure or the signal jammed, she was told to stay put until communication was confirmed.

"Rose if you can hear me, run your fingers through your hair." He watched as the girl lifted her hand and pushed it flirtatiously through her silver strands. "Okay good, now take the phone from your bag and place it to your ear."

She unclasped the purse and took out the Hello Kitty prepay. "Yeah doll?"

"Good, I got your mic full and clear," Dick said pretending to look into his glove box. "Now, if at any point you feel like you're in immediate danger, or you think you're compromised, I want you to say, I don't think my daddy would like that. Got it?"

"Really, Grayson?" he heard Jason whine over the pre-pay.

"Yeah I'm not a fan of it either," Dick said catching a faint giggle from Rose, "but I thought it would sound more organic weaved into a conversation than, Abort, or Banana."

Jason shook his head, realizing that the phrase was probably a necessary evil. "Let's just get this shit over with."

"Don't mind him," Rose said slyly, "he's just mad cause you asked me to call you daddy… He can't hear me right?"

"Nope," Dick assured, "just me."

"Good," she sighed with relief. "Shall we start?"

"Only if you want to," he smiled. "If you're okay with moving forward, put your phone away and head into the snake pit."

Rose closed the phone and put it away and made her way into the group of vagrant women. She took her place among the outskirts of the group, knowing that to completely infiltrate their inner circle would undoubtedly cause trouble, not to mention her objective was to be seen with them, not get her ass kicked by them. She was in their world now, she'd have to play by their rules.

Sharp stares curiously befell her on arrival, some resembling jealousy or malice, whereas others simply shot interest in her direction. New girls always meant another kick down the tier, especially if they were younger and prettier.

A much bigger, taller woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties began to approach her, her generous curves barely contained by her dress.

"Haven't seen you before," she said coldly, her voice low from years of cigarettes and addiction. "Who you work for?"

"Tell her you work for Ricky," Dick said, and heard Rose repeat the name, hardly affected.

An amused grin curled at the corners of the woman's mouth. "Ricky?"

"Yeah."

The woman shook her head. "So you're the new girl he was bragging about?"

She smirked in a cocky manner. "That would be me."

"Okay new girl, why don't you tell me where he at then?"

Rose shrugged casually. "He's out looking for Mia," she add-libbed. "Stupid bitch ran off after she got picked up."

Her eyes looked right down her nose at the pretty silver girl. "So Ricky just left you then?"

"Yeah, somebody's gotta make money."

Before the conversation could progress any further, the brown muscle car pulled up to the curb and the window rolled down. The other woman looked over at Rose as though something were about to go down. She noticed an older man look straight at her, his hand outstretched, instructing her to come hither in a cold manner, clearly not a request, but a demand.

"That's your target, Rose," Dick said.

An allured grin fixed on her face as she set her sights on her prey. She slowly walked to the car, making eye contact with the man as he watched her body move. She reached the window and leaned down, pretending (quite convincingly) that she was interested, her eyes smoky as she looked in at the gruff older man.

"Hey there, wanna be my daddy for a little while?" she said in a sickly sweet voice, so persuasive, Dick actually cringed.

"Get in the car," the man demanded in a heavy accent, Rose taking note of his right hand tucked in his pocket.

"Flirt with him first, see if you can get a bite of info out of him," Dick said in her ear, not wanting to jump the gun. "Don't let him think you're too eager."

"Mmm," she sighed, "I like a man who knows what he wants," she bit her lip provocatively, "but we should probably talk a little business before pleasure?"

She watched as his face didn't even quiver and his hand stirred, leaving her staring down the barrel of a gun. "We can do that in the car, now get in, bitch."

"He just pulled a gun on her, Dick," Jason said watching through his scope.

"I figured he would," Dick said calmly, keeping his head. "Hey Rose, I know about the gun. If you don't wanna move forward just use the phrase."

Her pinned eyes on the weapon, but she remained unfazed. "Trust me, baby, you're not gonna need that."

"If you keep running that pretty mouth, I will," the man growled, "now get in damn the car. Don't make me tell you again."

"Do it," Dick said starting the Jeep, "Jason and I both have your current location, I'm telling him to move out. And keep your guard up, Rose."

Rose took a calm breath and opened the door, getting into the passenger seat. She leaned back and placed an elbow on the window, smiling. "So you wanna talk price for our little playdate?" she asked twirling her hair as the car pulled forward, the man grabbing her purse.

