Heh... now to see the results of what happened that day. Like I've said before, there are fates worse or on par with death in my head. This is one of them after a highly traumatic experience. and during hard times like this, some people take it easier than other and some step up to the tasks ahead, while others crumble to bits. Lots of quotes from both 'A death in the family' and 'under the redhood' movie. Did a lot of stop and go to make sure I got it right.

Dick-15 Jason-12

Broken

The only thing he could hear was laughter, insane laughter.

"Whoa, that looked like it hurt." Something struck him a few times then stopped as he turned over. "No, wait, that looked like it hurt a lot more. So let's try to clear this up, okay pumpkin? What hurts more? A, or B? Front hand, or back hand?"

Fire and knives burned inside him with every blow. He didn't yell or scream. That madman promised to slit the lady's throat if he did. He had been knocked about on the ground so much, it was hard to move any of his limbs, let alone the emergency beacon on his wrist. Help would not be coming any time soon.

There was a short reprieve as the clown laughed to himself in victory. Trying to be brave, he glared at the nutzo and started murmuring curses. This caught the assailant's attention and he crouched next to him, grinding his head into the pavement. "Eh? Eh? A little louder lamb chop. I think you may have a collapsed lung. That always impedes the oratory."

Boldly he spat on the criminal, earning a full face grinding into the pavement. "Now that was just rude. Didn't your father ever teach you any manners? Looks like I'll just have to teach you a lesson so you don't embarrass him." The nut thought over it for a moment then grinned again. "Nah. I'm just gonna keep beating you with this crowbar."

The beating continued relentlessly, breaking skin and bones. He didn't have the energy or will to cry out now. The woman he just met that day had turned away and started smoking to distract herself from the beating, seemingly not to care anymore. When he was no longer moving of his own accord, a possum trick he learned from earlier kidnappings, the clown stopped hitting him.

"My that was fun. Kind of messy though."

"Mr. Wayne won't be too happy about you hurting him." That woman had dared to speak now. She was the one who put this whole thing together. How dare she… but she's… The pain of betrayal ate at him more than the beating had. "What are you going to do when you return him for the ransom?"

"Ransom? Who said anything about ransom?" The clown grinned, snapping his fingers at the men in the room. "It's your fault deary. Getting the kid involved like that. Shame shame. Tie her up boys."

"Joker no!"

"Shame you had to witness this little display of my temper, Sheila. But I can't have any evidence. Dear old Batsy is still out there, somewhere, and I can't have anything linking me to this, or anything. Need the cash you see. Been running low on bullets and knives and all that. Good thing I always have some explosives on hand. You have ten minutes. Well, ta ta!"

"Joker no! You can't… you… this isn't fair, Joker. I played straight with you." He didn't hear the woman's voice anymore. It was too low for him now. But the crazy had come close to him again.

"Okay kiddo, I've gotta go. It's been fun though right?" The nut paused a moment as if waiting for a response. There wasn't one. "Well, maybe a smidge more fun for me than you. I'm just guessing, 'cause you're being awful quiet.

"Anyway, be a good boy, finish your homework and be in bed by nine. And hey!" He knew the madman was grinning now more than ever. "Please tell the big man I said, 'hello'."

A maniacal laughter followed, closely followed by the slamming and locking of a heavy door. The beeping of the bomb then was the only sound he heard. Even that woman had fallen silent. He stayed still a few minutes longer, catching his breath, before finally reaching his watch. He twisted the sides of it a few times and grinned to himself. Help would soon be on the way.

He dared to open a swollen eye and look for the lady. He should save her too. Dad would. Everyone else would. Slowly he started crawling towards her to help.

But the time ran out. And now he was in a grave, still alive.

"AAAHHH!"

Like always Jason woke up screaming from that nightmare, clawing at the air above him. His continual fears of waking up there were only matched with Bruce being the one taking that woman's place. Thankfully, the man was the only one he could completely trust. Especially since the man was already coming into his room to help him calm down.

"Shhhh… It's alright Jason. You're safe." The man had his arms wrapped around him, holding close to reassure him. The boy clung to him desperately, shaking in fear from the memories and twisting nightmares. The only time he spoke above a whisper these days was when he woke from these terrifying dreams, and only to scream at that. "You're safe. I'm here Jason. I'm here."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Jason trembled from head to foot as he whispered incoherently. "Couldn't save her. Couldn't stop him. I'm sorry. Don't let him hurt me. Please don't let him…"

"Shhhh… it's okay. You did your best. He's not going to hurt you anymore. No one's going to hurt you." Bruce rocked his boy gently, running a hand through his sweaty hair to help calm him. His eye fell on the white lock now ever present in his black mane. The incident had left more scars on him than any amount of battles the man had once faced. Stress and fear explained the stubborn change in hair color, and it was likely it was there to stay. A reminder of what had happened to him.

