Chapter 1: Hang On Sloopy

Red Robin comes to again with the deepest of hope that when he opens his eyes this time he won't see reality. As he hangs suspended by his wrists in Joker's hideout, with his fingers having gone numb from the prolonged cut off of circulation from metal cuffs digging into his skin. He holds onto the notion that they will come. Batman and the others. Tim has been slipping into day dreams about them each time he's been conscious. Imagining it clearly. He's been apart of rescue missions so he can so easily see Batman breaking through the door and starting in on the Joker while Nightwing runs up and gets him down, uttering the words he so longly wants to hear "It's over." But instead, as his eyes adjust to the dim light, Red Robin sees Joker's back to him. He's in the corner sharpening something, something else to torture him with. The clown's humming to himself with occasional laughter. Sick bastard has been pretending Red Robin's his second Jason this whole time. Says he's working his way up to the crowbar as he wants to make sure Red Robin can't come back from the dead like the other one.

"How disappointing. Not only to did he fail Batman by dying, but he then failed me by coming back to life. Idiot Robins, can't get anything right." He said as he shoved a screw driver into the side of Red Robin's leg. As Tim recalls his most recent reason for passing out, he takes his eyes from Joker to see how that screw driver's enjoying its new home in his quadricep. Blood has stopped flowing, most likely because Red Robin hasn't moved since. The pain was so intense from the dull instrument being slowly shoved in. Unfortunately that wasn't the beginning. Since being abducted, Red Robin's been drugged, whipped, beaten by various weapons. Fucker even had the nerve to try shooting him with arrows. Good thing Joker's never taken up archery as none even came close to hitting him. However out of frustration, Joker walked up with an arrow and jammed it through Red Robin's arm. That was the first time Red Robin passed out. He just has to hold on. He's not sure if the Joker will kill him, but he knows he's stalling until Batman can get here. Hopefully he won't blow him up right before he does. Nah, he knows Joker better than that. Knows he doesn't like to pull the same trick twice. Although… he's vengeful and there seems to be no other motive. Tim figures his odds are fifty-fifty.

Red Robin's already gone through the stages of capture. First is the pure anger you direct towards yourself for getting captured in the first place. Stupid Tim. Stupid, stupid Tim. You know better, damnit. How could you be so careless. Then it's trying to break free, that was no use. Belt and bo staff were taken. The type of wrist restraints were the kind where you couldn't dislocate thumbs for escape. No way to lift himself up. Just stuck hanging. Next, you turn to rage. "I'm going to kick your ass!" which soon turns into "Batman's going to kick your ass." Eventually you don't say anything and each time there's blood in your mouth you just spit on him. Then comes the dreaming of escape. Now, Red Robin is at the point of hallucinating Batman saving him. He's not sure what comes after that since…well he's always been rescued before that point. He's just grateful the hallucinations give his mind something else to think about aside from his multiple injuries and pain. His face is swollen, beaten in, his jaw fractured on the left side, his left ear ringing, blood dripping down his head. His arms, back and neck ache to the point of nausea, unless he's nauseous from the various impalements in his body that also ache on movement. Like the screw driver, the arrow and what looks to be a knife next.

Joker whirls around laughing. "Oh Robin-boy! You think you people would have learned by now!" He holds up the knife running a gloved finger over it, admiring how sharp it is. He's one to talk. Red Robin thinks as he glares at the clown. Joker walks over to him on his left. He gets close enough to breathe into Red Robin's face. Putrid clown smells like sulfur or rancid milk with a hint of patchouli oil. Like something died and someone tried to spray cheap cologne to mask the smell. Red Robin's face twists in disgust. "Think you side kicks would have learned the point by now heheheh." Joker has the knife close to his face, especially the tip and it gets closer with each laugh he lets out. Suddenly, he retracts his arm and shoves the knife into Red Robin's shoulder right above his left clavicle.

"GAH!" Red Robin cries out.

"Get my point? Red Robin?" Joker twists the knife a little and Red Robin lets out another grunt

"UGN!" His breath coming in short pants as Joker slowly draws it back and then twists the other way. Red Robin's eyes are shut tight trying to make his mind go somewhere else. He's not hanging here with a six inch blade tearing through muscle from a psychotic clown. No, he's in bed at Stephanie's apartment. They're sleeping in, spooning. Ignoring their phones and schedules for the morning. Listening to Gotham traffic while watching the sun creep into the window lighting the last bits of sleep on fire. Stephanie, he sees her smiling face. All he wants it so see her again.