"Hey," she whined, pretending to be offended for the unlawful search.

He pulled out the gun and looked back at her. "Cute." He placed the weapon in the pocket of the driver's side door and pulled out her burner, flipping it open.

"You don't work for Ricky," he said in an accusatory tone.

Rose giggled. "How'd you figure that out?"

"You're too old," he said and looked at her in a pervasive manner. "And you're far toofine quality to come out of Blüdhaven." There was something quizzical about his voice, like he knew she was too good to be true, but Rose didn't flinch.

"So what if I am?" she said, her conviction coming from a place of confidence, something she learned from her mother.

"So either, you're not really hooking, or, you're working for my competition?"

"He's testing you." Dick said. "He wants to see if you'll give up your employer, convince him that you will."

She grinned, her eyes filled with some faux promise. "You caught me. My new employer dragged me here from New York," she droned, "something about some big player paying him double what I'm worth to come work this shithole."

"Who you work for?"

"Make him a deal," she heard Dick say.

"I'm sure you don't like it when your girls rat on their daddy," Rose said coyly checking her makeup.

The man looked at her. "What part of New York you work?"

"Sweet Lilly's old territory," she smiled. "I did work for an agency before, but they fired me for getting involved with a client."

"Trying to marry out the business were you?"

She shrugged blithely. "Can you blame me? But I learned the hard way that married men usually stay married to their bitch wives. The irony right?" Rose replied, playing off the very cynicism that brought her into this world.

He looked at her a moment, taking in her story. "So Sweet Lilly you say?" he observed, "I haven't heard that name in a while. How'd you know her?"

"My mom used to work for her," Rose said calmly as though the claim were of no real importance, only it was. "I kinda grew up in this business, if you know what I mean?"

He smiled at her impishly and let his cracked knuckles grace the skin of her thigh suggestively. "I'm sure a girl with your background would be very lucrative." He pulled the car under an old underpass where an old stretch of train tracks ran, unused.

"You got him," Dick said, "keep him busy, I'll be right there."

"I can be," she said softly, "if you're nice to me." She smiled and leaned forward. "But if you really want me to give up my pimp that easily, then you're gonna have to make it worth it," she added with a pout as she played with his collar.

The man smiled. "First things first." A perverse look took hold of his eyes and the back of his hand brushed the skin of her breast. "How about a little taste?"

It took all she had not to visibly cringe at the request as it echoed up her spine. "I'd rather discuss my rate first…"

"And I'd rather see what that pretty mouth can do besides talk," he said undoing his belt.

"Yeah, I'm gonna need some incentive first," she sighed.

"Listen bitch, as far as I'm concerned, this is an audition," reverting back into his coarser frame of mind. "I don't know how those agency cunts do it, but here, you gotta prove yourself before I even consider calling you one of my bitches."

She smiled crassly. "Well I don't work for free."

"For me—you do." He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck, forcefully trying to guide her head to his lap.

Her body immediately tensed, leaving her posture frigid and unmoved as she pushed his other hand away.

"I don't think my daddy would like that," she huffed, as he reached over with an invasive hand, fitted with ill intentions.

His eager palm fell around her breast, giving an unwelcome grope.

"Oh that's it," she grimaced and threw the sharp of her elbow into his sternum, breaking the grip on her neck.

"Fucking bitch!" he whaled, getting ready to land the back of his fist across her jaw, but Rose blocked the blow, and with her free hand, threw his face into the steering wheel.

"You little cunt!" he hissed painfully and reached for his gun, but before he could even take hold of the object, his driver's side window came crashing in.

Rose shielded herself from the spray of glass and noticed an arm wrap around the throat of her assailant, ripping him through the window.

"Sorry I'm late," she heard Dick call as he restrained the kicking man by the throat with a tire iron.

"Don't worry about it," Rose called simply, getting out of the car, "I had him under control. Didn't even get a scratch on me."

"You fucking bitch!" the man spat at her, "you set me up!"

"Yep," she said with an innocent smile and kicked him right in his manhood. "That's for trying to make me blow you, asshole."

Dick flinched a little, imagining how painful a stiletto to the junk might be, but refrained from feeling anything even resembling sympathy. The man let out a breathless whimper and fell face first to the ground.

"Nice shot," the hero said and knelt down, seizing the opportunity to zip tie the man's hands behind his back.