As if the nightmares weren't enough. Nearly every night since that terrible day Jason dreamt of it. The beating, the explosion, leaving his birth mother behind. Survivor's guilt added to whatever secrets he was hiding about the event. He only said a few things about it when he woke from his coma two months ago.

"Joker did it, and he's trafficking pills overseas."

It was the only definitive statement the boy made before falling into his perpetual quiet and shocked state. Rarely speaking, hardly talking, never smiling or playing. Jason was a shadow of his old self. While Bruce had sent Superman to stop Joker and bring him back for trial, the man had talked to doctors and everyone recommended their own psychiatrist for Jason. But no matter what initial interviews were given, Jason wouldn't talk. Only his family heard his voice, and rarely at that. Whatever happened while being beaten near to death, or whatever connections he put in his mind played out, he just wasn't ready to deal with it yet.

So he remained in a perpetual state of shock, for two months.

The young boy's legs had healed; most of his wounds in fact were well taken care of. He obediently did physical therapy, but he enjoyed nothing. No smiles, no jokes, didn't even try to tease his younger siblings like he used to. No pranks, no rude remarks, he'd never been so well behaved. It just wasn't right.

And all because of one man.

Bruce fought hard in his mind to think only of his son and not of the man who had escaped justice for this one act. He had to focus on bringing his boy out of his shocked state and back into reality. Jason couldn't be a victim forever. He was a fighter, a survivor. How else had a five year old manage on the streets for a year before they met? Jason had to pull through this. He would, somehow.

As the boy slowly calmed down and drifted back to sleep in the security of his father's arms, Bruce thought of what he could try to ease him out of his shocked state. Two months of being nearly catatonic was too much. There had to be a way to help him snap out of it. But what? He'd nearly had a panic attack when Dick tried tickling him into laughing. He avoided his siblings often, wanting to be alone. Not even Alfred could stay near him longer than ten minutes before he retreated to a silent corner of the room. Bruce seemed to be the one exception, and he was sure it was because Jason felt safest with him. Joker could never best Batman after all, and every one of his children said he felt safe.

Safe. That was exactly what Jason needed and wanted each night. To know he was safe. Hence why Bruce came every night when his bug picked up Jason's moaning. Hence why he was there now.

The boy's breathing steadied, his grip loosening on his father's shirt. Nearly asleep. He held his boy a few minutes longer, just to have the reassurance himself that he was alive and well. He remembered being terrified when Superman brought over his body. He remembered the anxiety of waiting through the hours of surgery. More than anything, he remembered the guilt burning inside him as he waited at the boy's bedside at the hospital. Now all he had was the fear and heartbreak for how his son behaved now, broken.

Knowing the anxiety wouldn't leave him by just sitting there, the head of the household laid his boy back down under the covers, tucking him in gently to not disturb him. Jason needed rest, everyone agreed on that. Every night Bruce was tempted to stay by his bedside, but others may need him as well. Damian didn't quite understand what was going on around him and would run to his bed whenever he had a nightmare still. And the others weren't without their traumas. He couldn't focus on only one child all the time. It was one of the downsides of having more than one child.

Very slowly he left the room, letting the boy rest as much as he could before either dawn or the next night terror. The terror caused by that one man. A terror they couldn't nab him for. Those little…

"Bruce." Dick's voice made the man snap around in an instant. He didn't know the teenager was up at this late hour. But he was, and staring serious as the grave when he called his name. "They just got news. Gordon has him cornered in Amusement Mile. Satellite feed says he has a boat waiting for him. Penguin's helping him."

The dark knight's jaw tensed. It was the break they were waiting for. Joker had surfaced again, going on a thieving spree of all things. Old toys, classic jokes, ridiculous items really. He changed up his MO for the moment. Avoiding anything that'd get him charged for murder. His latest version of his toxin put people into a paralyzed state rather than killed them off with a grin. There were a few stabbings but nothing life threatening. The man was aiming to go back to Arkham if he was caught.

Well let him go there. It didn't hinder his plans for the madman.

"I'll send Kent and Curry."

"Already told Flash to head over."

Bruce blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Flash's metabolism will burn out Joker's gas before it can do any damage," Dick explained. "Joker's probably anticipating Superman and Aquaman, hence the boat. You send Uncle Clark out all the time around here."

"He's the closest."