Then a sharp hot pain hits him in his right abdomen. "FUCKgnnnerrrahH!" Red Robin shouts as he's shocked out of the peaceful place he just was by the knife now rammed into him.

"Wake up, boy! Did you know, I have a bit of knowledge of anatomy? That's right. Here, on this angle…" He says as he moves the knife making Red Robin whelp a little, "is far enough laterally that I'm not hitting any major organs. Just pain. Especially when I do this."

Red Robin grits his teeth in anticipation and Joker rips the knife out of his is side. "Ffffffffughh" He hears his blood splatter when it hits the floor. His breathing increases as he's trying to hold the pain in with his head hanging forward. He spits whatever just made it's way up his throat from his queazy stomach. Tim registers the Joker laughing…taunting him, making twisted jokes, but he's elsewhere again. He has to survive this and hold on. He has to focus on his breathing, not the pain, not how he feels his arms ripping from the strain of the position. Focus on the next hallucination of Red Hood driving his cycle through door guns blazing with no time to think, just kills the Joker with a shot through the head. As the lifeless body slams to the floor, Red Hood makes a crack to Tim about being a shitty Robin and getting abducted while he's cutting him down. It should worry Tim he's enjoying imagining Jason killing the Joker, but right now… it makes it all hurt a little less and helps him hang on a little longer.

Chapter 2: Heads On Straight

*Wham!* An old large brown book almost the size of the table gets slammed down by Nightwing in front of Red Hood and Batman.

"Far be it from me to point out that Gotham Public Records don't let you just take those…" Red Hood quips

"Arrest me." Nightwing bites back sarcastically

"I'm just saying, I'm not the only criminal."

"We'll put it back." Nightwing assures.

Batman ignores them both and quickly opens to the pages they need. Joker has Tim in an old warehouse in the old part of town. Too ancient for the schematics to be online so stolen dinosaur records covered in dust it is.

"Here." Batman points to the sub basement.

"There's only two entrances."

"That's either very very good or—"

"Bad. He expects us to come for him. Joker will be prepared." Batman remarks.

Red Hood looks up at Batman. "Then we make a third entrance."

"You'll make a third, distract him. Nightwing and I will go in here."

"What if he's on the other side by this one?" Nightwing points to the second entrance.

Batman nods. "I have a hunch he is and that one will certainly be compromised."

Red Hood thinks for a second. "Unless he's thought of all of this because he likes to try and predict how you think."

"We don't have time to—"

Nightwing interrupts him "Bruce. It's a sub basement."

"Yes."

"What if we just blew the ceiling of the sub basement in?"

"Bonus points if we blow it right on top of the piece of shit and kill him."

Batman glares at Red Hood. "You promised your head was on straight for this."

"Fine, on top of the clown?" Jason corrects with a smirk. He doesn't wait for Batman's short temper to rise again before he clears his throat, "Sorry. I'm good." Normally Red Hood wouldn't be apologizing, but the Joker's had Red Robin for over twenty four hours. They're all on edge considering the last time the Joker had Jason, he was dead in under three.

They finalize their rescue plan and decide they'll use infrared once they get on scene to confirm Red Robin's placement. Batman radios to the others he's placed elsewhere on patrol for the night to keep on alert in case they require back up. Nightwing seizes an opportunity to catch Batman alone when Red Hood heads to his cycle.

"If Tim is dead, he won't be okay."

"If Tim is dead, I can't promise I will be either." Concern spreads over Nightwing's face before Batman continues, "Dick, it may fall to you to keep us in line."

Great so the Joker's life is in my hands tonight. "I promise to try." Batman 's lack of amusement recollects Nightwing's attempt at humor. Like the good soldier he is, Nightwing makes sure Batman knows he'll take care of it.

They're all masking their anger or fear, given how much they all love Tim. Nightwing and Hood default to humor, Batman shunts all focus to the mission. All trying to ignore the sobering fact that not only could another life have been taken by the Joker, but that it's Tim this time. If any of them were to focus on that, let that thought settle too long, they would all be in danger of killing Joker.

