A/N: Sorry for the missing story from last week. I broke my finger (don't get your fingers slammed in a door my friends) and a few days later (as much as I want to blame my dog for leaving out toys, I'm the one who wasn't looking) broke two toes... y'all author is a hot mess.I hope to still post something tomorrow. I have Different Kind Of Complicated but I'm nervous about getting the emotions right... for now, please enjoy this!

Roy didn't know what to think, and now that Jason was aware something was wrong it was only that much more complicated. See, Roy didn't know how to explain it, even if he wanted to. He doesn't, just for the record, but that was beside the point.

There is no easy way to tell your best friend that their older brother is your younger brother and you think their father figure did something - again you don't know what - to injure said older/younger brother.

Oh yeah, and their youngest brother was correct about their oldest brother. He was kidnapped and probably being tortured but no one will tell you anything and you can't really blame them given the situation.

See, not easy... God, life was so simple 48 hours ago.

"The truth about what?" Jason asked, still tense.

Roy took a breath, "It's..." He sighed, "I received a message last night from Garth that sent me to Bludhaven. I had a short conversation with Wally that made me rethink some things."

Jason huffed, "Stop beating around the bush," he snapped.

Roy stood and took to pacing behind the couch. Work backwards, Roy decided, list what he knows then go from there. "Damian was right." He announced, then internally winced. Not the best starting point.

This was enough to give Jason pause, the younger man's face blanking for just a moment.

"Someone took Dick. Before you ask, I don't know the details. Hell, I only know that much by accident." Roy continued. He walked the length of the room from front door to window and back. "Garth sent a group message to the original Titans."

"What the fuck does that mean? How was that an accident? You're an original Titan."

In any other situation Roy would be touched at the offence his friend was taking on his behalf. It wasn't that easy though. Roy pulled at his hair, "I am or was, but I haven't exactly been acting like for a long time," he admitted. "And I can't blame them for still assuming I wouldn't care."

Jason's frown deepened, his grip on the computer lessened, now just loose in his hands. "What does that have to do with the missing footage?"

Roy waved him off, "I'm getting there," he grumbled, "Garth basically sent an SOS. Then they told me to ignore it, but I went anyway. I couldn't just pretend he didn't call a burgundy."

"Burgundy?" Jason echoed, he was watching Roy with pinched eyes and a scowl.

"It's code, kidnapping with signs of struggle." Roy could see the younger man starting to put the pieces together. "I went to Bludhaven - went to where I thought Dick's apartment was only to find a fucking crater."

Jason stiffened slightly, "A uh..." he cleared his throat "someone blew up his old building like two years ago."

"Shit, that long?" Roy muttered, his shoulders sagging with another piece of guilt weighing him down.

Jason nodded mutely and signaled for Roy to continue the story.

"I texted them again, this time Wally agreed to meet me. Apparently they had found him, though Nightwing will probably not be working for a few days, longer if Donna has her way. I assume," He adds before Jason could ask. "Donna always wants him to rest longer." A smile ghosted across Roy's face lost for a moment in thought before he shook it off. "We talked about... It isn't important. But he made the comment 'if you believe DIck Grayson would willingly put the mission before his family then you don't know him.'" Roy scrubbed the heel of his hands against his eyes, trying to push away the growing headache. He missed the growing shock on the other man's face. "And we always knew Bruce wasn't the easiest to work for or with. I mean, fuck man, if I had a nickle for everytime B screwed Dick over, I wouldn't be living in this dump."

"What?" Jason practically yelled, startling enough to jump, sending his computer crashing to the ground.

Roy frowned, of all the things to surprise Jason, this wasn't what he was expecting. "Jay, you complain about B all the time."

"Yeah, but Goldie is his favorite!" Jason was still yelling, but his eyes looked almost desperate.

Roy couldn't help the snort that escaped, "Favorite asset maybe." The sneer fell from his face when the panic didn't leave Jason. "I don't know what to tell you man. Their relationship was never easy and though Dick would deny it, we knew it wasn't always good. Dick was supposed to be the heir and at the beginning they were good. But then Dick grew up, he didn't want to be Batman and at some point he became the contingency plan instead."

"But he was Batman," Jason argued, though missing any of the heat.

Roy let his gaze slide to the wall, suddenly far away,"Yeah, so no on else had to be. So none of you had to be. Jay, You had just come back, and were out for blood. Tim was still a kid. Damian wasn't even a factor yet. He took up the cape because someone had to, not because he wanted it. He would do it even if it killed him and I know it would have eventually. I spent that entire time expecting a phone call that he died. If Bruce didn't come back the cape would have probably killed him within the first two years. '' Roy stopped pacing, bracing himself against the back of the couch.

Jason's face was blank, Roy watched him swallow then collapse back into the chair. "What..." Jason hesitated, "what do you mean contingency?" he asked, his voice just above whisper.

"B has a plan for everything," Roy said, mimicking something Jason has both said and heard a thousand times. It wasn't mocking like it usually came from him or said with the same certainty he's heard from the other bats. It was cruel and damning. Roy continued, "including how to take himself out if the need arose."

There was a tense pause, then Jason let out a long "fuck," and Roy completely agreed. "What about the footage?" Jason continued, "how does that play into things?" Roy could see that Jason didn't want to put the last few pieces together.

"Wally was right, Dick would never willingly leave his family. And I know of only one person with enough power to force him to do anything. You said Bruce had locked himself in the cave when Dick first supposedly died, what was he doing during that time if Dick wasn't dead?"

"We need that footage," Jason whispered.

Roy nodded in agreement, "We need that footage."