Sorry for the long wait. More information is at the end of the chapter, enjoy.

Chapter 14: Reunion

Jason's brothers insisted he go back to his house to get a change of clothes and pick up Cujo. It was the thought of the dog, alone and scared, that finally convinced him to leave the cave, and by extension, the search. They'd been scouring databases and the internet all day, but hadn't come up with anything. They'd even talked to Superman to get his side of the story, but he didn't know much. The man of steel had explained that the government had contacted the Justice League about an escaped meta-human in Gotham, and he in turn had contacted Batman. It was a dead end.

Jason pulled into his driveway and was immediately on edge. There was a car parked there that he didn't recognize. He quietly turned off his bike, and pulled his gun from where it was tucked into his waistband. He reached for the front door's handle, and found it unlocked. That wasn't good. Every instinct was telling him to expect a fight. He turned the safety on his gun off, and slowly opened the door. He nearly shot the figure sitting at the base of the stairs, before he saw Cujo wagging happily in their lap.

"Where's Danny?" Valerie asked coldly, glaring at him. She noticed the gun and Jason quickly put it away and shut the door.

"How did you get in?" he asked. Valerie let the over excited pup go, and he jumped around at Jason's feet, begging to be picked up. Jason obliged, and held the squirming little bean while trying not to get his face licked.

"Danny gave me a key," Valerie said simply. "In case you two went missing and couldn't watch Cujo."

"Why would we go missing?" Jason asked, trying to keep the edge out his voice.

"Because Danny is Phantom and you are Red Hood," Valerie glared at him. Jason nearly dropped the dog in surprise. Instead, he took a breath and gently set him on the floor.

"I need a drink," Jason said, and gestured for Valerie to follow him into the kitchen. She sat down at the small table while Jason pulled a bottle of rum out of the cabinet. He poured himself a glass and downed it in one go, not exactly how you were supposed to drink, rum, but he needed to feel numb fast.

"How did you figure it out," Jason asked,leaning against the counter. He'd poured himself a second glass and was sipping this one slowly, waiting for the effects of the alcohol to hit his blood stream.

"I knew both Danny and Phantom back when he lived in Amity Park," Valerie explained. "I didn't realize they were the same person at the time. But, when Danny disappeared, and everyone thought he was dead, Phantom disappeared as well. I still didn't make the connection though. I thought it was because the portal was destroyed and that's why Phantom stopped showing up. All the other ghosts that plagued the town disappeared too. But then, Phantom showed up in Gotham."

Jason raised an eyebrow at her, and she snorted.

"I'm a criminal psych major, I keep track of active vigilantes," she explained. "I noticed that this Phantom was the same one as the old one, if weaker. And then I saw Danny," she paused then, looking at her folded hands. "I finally put it together; they had to be the same person. Danny gave me his phone number that day at the coffee shop, and I called and confronted him about it. He admitted to everything, and it wasn't too much effort to figure out your secret identity too."

Jason grunted. "That's pretty clever," he admitted. He was finally starting to feel a light buzz from the alcohol, and felt a bit of the tension drain out of his body. Valerie let out a humorless laugh.

"Yeah, well. Danny gave me a key to your house after he got Cujo, that way, in case you two ever disappeared, someone would be around to take care of the dog. And when Danny never messaged me that he made it home from his patrol, I came over to see what was going on." She paused for a moment before asking in a grave tone, "He's missing, isn't he?"

"Yes," Jason breathed out. It was a lot to absorb at once, that Danny had let Valerie into his life like this, and Jason hadn't known. He didn't know why Danny didn't tell him, but he wasn't mad. He didn't have the energy or heart to be mad at Danny right now. Instead, he just hoped that maybe Valerie could help, since she'd known Phantom before.

"He got taken by the GIW," Jason explained and Valerie flinched, her hand flying over her mouth. She was clearly familiar with them.

"How?" Valerie asked, the question an exhale.