"You're the asshole she works for?" the man whimpered in the dirt.

"Nope," Dick said removing the man's wallet and pulling him to his knees, "that's the asshole she works for."

The man looked over and caught the sight of a red helmet, flanked by a devilish looking cohort. The man cursed with fear, realizing he was not inoculated against the cruelty of the Red Hood.

"Babe, look what I caught!" Rose exclaimed. "And they say men are the hunters."

"Seriously," Dick added, "she kicked ass."

"Of course she did," Jason said from under his helm, "she's my girl after all." He removed his coat and draped it over her shoulders, covering the outfit he was hardly a fan of.

"Shit," the man scoffed, "she's your ol' lady?"

"That's exactly right, Sparky," Jason patronized, "y'know what that means right?" The man only looked back at him with horror, he knew he was in deep shit now. "I'm gonna fucking castrate you for the shit you pulled," Jason's tone grew overtly dark, something reminiscent of his once mentor.

The man's eye grew wide and the Red Hood planted a swift kick right in his gut, sending him flat on his back with a damp grunt. Normally, Dick would have intervened, but given the circumstance, he figured it just wasn't worth the lecture.

"Nicholi Mikhailov," the hero said reading his driver license. "So you're Russian?"

The man only groaned, trying to catch his breath.

"Makes sense," Jason added, "Russia has a huge human trafficking trade..."

"And they have a big prostitution ring in Blüdhaven," Rose added.

"It's also the only thing they have a monopoly on," Jason scowled from under his hood. "Now who sent you to my territory?"

"I'm not fucking telling you," Nicholi spat, "I'd rather die."

Jason smiled wickedly beneath his helm and shrugged. "Well lucky for you, I'd don't give a shit about what you want." He walked over to Dick as he waited for his orders. "You know what to do with the car?" he asked in a low voice

Dick nodded in response.

"Good, you take care of this, I'll take care of that."

"Sounds fair," the hero agreed.

"Alright then, you two with me."

Both Eddie and Rose nodded as the devil boy reached down and pulled the thrashing Russian from the ground.

"Looks like we're gonna get that playdate after all," Rose smiled smugly, eager to knock out a few or more of his teeth. She leaned down and picked up an old piece of electrical cord, Nicholi glaring at it with worry as she wrapped the cord around her knuckles tightly. "And do I gotta treat for you."

"See we're not gonna kill you," Jason said, "but man are you gonna wish we did."

"It's gonna be pretty humiliating," Rose added, weaving the cord into a Prusik knot and pulling it tight.

Eddie forced Nicholi beneath the underpass and kicked him face down in the dirt. Jason nodded and pressed a knee down on his back, holding him down as he cut one of the zip ties carelessly, catching his skin with the knife. The degenerate man from the Kremlin tried to fight, but with no gain as Eddie and Jason each gripped a free arm and dragged him to his feet. Nicholi tried to plant his feet, but it was a useless act, the two men easily overpowering him. They threw him face first into a concrete column, Jason numbly holding the man's resistant head against the stone while Rose began tying Arbor knots around each wrist, restraining his arms around the large support column. Nicholi immediately began testing his bounds, but found them growing tighter as he pulled.

Rose took the cord resting over her shoulder and began tying another knot as Jason ripped the cheap grey button-up, exposing a mural of tattoos on his back. Black ink branded his flesh, crude images lending their favor to convey a long history of brutality. Between his shoulder blades sat a five point star, suggesting that he held a position equal to a caption. Below the star was an ill recreation of the crucifixion, signifying the man's conviction as a murderer. But the tattoo that boiled Jason's blood most was the illustration of a girl fishing, the back of her dress caught on the hook as she attempted casting her line.

He looked over at Rose, his face hidden, but beat red nonetheless. "Hit him—hard."

She glanced down at her hand, binding the cord around her knuckles for leverage. "How's 40 lashes sound?"

"Sounds perfect."

She nodded and stepped forward. "Fun fact," she said evenly, "when the Romans condemned someone to 40 lashes it was intended to be a death sentence. There was actually an old Roman law that stated that if a flogger failed to kill a man within forty lashes that they would be sentenced to death themselves." She could hear his breath tighten as he tried to look behind him. "You should probably know I don't like to fail."