"Not this time. He's off in Argentina helping out with an earthquake." The teen took a step forward, trying to convince him. "Joker won't be anticipating Flash, believe me."

"And just when did you become a strategist?" Bruce didn't like being corrected by anyone, let alone someone who was already disobeying orders.

"Since you started us playing 'How Do You Take Down So and So?'." He leaned against one of the walls, glaring slightly. "Bruce, you haven't been focusing lately. You're letting your emotions take control of your actions and are making bad calls. You should focus on Jay and the rest for now. I'll help out the League."

The man glared at him, harder than he had in a long time. "Get to bed and let me do my work."

"No." Dick glared back at him, not the least bit intimidated. May have worked back when he was twelve, but at fifteen, he'd seen scarier and was almost immune to his glares. "You've hardly slept for the past two months. Let me take some of the load."

"Dick…"

"I've got your back remember?" He tried to make sure he sounded convincing. "I may not be a cape, but I can do what you do. Joker's not getting away because I asked Flash to handle it. His nephew is helping out and he's asked Speedy to help with the capture. The three of them will get him into Arkham where he belongs, under the best security available. He's not going to get away with this one. Iran isn't going to make him their ambassador again."

The very large man loomed over him, giving a glare unlike any others. "Get. To. Bed."

Dick clenched his jaw, glaring up at him for a moment before looking at his socks in defeat. His long time father figure swiftly moved past him to the study where the entrance to the cave and his workstation waited for him. The teen stayed still as a statue for a minute before looking back the way he just came.

He hadn't told Bruce that the three he called in had just caught Joker. He wanted the man to calm down a bit first. The dark knight was truly becoming like his other old name, vengeance. All he wanted was revenge for what happened to Jason. Something that could not come through the justice system.

Just a week after the attack, Joker was made the Iranian Ambassador to the UN, effectively giving him diplomatic immunity to all crimes he committed, both past and present. It wasn't until his attempt to kill everyone at a UN peace meeting happened that the psycho could be arrested. But by then it was too late. Joker now had a clean slate, according to the legal system. Until he slipped up, he was a free man.

He couldn't be charged for the murder of Sheila Haywood. He couldn't be convicted of beating Jason near to death. And all the other murder, theft, and assault charges he had in his rap sheet were wiped clean too. The Justice League had no choice but to let the man run free until the next time he struck.

And strike he did. All that past week. And now Flash, Kid Flash, and Speedy had taken down the madman. Come morning he'd be in Arkham.

Dick looked at his brother's room for a long moment, sorrowful. This wouldn't bring Jason peace. Dick had been beaten nearly to death's door by Two-Face around the same age, it took weeks to just leave the manor on his own again. Bruce had been overprotective then, and since Dick never liked being shielded like that, it knocked him out of his stupor rather quickly.

But the two of them weren't that much alike. Something more had happened to Jason, they all knew it. Something he wouldn't talk about. And until Jason was back to normal, or at least tried to be, Bruce would be on his rampage, obsessed with taking down those who hurt his son. Two-Face wasn't as lucky as Joker. He was in a body cast quite quickly after being tossed in prison, again. The system served them well then.

Slowly Dick slid into Jason's room and sat on the far side of the bed. He worried for his brother like everyone else, but more so he worried for Bruce. One in shock, the other on a rampage, things were falling apart around them and he was the one trying to hold them all together. Tim and Cass knew something was wrong and tried to help where they could. Alfred was holding his tongue about certain actions, watching on. Damian was two; it'd be a miracle if he understood anything more than 'Daddy's mad' and 'Jason's sad'. Even Selina was avoiding them now, and the League was worried as well. If Dick hadn't stepped up, Joker probably would have escaped.

He sighed a bit before laying down on the end of the bed. Bruce said to go to bed. Didn't say which one. And really, someone had to get him out of his funk. May as well be the rebellious teenager.

A/N: X3 Yep, Jason's kinda catatonic. Bruce is now on his rampage. Joker got a clean slate making it impossible now to get convicted for what he's done (fact in the comics, one reason he wasn't killed in them after that). And as I recall, Dick was trying to make Bruce see reason and calm down, then was thrown out of the manor during all of that. So... not a bad addation? I foresee Dick getting more involved with the crime fighting community as they get older.

And before people ask, yes, I was planning on another Selina story before this event so the Cat/Bat coupling could be more intertwined. Still haven't figured them all out yet, but she is there! somewhere... Also, we now see some of the teen titans being mentioned. They will have a piece in this world as well.

Tomorrow will have some just desserts, and a crucial point for a future arch of mega-whoa.