"Batman handed him over," Jason growled through clenched teeth.

"What?!" Valerie exclaimed, standing up from her chair so fast it fell over with a crash. Cujo tucked his tail between his legs and ran from the room.

"Yeah," Jason breathed out. "The government told him Phantom was dangerous, so he captured him and handed him over."

"He just believed them?!" she exclaimed, voice frantic. Hearing those words, the same question that had been bouncing around in Jason's own head for hours, cut the final string holding Jason together. He sank to the floor, back against the counter, and put his head in his hands. Valerie crouched down in front of him and gently pried his hands away from his face.

"Let me help," Valerie insisted, squeezing his hands.

"How?" Jason asked, his voice raw.

"I used to hunt ghosts actually," Valerie said sheepishly, looking away from his face. "In fact, I spent a lot of time hunting Phantom. I know a thing or two about the GIW as well."

"Thanks," he sighed, his relief genuine.

"So what's the plan?" she asked, rising to her feet, ready to go.

"The plan is we find Harley and learn where she got those anti ghost weapons," Jason explained, using the edge of the counter to drag himself to his feet. "If we can find her contact, maybe we can find Danny."

"I'm coming with you," she declared.

"Can you hold your own in a fight?" he asked.

"Can you?" she countered, eyeing his cast. He tucked the arm against his chest.

"I'll manage," he muttered.

"Do the rest of the bats know you're going to do this?" she gave him a disapproving look.

"No," he admitted. "But they would try to stop me if they did. And they probably wouldn't be able to find her anyway!" his voice rose as Valerie continued to glare at him. "I need to be the bait to lure her out," he insisted.

"One of the other bats could wear your gear," she suggested. "You're no good to Danny dead." That did it for Jason, he felt his temper snap and stomped away.

"Where are you going?" she yelled after him.

"To call some friends!" he shouted back.

…

"What do you mean you're off world!?" Jason demanded into his phone, his voice frantic.

"I mean we're thousands of light years from earth," Roy Harper clarified from the other end of the line. "Kori got wind of this slave trafficking group out here and we're in the middle of stopping it. We could start heading back your way, but it would take a week to get back."

Jason groaned and put his head in his hands. He was sitting on the edge of his bed. The bedroom door creaked open and Valerie leaned against the door frame, a question in her eyes. Jason ignored her.

"Jay?" Roy asked, when Jason hadn't said anything for a while.

"Still here," Jason muttered.

"Do you want us to come back?" Roy asked.

"It probably wouldn't do any good," Jason admitted. "By the time you get back, we'll probably have already found him. And it sounds like there are more people out there who need you." Jason knew finding Danny in a week was optimistic, but he didn't want to pull his friends away from such an important job. He would forever feel guilty if, by the time they got back to earth, he'd already found Danny, and then they would have to turn around and go back, losing two weeks over nothing. Freeing slaves was too important.

"Okay," Roy said, sounding unsure. "Good luck Jason," he offered.

"You too, bye," Jason said, hanging up the phone before he could hear his friend's response. He dropped the phone on the bed and put his head in his hands. Valerie came over then, and Jason thought she was going to try and comfort him, but instead she grabbed his phone from where he'd left it.

"Hey!" he swiped for it, but she took several steps back. "What are you doing?" he demanded, rising to his feet.

"Calling your brothers," she said, tapping on the screen. He hadn't locked the damn thing when he set it down.

"How do you know I have brothers?" he asked, trying to sound unconcerned.

"Danny told me. They're the other bats," she explained, while scrolling the contacts.

"Ugh, is there anything he didn't tell you?"Jason groaned, putting his head in his hands.

"No," she said simply, and put the phone to her ear. Jason growled.

"Give it," he demanded, lunging for her. She easily side stepped him and Jason was shocked, the alcohol must be affecting him more than he thought. That, or his grief was. . He lunged for her again, but she kicked him in the gut. She hadn't telegraphed the move at all. He had to admit she was good. But Jason didn't have much time to think about it as he doubled over, coughing.