And with that she wound back the makeshift whip and cracked the cord against his back. He howled and whined, the knots breaking his skin with a painful sting. She pulled the whip back and lashed him again, harder this time, cracking the cord across his spine, completely tearing the crown of thorns off his flesh. She got ready to wind back for a third strike, but paused a moment.

"Feeling like sharing yet?" she asked, the man's whimpers pitiful as shockwaves of pain coursed through his body.

He shook his head. "I'll take the forty," he said through grit teeth.

A determined smile fixed on her face as she walked up to him and gripped him by the hair, pulling his head back. "Then yours is gonna be a very long, painful, death."

She threw his head against the concrete, thrusting the makeshift whip back and striking him with more vigor, then repeated the action again and again. His screams fell on deaf ears as he fought his tightening bounds, biting down on his tongue.

Dick flinched as he could hear the man scream from the car, but willed himself to ignore it. He'd made a point to tell Jason not to share any of the details as he knew himself far too well. Though it was clear by the man's treatment of Rose that whatever punishment was dowelled out was most likely deserved. The sex trade was one of egregious mistreatment of women, and unfortunately, young girls and boys, many of which made to work against their will. Sometimes even being taken from their homes and countries of origin and sold into sex slavery like cattle to the highest bidder. Dick had no doubt that whatever punishment Jason had cooked up was one fitting for the lowest of the low. Dick just hoped that he didn't rough him up too badly given Nicholi would need to be taken in.

He'd already removed the gun Nicholi had confiscated from Rose and found a second in the glove box. He found a large stack of cash and left it, it would need to be logged as evidence anyway.

There was no registration in the glove box so Dick pulled down the visor, a leather organizer fitted for the task in place, housing the missing paperwork.

"Perfect," he mumbled and pulled a bag of cocaine from his coat placing it in the visor so it'd literally fall into his lap. A little obvious, but so what? Gotta get the job done.

He proceeded to check under the seats, finding a third gun under the driver's seat and removed it. He moved on to comb the back seat and planted a larger bag under the floor mat, enough to put him away for a long time. He turned his attention on the outside, he opened the gas cap and took out a ping pong ball, letting it fall into the tank and then replaced the cap, securing it as though nothing were amiss. He took out his burner and snapped a picture of the license plate, sending it to Montoya to memorize. He then took the tire iron and smashed one of the rear tail lights, creating a clear traffic violation.

With that out of the way, there was only one thing left to do: Check the trunk. He placed the key in the lock and turned it, feeling the latch free. He placed his palms on either side and guided the hatch open, looking inside, then shock hit him hard.

"Oh my God!"

Rose was now a good 5 or so lashes deep into her pay back, the man crying, his flesh bruised and broken. The pain was practically eating him alive, he didn't know how much more he could take. Rose got ready and flung the whip back, holy hell waiting to strike, when he finally gave in.

"Blockbuster!" he cried weakly. "His name is Blockbuster…"

"Who the fuck is Blockbuster?" Jason demanded.

"He runs Blüdhaven," Rose said wiping a light spray of blood off her chest.

Jason stepped forward. "Why'd he send you here?"

"He got an offer from someone he called the Bird Man," he heaved, "all I know is he's some big shot from Gotham, that's it—I swear!"

Before Jason could inquire further, Dick came running toward the scene.

"You guys gotta see this, NOW!" he exclaimed, a horrified look on his face.

Jason quickly followed him back to the car, Rose stumbling along after him, telling Eddie to stay behind. They approached the car and Dick pointed to the trunk mournfully, both Rose and Jason's faces falling with alarm.

"Jesus Christ, what did he do to her?" Jason asked, looking down at the body of a young woman.

"Shit," Rose said placing a hand over her mouth. She stepped forward, looking into the trunk, she looked young, in a filthy sheer dress colored white and blood stained. Mascara ran down her cheek from lifeless eyes and down to her black and blue throat. Rose knelt down and placed a hand to her check feeling her temperature. "She probably died last night, her eyes and jaw are starting to show signs of rigor, most likely a John or a really rough handler... She's probably no older than me."

Jason scowled beneath his helm. It was clear by the bruising of her bare neck and dried blood beneath her nose that she'd definitely been strangled. He turned, as Eddie dragged the man to the car, Jason setting his sights on the Russian, seeing red. Dick ran after him, but Rose didn't bother, she just sat back and watched as Jason struck the man in the face, blood flying from his mouth.