Chapter 3: Hope Dangles On A String

Red Robin is startled out of another stream of consciousness when he hears Joker return. "Since it's been a whole day, Robin of Redsley, I've decide to be a kind Uncle Joker and make you some food." He lifts the lid and bugs crawl out from what's on the dish. A slimy chunk of what looks like mystery meat from a can on molding slice bread. The decomposing smell, the bugs, combine with the slimy meat and Tim feels that warm saliva trigger the body does before vomiting in the back of his throat. "Open up." Tim clenches his mouth as tightly as possible. He's praying the fracture in his jaw has given him trismus. He doubts it's locked up though since he's been spitting without pain. Joker smashes the "sandwich" into his face, the scent revolting, but the action not as forceful as Red Robin was expecting; so he's successful in keeping his mouth closed. The Joker eerily laughs as he rubs it all over his mouth and nose, getting off on seeing how much Red Robin is disgusted. Joker lets it drop and hit the ground when the vial mess is wiped all over Tim's face. The smell is gut wrenchingly bad. Joker starts laughing freely satisfied with himself. Before Red Robin can gain composure, he vomits and most of it lands down the front of him enhancing the putrid odor. Not to mention the contraction of muscles it required him to do so was excruciating. Hang on Tim. Hang on… but he drifts under again.

"Your move, Master Tim."

"I know Alfred, calm down, I'm thinking."

"Well I wanted to finish this game of chess before my ninetieth birthday."

"Your mind games of distraction won't work on me this time. Also aren't you ninety-one?" Tim smirks.

"Remarks like that will not get you a second slice of pie, young man."

"Sorry. You have a secret to this game, I know it." Tim makes his move.

"Do I?"

"Yes. I'm close to figuring it out."

Alfred makes his next move. Maybe if you were more focused on improving your game rather than trying to figure out mine, then I wouldn't be saying check mate, right now."

"Jeez.." Tim looks the board over. "That's best out of three. How?"

"Some mysteries are better left unknown, now focus."

An explosion happens in Red Robin's left leg and he's brutally ripped from that memory with Alfred as he's suddenly conscious again. "AHHHH! FUUUCK!" He screams as the pain is acutely intense, his leg feels like it's on fire. He's come to fully. He's been shot. He looks down but he can't see his leg clearly, he thinks… Joker shot him in the knee! Tim can handle the destruction of soft tissue, the bruising, the minor breaks, but to destroy his knee! It's too much, this is too much. He's lost all sense of calm and begins screaming. Partially because the pain is tremendous and partially because he can't take this anymore. "FUCK you! Fuck! GAHHH!" He thrashes about, but that causes everything else to hurt and makes his panic worsen. Still screaming, the Joker just stands there holding the gun grinning.

"Are you quite finished? It's wonderful you're speaking to me again even if it is such disgusting profanity. I mean, I always considered myself a skilled conversationalist regardless of how I despise the masses. One on one I do believe I perform quite well."

"Fuck. You." Red Robin growls through gritted teeth.

"Unlike your diversified vocabulary. You weren't waking up, I had to get your attention back somehow. I was lonely!"

Joker continues to ramble on. Red Robin prides himself on his mind. Similar to Batman's, Tim's mind is strong, controlled, brilliant. Like Alfred said in his dream, focus on your game. Red Robin's game is keeping his mind in order. He starts by not letting the Joker in. Then moves on to ignoring the pain like he's been trained to do. Next it's getting rid of the fear telling him not to move his knee because if it doesn't bend, he'll break on the inside. He's stronger than that and he forces his knee to move. A wave of relief washes over him and he breathes easier. Two inches off, the bullet is two inches above his knee. He can do this, he can keep it together. Hang on Tim.

Chapter 4: 'Joker bad, Batman good, Hope is relative'

Red Robin learns the stage after hallucination is surrender. He's been hanging long enough to determine there's three hundred bricks in the wall across from him, he's lost approximately a liter to a liter and half of blood and this building's power grid is old so he must be in the old part of Gotham. None of that helps him though, other than passing the time. He's started to consider he was wrong and his odds are the other fifty percent.

Suddenly there's a beep from a device on Joker's table, but Joker doesn't flinch. Red Robin studies him and sure enough his pulse has increased, it's them. Before Red Robin can hope he's correct, the fear creeps back when Joker speaks."Oh goody, my party guests have arrived. Just as I had hoped."

Red Robin almost lets out a snort. This whole time both he and the psychotic clown have been holding on to hope, yet in two vastly different ways and for majorly different reasons. His head is pounding too hard and his body aches too much for him to keep analyzing this further. He resolves to the most simplistic of reasoning, 'Joker bad, Batman good, Hope is relative'. He tells himself he'll write that in a fortune cookie later, maybe a tweet. Luckily his sense of humor has shown up with the his rescue team, because he's getting woozy.