"Yeah, this is Jason's brother right?" Valerie said into the phone. Jason couldn't hear the other side of the conversation so he didn't know who she had called.

"Yeah, this is Valerie, we met at the coffee shop." So it was Tim she'd called. "Danny told me about all of your secret identities, so I figured I should call to let you know Jason is about to be a reckless dumb ass and face Harley without telling you."

Jason could hear the outrage on the other end of the line, though the worlds were lost.

"Yeah," Valerie sighed. "So you better get over here and stop him. I'll keep him here as long as I can." She hung up the phone and tossed it into Jason's lap where he sat on the floor.

"You suck," Jason wheezed.

"If you died trying to save Danny, he'd kill me," Valerie crossed her arms and glared at him. He glared right back, but didn't get up off the floor.

"When did you last sleep?" Valerie asked after a moment of silence. Jason screwed up his face in thought.

"More than 24 hours ago," he shrugged. He'd gone a lot longer without sleep, but Valerie sighed.

"You won't do anyone any good if you're tired," she rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"I am not tired," Jason said, finally getting to his feet. He swayed, and Valerie glared at him even more. She was really good at glaring.

"At least get a few hours," she begged.

"I'll be fine," he muttered and shoved past her. He was annoyed that she'd snitched on him to his brothers, but he knew she was right. He was in no condition to be running around Gotham fighting Harley, but that didn't mean he wouldn't do it if he had to.

…

It wasn't just Tim that showed up, but all three of his brothers, along with Steph and Cass. They all got introduced to Valerie, and a very excited Cujo, and gathered in the living room to hear Tim lay out the plan.

"First we are going to get some sleep," he declared, and everyone groaned. "I know, I know. But we've all been up since this time yesterday. We need to be rested for tonight."

"We're going after Harley," Jason said, daring anyone to disagree, but Tim nodded.

"Yes. We're going after Harley. We'll leave from here, everyone brought their gear," he nodded to the pile of duffel bags in the corner that Cujo was sniffing with enthusiasm.

"How are we going to lure her out?" Steph asked.

"Jason is going to be the bait," Valerie grinned. Everyone turned with shocked expressions to Jason, who was sitting on the arm of the couch next to Valerie.

"Absolutely not!" Dick exclaimed. "You just re-broke your arm. And you haven't fully healed from the last two encounters with her. You are in no shape to be playing bait, "he said with an older brother glare.

"You got a better idea?" Jason demanded, his anger bubbling. "It's not like I'll be totally exposed. You will all be watching my back, and will jump in the moment she shows her face," he explained.

"It's not a bad idea," Tim admitted thoughtfully.

"Are you serious?" Dick demanded, looking at Tim with what Jason thought might be hurt in his eyes.

"He'll be perfectly safe with all of us on the sidelines," Tim argued.

"I don't think you can all be there though," Valerie cut in. Everyone turned to her. "Harley isn't dumb. She's only attacked Jason when it was just him and Danny alone. If you guys aren't visibly in Gotham somewhere away from Jason's location, I don't think she'll show up."

"So you're saying we can't back Jason up?" Dick asked. "In that case, there is no way he is playing bait."

"Well," Tim started. "Dick, Damian, and I can't back Jason up. Valerie is right, we need to be somewhere visibly out of the way," he then paused for a moment, a clever gleam in his eyes. "But Steph and Cass aren't normally in Gotham. They can back Jason up."

"I'll happily kick that bitch's butt," Stephanie grinned, pounding her fist into her other palm. Cass nodded sagely.

"Fine," Dick threw up his hands in surrender. "We'll try the Jason plays bait plan. That doesn't mean I have to like it."

They worked out the rest of the plan together, before Jason handed out blankets and everyone passed out on top of each other in the living room. Tomorrow, they'd get Danny back for sure.