"You son of bitch! I'm gonna kill you!" Jason growled hitting him again and slamming his face against the hood of the car. He pulled out his gun, the man giving him a pathetic and fearful look.

"Stop," Dick said placing himself between Jason and the wretched man.

"Move, I'm putting him down," Jason said darkly.

"Why waste the bullet?" Dick said, halting the enraged Outlaw.

"Because he fucking deserves to die," he growled deeply.

"I know that."

"Then why are you trying to save him?"

"I'm not," Dick corrected, "I'm thinking we send him off to a far worse punishment. Death's too good for him."

Jason lowered his gun and looked at the bloodstained Russian. "I'm gonna see to it that you suffer for every wrong you've ever done. Cut him loose and get him out of my sight."

Eddie took an old knife and did as he was told, the man falling to the ground.

"You breathe a word of this to anyone, and we'll find you and then we do this again," Jason warned, catching a glimpse of Rose from the corner of his eye. "Here," he sneered and threw Nicholi his coat. "And if anyone asks, just say it was BDSM shit gone horribly wrong."

He took a deep breath, pulling off his rag of a shirt, revealing more unsavory tattoos. He took a moment, but painfully, he pulled on his coat, the fabric forcing his flesh to scream as the garment covered his blistered back. Dick removed his keys from his pocket and threw them to the battered man.

"Here, get the fuck out of here before the Hood changes his mind." His voice was cold and dark, as though he were completely numb to Nicholi's humanity, though in Dick's eyes, he didn't have any, at least not anymore.

The Russian gathered the keys from the dust before him and looked up to Dick with a merciful gaze. "Why—why are you sparing me this?"

Dick grimaced, nearly insulted. "Trust me, I'm wouldn't spare you anything. Now get the fuck up and never come back."

The handler stumbled to his feet and fled to his car, somehow finding the strength to ignore the agony screaming from his bruised bones. He got in the Chevy and started the engine, speeding away, the hero and the Outlaws all watching with vicious glares. Jason looked down at his phone and typed another group message with livid thumbs.

Second phase in action, go.

---

X looked into his glass, contemplating whether it was half full or half empty. He took a sip and noticed Wally giving him a quizzical look as he too took a swig of his beer and asked the bartender for two shots of Jägermeister.

"Jäger?" X asked, "What are you trying to take advantage of me?"

"Shit, you caught me," Wally replied with a false guilt. "But nah, I just figured it was appropriate. You look like you need it. Something on your mind?"

"You know I don't like talking about me?"

"Trust me, dude—we know," Wally laughed. "But hey, I don't know, man."

X took a deep breath, if anyone could probably help him with this, it was Wally. "You and Raven have history, right?"

Wally turned his eyes in the thief's direction. "Yeah, you could call it that?"

"So that rumor is true."

"It is," Wally replied with impish embarrassment.

"How was that?" X asked with a shit eating grin, the alcohol not really helping.

A sly grin pulled across Wally's face involuntarily. "Exactly what you'd expect… and it uh…got me in a lot of trouble." He glanced down at the glass. "Why y'asking?"

X smiled. "I don't know. Just something about her, I guess?"

"Yeah, there is," Wally admitted. "She's really cold to everyone, like a harsh wind or rain, but she can be really inviting, and when she's like that, well, it's like you matter, like she sees this part of you that no one else can, and… shit that girl's a fucking rabbit hole. She's attainable and unattainable all at the same time. It's like even when you've caught her, you're still chasing her. You feel like she can never really belong to you."

"Because she belongs to somebody else," X concluded with a mild defeat.

Wally nodded. "Worst part is, he doesn't even know it."

X looked away at the confirmation, the small flame being smothered before it could set fire to anything else. He felt his burner buzz and answered it promptly. "Ready to do this, Red?"

Wally nodded and lifted his shot glass. "Ready when you are."

X lifted his shot and tapped it briskly against Wally's. "Then let's get this shit done."

The two men threw back their shots, both wincing at the burn, the taste something like sour black liquorish. They turned away from the bar and set their sights on two opposing tables. X approached the table in front of him, a group of rough looking bar flies, sitting around a table drinking and laughing, Wally taking the other.

"Hey guys," X said leaning in on their conversation. "I really hate to bother you, but I couldn't help but overhear some of the things that goofy looking ginger was saying about you and your girl."

The largest man turned, looking over at the table behind him. "What the fuck did he say?"