There's an explosion somewhere else in the building and Red Robin can't tell if it was set off by Batman or set off to hurt Batman.

"Well Sweat Pea, you've been a little bit more fun than that other one I killed. However, all good things must come to an end." Red Robin ignores Joker and has his eyes fixed on the door. He's done looking at this sick clown's face, he's seen it enough to never be rid of it whether asleep or awake. Instead, he just stares at that door waiting for them to bust through.

"Shame it's all for naught." Joker begins to laugh

What? Was Red Robin's last thought as the Joker raises the gun and shoots one shot into Tim's chest. Red Robin gasps and inhales deeply as it feels like a sword has just gone through him, hot instant pain. He shudders.

"Ooo! One right in the liver! Whoops! I swear it slipped!" Joker picks up the crowbar cackling as Red Robin's noises of agony have yet to die down "And thus begins the finale." Joker yells as he smashes the crow bar into Red Robin's rib cage right near the bullet, breaking ribs as the teen's whole body swings sideways.

"AHHHHHH!" The scream is loud enough for Batman, Nightwing and Red Hood to hear.

The moment Tim's been dreaming of comes to pass, but he's too preoccupied looking up at the ceiling trying to catch his breath from screaming in pain to see it. Oh, but he hears it. The calvary, the hope is here. He hears Red Hood's guns going off. Despite his vision blurring he can distinguish between Jason's guns and the Joker's. He can hear the slicing of Batman's batarangs and even counts down the time perfectly until the ones that are exploding, explode. He recognizes the crack of Nightwing's stick, the sharp sound it makes when it connects to the Joker's face. A smile creeps across Tim's bloody face. This is real, Tim. You made it. You hung on. This has to be real. But until someone gets him down, he's reluctant to relax. The edges of his sight going black. Hold on…you'll feel it.

Chapter 5: Doomed, But Not To Repeat

When the three enter Red Hood sees the Joker standing by a limp, but breathing Red Robin holding a crow bar. Red Hood is at first enraged, but one look at Tim, seeing him alive and knowing he made it to him in time, he suddenly feels himself in complete control. "I"ll get him down" Red Hood yells to both Batman and Nightwing's surprise.

*ZING* The taught feeling is snapped, instant relief is felt and Red Robin's body is released. He collapses into someone's arms. "Easy kiddo. Stay with me." Tim can feel the leather jacket, smell the faint hint of cigarettes. His head lulls back with his thoughts being Jason. Safe. As Red Robin goes unresponsive, Red Hood kneels down holding onto the teen's battered body. Hood rips his glove off his hand with his teeth and holds his fingers to Red Robin's carotid, then his wrist. Both pulses are present. He looks Tim over and is appalled by the torture done to him. Aside from the major impalements, head trauma and gaping gunshot wound in his leg, Red Hood is most concerned about the leaking wound in his chest. He also knows first hand the Joker likes collapsing lungs with a crowbar. He checks, Tim's lungs are equal which is good, it means Tim still has time.

"Hood, problem." Nighting calls struggling with Batman. Red Hood stands with Tim draped in his arms to see Nightwing trying to stop Batman from beating the Joker to death. "He won't listen to me."Hood hands Red Robin off to Nightwing. "Get him to Leslie's. Now."Nightwing looks at Hood apprehensively. "I've got this, go!" Red Hood turns to Batman. "Bats, he's alive. Stop!" Batman is enraged and each punch the laughing Joker takes makes Batman hit him harder. Red hood hesitates for a moment. He would like nothing more than to see Batman kill the Joker. He's had dreams about this. How it would feel. But then and Jason's not even sure exactly why he screams. "Stop! You'll kill him and then you'll be no better, remember? You can't cross the line! Batman can't hear him. When he saw Red Robin's body, he lost it on Joker. Years of pain and suffering, he's not thinking, he's not seeing, he's just punching. Quickly, Red hood fires a shot that skins Batman's hand and lands into Joker's upper chest shattering his collar bone. The Joker goes unconscious, looks dead even and Batman lets go. He jumps back in fear of what he's done, trying to calm down. The two stare at the motionless clown. "Hey." Red Hood calls to a panting Batman staring at the Joker. "You promised your head was on straight for this." He says accusingly. "I…" Batman tries to explain, but nothing comes out. "Believe me, no one knows better than I do. Can you handle this?" Batman takes another beat to catch his breath and instead of answering him, he ties up the Joker.