…

"Is everyone in position?" Jason asked over the coms. Everyone sounded off, affirming that they were where they needed to be. Robin, Red Robin, and Nightwing were all as far from the Narrows as they could get, loudly flinging themselves off rooftops and doing their best to catch as much attention as possible without seeming too suspicious. Jason was standing on the rooftop of an abandoned warehouse on the edge of the Narrows, purposely out of the way of civilians. Batgirl and Black Bat were hidden a few rooftops over, waiting.

"Okay Jason," Oracle said over the coms. "Everyone's ready. I'm sending the text now."

The plan was simple. Send every phone in Gotham a text telling Harley to meet Jason on this rooftop. It was coded of course, but in a code the Joker regularly used. They were counting on the fact that Harley had a doctorate and was smart. Plus, she'd been the Joker's right hand, she had to know the codes he used.

...

An hour later, their gamble paid off.

"Well, well, well," Harley cooed as she made her entrance, her hyenas at her sides. "Where's your boy toy?" she asked, her smile sickly sweet.

"I was hoping you could tell me," Jason growled. Harley's grin only widened. The desire to lunge right then boiled in Jason's chest, but he held himself back. He could see the girls getting into position behind Harley. He had to buy them another moment.

"Oh? Did the twink run off?" Harley cooed. "Find someone more interesting to play with? Or did Daddy dearest disapprove?"

Jason's anger surged, and he saw green. He lunged, a roar escaping his throat, but the Hyenas attacked first. One got its jaws around his cast and clamped down. Jason bit back a scream as his broken bones ground against each other. But his distraction worked. A moment later, the Hyena went limp, a tranquilizer dart stuck in his neck. Jason shoved it off, and found the other Hyena similarly incapacitated. Batgirl and Black Bat had Harley bound up at their feet, her arms behind her back.

"You brats! You cheated!" she screamed. "And you've hurt my babies!"

"The hyenas are fine," Batgirl assured her. "They'll be taken to the zoo in the morning. As for you?," she crouched down so she was on Harley's level. "You are going to tell us how to find the GIW."

"Oh, is that all," Harley drawled. "That's an easy one. You don't." Batgirl frowned and Harley cackled.

"You will tell us," Jason growled, planting his feet and drawing a gun. He pointed it at the woman's head..

"But that's the thing, I don't know how," Harley said, sticking her lip out and pouting.

"But you had their weapons," Jason stated, raising an eyebrow under the hood.

"Well yeah," Harley said casually. "I have their number, but not their location."

"Then give us that," Batgirl ordered.

"If all you wanted was a number, I would have happily given you mine," she cooed, looking Jason up and down with a sultry expression. Jason growled deep in his chest. He couldn't wait till this crazy clown was behind bars.

…

"It's a dead end," Tim declared later as they all sprawled in Jason's living room latter. Jason sat back and groaned.

"Why?" he asked, tired.

"This number," Tim explained. "It just goes to a burner phone. I can't use it to find them."

"Dammit!" Jason swore as he pounded a fist on the coffee table. Everyone jumped at the show of anger.

"Now what?" Valerie asked.

"I'll try to hack into their system again," Tim said, fingers flying over his keyboard. "See if there's anything I haven't tried." Tim was only working for a few minutes before his screen turned to static.

"What the…" he started before the TV on the wall turned on, the same static lighting up the screen. The handful of the phones on the coffee table also turned on to the same static. Then a nasally, clearly male voice blared loudly through every speaker in the room.

"I think we might be able to help each other," the voice said. Then out of nowhere a face appeared on the screens, replacing the static. The man that had appeared had glowing green skin with black sunglasses obscuring his eyes, and hair as white as snow. His teeth were bared in a grin.

"Who are you," Jason asked, his voice low and dangerous.

"I am Technus! Ghost master of all electrical technology!" he declared. "One of you has been trying to break into the GIW's servers for a while now. Who is it?!" No one answered. Jason glared at Tim's laptop, assuming the ghost was looking through it's webcam.