Meanwhile, Wally was selling his own fiction. "Yeah the douchey looking blonde with the peach fuzz—he and his friends were saying some really deplorable shit about your accent. My friend's Hispanic and I just think it's horribly intolerant."

"We oughta teach that fucker a lesson!" One of them proclaimed.

"Yeah!" Wally agreed rallying the troops.

Meanwhile, behind Wally. "Let's show that ginger fuck and his crew what happens when you disrespect us in our bar!"

The two groups rose to their feet and charged at each other, both X and Wally turned, each of them staring down the furious fist of another. X quickly ducked, his assailant planting a solid blow to the man behind him. Wally on the other hand, not so quick, and took a swift blow to the jaw. He countered with his fist and ducked when a second strike came flying his way. The man lost his balance and fell clumsily into another angry opponent. By now the two groups were at full war with each other, the tactic successful. X and Wally nimbly crawling out of the huddle and slowly making their way back to the bar.

"Fuck that hurt," Wally whined, thumbing his jaw.

"Too slow," X smiled wickedly. "Shoulda fuck'n ducked," he added and ordered them two more shots.

Before long, police were littered outside, arresting bar flies and escorting working girls into cars as X and Wally watched from across the street laughing. A green Jeep pulled up before them, the driver instructing them to get in.

"Scoot over, JT," Wally sang a little buzzed from the Jäger.

X Followed and pushed in, squishing Rose between Wally and Jason.

"This isn't awkward at all," Rose breathed pulling her tiny skirt down.

Wally looked down and snuck a peek at her chest, Jason catching him in the process.

"Seriously West? You got a death wish?" he growled.

"What? it's 2:00 in the afternoon, I'm fucking drunk and your girlfriend's really hot," Wally defended. "That's like asking someone not to look at Anna Nicole Smith in a wet tee-shirt—Ahh what the fuck, X?" Wally added as the thief shot an elbow into his ribs.

"Playboy days Anna or the reality TV Anna?" Eddie asked simply out of some odd curiosity.

"Both," the speedster replied as Jason seethed, X giving him another crack to the ribs.

"Seriously," Rose groaned, "normally I wouldn't give a shit, but I just got fondled by some filthy Russian pimp. So if you shitheads could stop comparing me to a dead playboy bunny, that would be fan-fucking-tastic," Rose finally said, annoyed over the whole conversation as she moved onto her boyfriend's lap.

"Just ignore him," Dick said from the driver's seat. "Wally literally has a form of mental retardation that causes him to say the wrong thing at—"

"exactly the right time!" the speedster cut in.

Dick smiled crassly. "I think you get the point…"

Dick pulled around back and parked the car. "Mission accomplished, now everyone out."

"Thank God, I'm gonna go change," Rose said, slipping off of Jason's lap and to the dirt. "I can't wait to wash this makeup off."

"I'm gonna go check on Roy, make sure he isn't crawling out of his skin," Jason added.

Dick turned the key and pushed his door open. He thought about everything he'd just done, a part of him screaming about what Bruce would say, how disappointed he'd be. Dick may have spared everyone their lives, but he still gave up a piece of himself to do it. And that was a hard pill to swallow, even if a piece of shit like Nicholi deserved it.

He followed everyone inside, X dawdling a bit as he noticed the hero's conflict.

"You look awfully disappointed for a guy that just won?"

Dick shrugged as he climbed the steps. "I didn't win anything. If anything I think I lost something."

X turned to him, a regretful look on his face. "This life will do that."

Dick nodded and breathed at a loss. "It's too late isn't it?"

X only nodded. He hoped the hero would have figured it out before this point—a point where he could turn back. "I'm sorry."

Dick shrugged. "It's done, I can't take it back now."

"But you probably wish you had."

---

She pulled out her pigtails and ruffled her hair, took a moment to shed any lingering frustration or instability. She looked down and noticed the spray of blood on her blouse, smeared and streaked. She began to untie the desecrated fabric, blood stains on her clothing nothing new. She heard the door open and looked behind her as Jason entered the room.

"How's your friend?" she called as she pulled the garment off her shoulders.

"Sweating it out," he replied and took a beer out of the fridge. "But he's handling it better than I expected." He took a sip and offered her the bottle.

"Thanks," she sighed, taking a generous swig. She handed the bottle back to him and he sat on the bed.

"We're gonna have to burn that," Jason said, watching as her skirt fell to the floor.