Red Hood gets to the clinic. He removes his helmet taking in a needed breath of fresh air before he goes inside. Nightwing is sitting in the waiting room covered in Tim's blood. He looks up as Jason walks in, also covered in Tim's blood. They catch each other realizing this and share a somber glance. "Alfred met us here to assist Leslie." Dick says to reassure him. Jason sits down next to him. "Anything yet?" "They're working on the bullet in his liver. All I got was, major blood loss, but no major arteries had been hit in the liver so it sounds good so far. Joker alive?" "I shot him." Dick whips his head towards Jason. Jason looks Dick in the eye as a half smile forms on him "In the clavicle, so yes, alive." Dick relaxes. " And Batman?" "Him, I shot." Dick looks at him again unamused. "He should be here any minute." Dick lets a smile escape, but before he can ask any follow up questions, Batman enters. Dick repeats the same information he just gave Jason.

Batman turns to Jason. "Can I have moment outside?" Jason grins, "I'm not stopping you…. Oh you mean with me." "Now." Batman grunts.

As Jason steps down the stairs he continues to antagonize Bruce. "If this is about hurting your hand, I—" "—I'm sorry I lost control." "You mean you're sorry you made me feel like I was the loose cannon when it turns out you're more Jason back from the dead than me?" There's a bite in Jason's voice. He's angry. "I thought you of all people—" Jason gets in his face, "Would let you cross that line? Would like nothing more than to watch you put your fist so deep into his face it stops his breathing? Of course I wanted that. Since the day I woke up in that coffin screaming your name to come save me, all I've ever wanted, ever dreamed about was you putting him down." Jason turns from him slightly. "And tonight?" Jason looks up at the sky. The clear sky, the moon high, he doesn't know if he can explain how things look different right now. History just repeated itself and Jason should be a tangled mess of emotions, but he's not. He turns back to Bruce. "Tim's alive. This time we got there in time. We…I did what you couldn't do. The last thing I wanted to see was you destroy yourself and not be able..well not look at me the way you are now, with pride" "So you did it for me?" "No, Bruce, I did it for me. …and for Dick. And Tim. Hell even Damian. For some reason, no matter how long it's been, seeing you look at us the way you're looking at me right now. I know it shouldn't matter, but it does." Bruce puts a hand on Jason's shoulder, "Thank you." There's more to say, but the moment ends when Dick peeks out from behind the door. "Hey, Alfred says he has an update."

Chapter 6: What Doesn't Kill You Leaves You Scarred

Tim wakes up in the bedroom he recognizes as his own in Wayne Manor. He should feel relieved and he tries to shake off the haunting images of his ordeal, but he can't. He should feel safe, but the memories cling to him, leaving him feeling vulnerable in a way he hasn't before. He knows it is too soon to move regardless of the morphine hooked into his IV. He can sense his head is covered in bandages, but that the swelling in his face has gone down. First time it doesn't hurt to blink. He can also sense the presence of someone to his left. He turns and is greeted by the angelic vision of the smiling blonde of his dreams.

"Have I been bored waiting for you to wake up." Stephanie scoots closer to him and grabs his hand. "How are you?" She's trying to hide her concern.

"Better now that you're here."

"You're not angry that I wasn't around? I'm beating myself up about it."

Tim closes his eyes briefly checking that she is here. "Stop. All I wanted was to see your face again. Nothing else matters"

"Well here we are." She leans in and kisses his cheek. He looks back at her pleadingly. She smiles and kisses him for real.

"That. I was hanging on to do that again."

She runs her hand through his hair. "I'm so glad you did."

Tim exhales a long sigh of relief. Stephanie wants to talk to him more, but one thing at a time. She lays her head down on his chest to just be with him. Tim wishes Stephanie resting on him made everything better, but unfortunately he feels more haunted than ever.