"Well?!" Technus asked, clearly annoyed, crossing his arms against his chest . "Who is the great hacker who has nearly broken through my firewalls a dozen times now?!"

"Your firewall?" Tim asked, as though he couldn't help it.

"Tim," Dick growled under his breath.

"What a minute," Valerie inturptes. "You're one of the Ghost's Phantom used to fight."

"That is correct!," Technus confirmed. "I did fight the ghost child on several occasions," he said proudly. But his enthusiasm did not last long. His face fell as he said, "But now, he is back in the hands of the GIW, as am I."

"You're a prisoner?" Tim asked.

"Yes," Techuns sighed sadly. "They've been forcing me to act as their digital security for years now. But I have other things I'd rather be doing. Like not acting as their digital security!" he said with an enraged voice.

"What do you want from us?" Jason asked, trying to keep the growl out of his voice. This guy knew that the GIW had Danny. Maybe he knew where. Jason would do whatever he had to do to get his boyfriend back.

"I want to make a deal with you," Techus explained.

"What kind of deal?" Damian asked, butting in for the first time.

"A deal you can't refuse!" the ghost exclaimed.

"Technus," Valerie said, a warning in her voice. "If you know where Phantom is..."

"I do!" Technus exclaimed, interrupting her. "That's part of my deal. I'll tell you where the GIW's base is, if you agree to free me when you come for the ghost boy!"

"That's it?" Jason asked. This seemed too easy.

"Yes!" Technus said, exasperated. "I want myself and Phantom out of here as much as you do. Phantom may be a nuisance, but we ghosts owe him a lot. Now, do we have a deal?"

"Deal," Jason said, before he had the opportunity to second guess himself.

"Excellent," Technus said. "In that case, here's a back door to all the GIW's systems!" And with that, the TV and phone screens shut off, and Technus' face disappeared from the laptop. In his place, was an icon of a door. Tim hesitantly clicked on it.

…

…

Danny woke to the sound of his cell door opening, and scrambled back. 'No more,' he thought. 'I can't take it anymore!' He closed his eyes and wished Jason would find him soon.

A hand touched his shoulder and Danny opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out.

"Danny," a voice hissed in his ear, a familiar voice, a comforting voice. Danny opened his eyes and found himself staring into the white lenses of Jason's domino mask.

'Jay?' he mouthed the question. Jason frowned at him.

"Come on. Let's get you out of here," Jason urged, and scooped Danny up, holding him tight to his chest. Danny clung to Jason's leather jacket, burying his head against the strong chest, and cried.

…

…

Jason held his boyfriend to his chest as he bolted for the exit. He could hear fighting and chaos around him as the rest of the bats invaded the bass and arrested the scientists. They'd gotten league permission to do so, but only after a shouting match with Superman. Batman had wisely avoided that meeting.

Jason was very worried about Danny. When he'd found the cell they'd been keeping him in, it was covered in blood and ectoplasm. Danny himself wasn't much better. He didn't seem to be able to make any noise. Jason had seen him try to scream, but no noise had come from his mouth. It was hard to tell past the blood and inhibitor collar, but it looked like his throat might have been slit. Jason felt his rage boiling, like a pot left too long, but he couldn't afford to lose his temper now. He had Danny, and he was going to do whatever he had to keep him safe. No one was ever going to hurt his boyfriend again, not even if Jason had to kill the Bat to ensure it.

Thank you all so much for waiting. What was supposed to only be a few weeks off to recover from burnout, ended up being months when a lot of things happened. I won't bother you with the shitty stuff, but I came out as nonbinary! And I got a kitten. So those are good things. I don't know how often this story will update from here on out, we'll just play it by ear, but I have no intention of abandoning it. Let me know what you think of the chapter. I'm not perfectly happy with it, but I wanted to get it out you ya'll, and I don't know if I'd ever be perfectly happy with it, it was a hard chapter to write! We'll really be entering phase two of the story in the next chapter though.