She smiled. "Well don't you sound disappointed."

He gave her a slight laugh. "Not even a bit. I like the stockings though."

A soft smirk flourished on her face as she stood in her red bra and matching lace panties, her virgin white stockings still somehow untouched. "And here I thought you didn't like when I played dress up," she said crawling impishly into his lap.

"I never said that," he purred cupping her hips. "I'm just not really into you dressing like a slutty freshman, trying to blow her English teacher."

"Well then lucky for you I failed Freshman English." she teased undoing his body armor.

"Probably cause you were blowing your teacher," he chuckled daringly.

She hit him playfully. "You're an asshole," she giggled. "And I'll have you know I was still like half a virgin freshman year."

"Oh and what half would that be?"

She blushed with a kittenish insult. "Well we all can't die a virgin now, can we?"

"Hey, I did not die clutching my v card," he chuckled and looked up at her from his elbows.

"Says you," she quipped and leaned down as she kissed him and pulled his armor free. He stood hoisting her into his lap, her arms snaked around his neck as he pivoted.

"You looked sexy in red by the way," he whispered against her lips as she grinned.

"Then maybe I should consider a new color scheme?"

He smiled, tangling his fingers through her hair and sank down to the bed on top of her. She giggled lightly as his breath warmed her neck, his hand slipping beneath her back to relieve the clasp of her red bra.

"Rose I…" But before he could finish his statement and his hands could complete their task, there was a knock at the door.

"Oh my God," Jason groaned painfully. "I'm never gonna get laid today, am I?" He took a frustrated breath and scowled. "WHAT? Somebody better be dead!"

"Yeah about that," he heard X call through the door. "Nobody's dead yet, but it's possible they're about to be…" X paused a second and gathered his words, "…Dick found out, he knows."

"Oh shit," Jason stammered. "SHIT!" He stumbled to his feet, nearly falling as he buttoned and buckled his pants. Rose staring at him with alarm as she lifted to her elbows.

"What the hell?"

"Sorry, babe—I gotta go," he replied slightly out of breath as he grabbed a lonely Nothing shirt and pulled it on. "I'll be back—don't go anywhere," he added and kissed her swiftly, then ran out the door.

"What the fuck…" she murmured to herself and shook her head. "Did I just get twat swatted?"

Prior…

Dick and X made their way into the bar, joining the others as Wally drank a beer, Jinx inquiring about his bruise. Not that it mattered, it'd be gone in an hour, much like his buzz which was already wearing off.

Dick immediately noticed Raven sitting at the bar with a cup of tea as she looked in his direction. She rose and lifted her cup and met him halfway, wrapping her free arm around his back.

"How'd it go, Boy Blunder?"

He sighed. "It went well… and that's kinda what I was afraid of…"

She could feel a hint of turmoil stir and motioned him into the corner so they could talk in private. "Tell me?"

"The guy was a murderous, evil shitbag and he's probably going to jail for the rest of his life."

"Sounds successful… what's the catch."

"He's going cause I made it happen, I manipulated the law. I crossed a line."

She looked down. "You—we've been that doing a lot lately."

"I know," Dick said. "I don't know how I feel about that…"

"Speaking of that, um," Raven began. "I need to tell you something that you're not—"

"—Oh my God…" Dick said cutting her off as he looked up at the TV and rose to his feet.

Raven looked up at the screen and froze when she saw the headline.

"Anthony Zucco has been granted parole after serving nearly 20 years in prison for the murders of Jonathan and Mary Grayson. Bruce Wayne, guardian of their orphaned son, Richard Grayson, spoke at the hearing today, speaking against Zucco's release, this is what he had to say:

For 20 years I've watched their son grow, a privilege that was robbed from them, just as that little boy was robbed of a life with his family. For 20 years he has lived with a hole in his heart, something I myself have known for the better part of my life. And of for nothing else, I would hope that for the simple crime of destroying a family that Anthony Zucco never be free to do so again.

Richard Grayson, the son of the victims, declined his request to speak at the hearing…"

"Oh fuck," X said staring up at the TV and looked back at the tragically struck hero.

"Dick?" Raven said as he stared at the screen blankly as though everything in his being was crashing down around him.

"He lied to me…"

"Dude, don't freak out," Wally said rising from his stool. "Just sit down and don't do anything rash."

Dick looked at Wally as his face fell to reality. "I'm gonna kill him."