In the upcoming weeks during Tim's recovery, his nightmares grow worse. He stops sleeping all together. Despite being mostly physically healed, the scars on his body remind him. The cuts on his wrists were the deepest, those scars he sees constantly. He didn't have feeling in his fingers for three days after it happened. He was terrified blood flow wouldn't return, but it did. He's developed a tick where he checks for feeling in each of them. The scar on the side of his head went deep too. His hair will grown in differently. He'll have a bald spot in his beard line from his jaw. The knife wound will leave a thick scar. Plus a few others. Joker sure does know how to leave a mark. Bad enough the clown's face haunts him, now Tim feels branded. Feels like no matter how much healing he does, a part of him is missing. His sense of self, sense of security. He's been rethinking his opinion of Jason. Obsessing over it really. Worried who he might become. Everyone around him is trying. Batgirl tells him he needs to learn how to lean on the support around him. Dick, Bruce, Stephanie, they all are there for him, lend an ear, tell him they can't imagine what he went through, they all understand the Joker. Especially Barbara. Tim may have been held for over twenty four hours, but Barbara was paralyzed for years. If anyone could understand it should be Barbara. However none of it really helps. Their optimism isn't enough. Tim feels like he's trying to clean up a wet mess with a dry broom and he's unsure why. Everyone gives him space and even that doesn't help.

He wakes up in a cold sweat again. Hasn't slept in two days and he's exhausted. He slaps his hand to his bedside table and fishes around for his phone. He goes to call Stephanie again, but then thinks he should try something else. A last resort.

"mm Yello?"

"Jason?"

"…Tim?"

"You busy?"

"I was sleeping."

"Hm."

"Can't sleep?" Jason knows the answer to this question.

"Not so much."

"Wanna talk about it?" Jason knows the answer to this question too.

"Not so much."

There's silence over the line.

"Look Tim, I know why you're calling and it's not that I don't want to be here for you, it's just, I'm not the best role model to—"

"I don't need a role model. I need someone who understands."

The silence returns. Jason also knows that's not what he needs.

"Want to meet me at the Gotham City docks in 10?"

"Okay."

"One thing Tim, don't suit up."

"…Okay."

Tim's desperate to try anything, he rides up to the docks two hours before dawn. He sees Jason already there leaning against a wooden dock pole smoking a cigarette.

Tim looks around, "It's cold."

"You'll live."

"….so…we going swimming?"

Jason grins as he puts out the cigarette and exhales. "Batman gave you Robin, but you gave yourself Red Robin. Both of those were about pushing through fear. Using those identities as power to do what's right. Then Joker comes along and takes that power. Takes who we've built for ourselves." Jason starts lining up bottles across the dock wall. "Joker may have taken Red Robin, but he didn't take Tim Drake and that's who really made you brave. You don't need anyone else to understand what happened to you, Tim." Jason pulls out a shiny semi-automatic glock and places it into Tim's hand. "You only need you to understand. Take your power back, Drake." Tim's brow furrows as Jason positions him across from the bottles, tucks an extra clip in his front jacket pocket and raises Tim's arms. "Take your identity back." Tim hesitates. "Come on." Jason coaxes. When Tim doesn't move, Jason yells impatiently, "Who are you, Tim?"

Tim fires multiple shots. The first few miss because he hasn't trained with a gun in a while, but then he gets better and knocks down the bottles. Once the clips runs out, Tim skillfully switches clips and quickly empties that one too. When he runs out he keeps firing over and over until he throws the gun with a growl of anger. A burst of emotion he wasn't expecting. He tries to calm down. Jason comes back up behind him and puts a hand on his shoulder. "I redefined myself as Jason Todd and took my power back with Red Hood. Don't have to tell you it took me a while to sort it out, but now I got that part of me back. None of them will admit this, maybe Bruce, no one else really, but I will. The nightmares never stop. But losing who you are, that vulnerable feeling…" Tim looks at him desperately waiting to hear the magical cure. Wanting to find a sense of peace he had before this happened. "That'll get better each time you punch fear in the face. Or in my case—"

"—Shoot it with a gun."

"Exactly."

"Bring any more, Dr. Phil?"

Jason opens both sides of his jacket at the same time exposing multiple guns. "Thought you'd never ask."

Tim knew this wan't a cure all, but it was making him feel better. Better than just shuffling his feelings around like he had been when talking to the others. This wasn't about Tim starting to use guns like Red Hood, he certainly wasn't going to start murdering people to get his anger out. Jason's message of Red Robin vs Tim Drake was helping Tim see that Batman and the rest have at some point been just as destroyed by the Joker. They all managed to come back. Tim had to give Jason credit, he was right, the Joker took his power and it was up to Tim and no one else to figure out how to correct that. Tim realized with each release he felt with the fire of the gun, regardless of him being safe for weeks, a part of him was still in that basement, still just hanging on. What's the next stage after surrender? Through Jason's gun demo, Tim just discovered as the other Bats have before him, the last stage is remembering yourself and fighting back. It is time for Red Robin to stop holding on and time for Tim Drake to take his damn power back.